We just launched the Institute’s Robotics Leadership Program – learn more about why we started it.
Mentors: Jessica Burgner-Kahrs, Hallie Siegel, Maria Yablonina, and Eric Diller. Not present: Jonathan Kelly
When robotics Professor Eric Diller thought back to his PhD program, he had a realisation: while the program had provided excellent training in robotics, it did not provide any training in leadership. And, there had been limited discussion about the potential impact of robotics on communities.
Diller is Chair of the Robotics Institute’s Outreach Committee, whose members had similar concerns. The University of Toronto Robotics Institute trains its students to develop a wide range of potentially transformative technologies, from autonomous cars, to surgical robots, to care robots for the elderly. The Outreach Committee believed that to practice robotics in such contexts is both a privilege and a responsibility. For robotics leaders to make the biggest positive impact, they must understand not just how to develop robotics science and technology, but also how to communicate their ideas with the public, collaborate effectively with peers in other disciplines, and embrace the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.
The solution, they decided, was to create a co-curricular program for Robotics Institute graduate students that builds the skills and capacity for service leadership. As part of the Institute’s commitment to increasing diversity in robotics, leadership trainees will organise and deliver an annual outreach activity that engages underrepresented groups in our community.
Diller explains that successful leaders build communities to implement their vision effectively and inclusively. Outreach and community building are activities that teach many critical leadership skills, including self-awareness, teamwork, time management, and communication. They also provide opportunities for the students to have a greater impact with their research.
For example, before coming to Canada for her doctoral studies, 3rd year PhD student Priyanka Rao was involved in an outreach program in India that introduced programming to high school students. She found this work to be not only rewarding, but also a profound personal growth experience. Rao hopes to enhance this experience through the leadership program and also looks forward to presenting a friendly face for other girls and women of colour to know that it is possible to be a successful member of the academic robotics community.
Diller believes that the Robotics Institute is uniquely poised to deliver a service leadership program because the field of robotics is inherently multidisciplinary, and UofT’s robotics expertise covers everything from autonomous cars to robots for eldercare. This diversity allows professors to mentor students outside their area of study, which is a great opportunity for trainees to widen their horizons. And, the Robotics Institute is filled with engaged, energetic people who want to have an impact beyond their own labs.
The hope of the program is to nurture robotics ambassadors who can share what they have learned with their communities, model service leadership to their peers, and eventually even mentor future cohorts. Diller sees this program as a game changer in terms of student leadership, community engagement, and ownership of work. We’ll check back soon to see how this inaugural year goes.