CS Seminars

"Human Autonomy through Robotics Autonomy

Abstract

As need increases, access decreases. It is a paradox that as motor impairment becomes more severe, so does the need for assistance become more acute, and yet assistive machines also become less and less accessible to operate with independence. My lab addresses this paradox by incorporating robotics autonomy and intelligence into machines that enable mobility and manipulation: leveraging robotics autonomy, to advance human autonomy. Achieving the correct allocation of control between the human and the autonomy is essential, and critical for adoption. The allocation must be responsive to individual abilities and preferences, that moreover can be changing over time, and robust to human-machine information flow that is filtered and masked by motor impairment and control interface. In this talk, I will discuss these challenges, overview a sampling of ongoing projects and studies within my lab, and highlight our recent development of interface-aware robotic intelligence.

Biography

Brenna Argall is an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at Northwestern University. She is founder and director of the assisve & rehabilitation robotics laboratory (argallab) at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), the #1-ranked rehabilitation hospital in the United States. The mission of the argallab is to advance human ability by leveraging robotics autonomy. Argall is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2023), a recipient of the NSF CAREER award (2016), and was named one of the 40 under 40 by Crain’s Chicago Business (2016). Her Ph.D. in Robotics (2009) was received from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as her B.S. in Mathematics (2002). Prior to joining Northwestern and RIC, she was a postdoctoral fellow (2009-2011) at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and prior to graduate school she held a Computational Biology position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). More recently (2019), she was a visiting Research Fellow at the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland.

Zoom Link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92156474703

"Why Do Students Think They're Bad at Programming? Towards Intelligent Systems to Support Motivation and Learning in CS1"

Abstract

In this talk, I will introduce a surprising motivational challenge in the domain of computer science education: students often think they're bad at programming, even when they are performing well. I will present a series of studies showing that students in introductory courses assess their own programming ability frequently, using criteria that are often misaligned with best practices (e.g. "I should be able to debug quickly based off a first glance"; "I shouldn't have to sit there and think"). Then, I will show how we can use these self-assessment criteria as a lens to better understand student experiences and the ways they approach learning. Finally, I will present research exploring the design of intelligent programming environments that can automatically detect potential self-assessment moments and provide feedback to help students re-frame these experiences. Through this body of work, I will demonstrate the value of conducting research that crosses the boundaries of human-computer interaction and the learning sciences to deeply understand learning contexts and inform the design of novel learning environments.

Biography

Eleanor O'Rourke is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University, where she co-directs the interdisciplinary Delta Lab. Her research explores the design of novel computational systems to support motivation and learning in STEM domains. Recent projects include studying student beliefs about programming ability in introductory computer science courses, designing game mechanics that encourage students to practice effective problem-solving skills, and developing web inspection tools that allow novice developers to learn directly from authentic professional websites. Her interventions have been used by over 100,000 students online, adopted by companies, and integrated into classrooms. Her work has been recognized through an NSF CAREER Award, a Google Systems Research Award, and best paper awards and nominations at SIGCSE, UIST, and CHI.

Zoom Link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96480997253?pwd=Y1E1aS80S1NZZXpaV2J0dDdLVXNzUT09

Panopto: https://northwestern.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=39549fbf-0bc0-4487-a00e-b09a00fa3f20

"TBA"

Abstract

TBA

Biography

TBA

Zoom Link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/95896781741?pwd=eUc2bGVmcGFGZ1o2K2tacjgxWXlOQT09

Panopto: https://northwestern.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=283ecdf8-2214-446a-afb1-b09a010e39c3

CS Department Events

CSPAC Tuesday Student Seminars

CSPAC is launching a student seminar series within the CS department. It will run on Tuesdays (12-1pm in 3514 with lunch, like the other seminars).  

The goal is to showcase student research in the department, and to give students an opportunity to give broad audience talks. You can find an overview of the format and goals here.

If you are a PhD student and you are interested in presenting, please reach out to (Vaidehi Srinivas, vaidehi@u.northwestern.edu) directly, and we can schedule a week that works for you.  A tentative schedule can be found here.

While the presenters will be PhD students, everyone in the CS department community (faculty, postdocs, students of all levels, etc.) are invited to attend!

What is CSPAC?

We are the CS PhD Advisory Council.  We are a PhD student-led organization, and our mandate is to interface between PhD students and faculty on academic issues.  Some examples of what we do include: identifying issues in the PhD program and providing input to faculty, and organizing events like the CS Open House and this student seminar series.  (Not to be confused with CSSI– the CS Social Initiative, another student-led organization that organizes social events for the department.)

We want to advocate for PhD students in the department, so if there is some way we can support you, please come talk to us.  We welcome PhD students to our weekly meetings on Tuesdays, 5-5:30pm, Mudd 3501 and/or zoom.  We also welcome anonymous concerns/feedback at any time via this form.  Anyone in the community can reach us at cspac@u.northwestern.edu.

TGI Bagel Thursday

Other Events & Opportunities

The Land We Learn On: Refusing Invisibility & Erasure of Indigenous Communities Led by Aaron Golding and Jasmine Gurneau

Evening with Employers

CS News

NU News