Vincent Conitzer expects much to be the same when he returns to Carnegie Mellon University this coming fall. It will still be the best place in the world for computer science and the technical expertise will still be unmatched. Many of the colleagues, professors and even his Ph.D. advisor will also still be around. But don't be surprised if the renowned artificial intelligence researcher and ethicist appears lost in the corridors and hallways of the Gates and Hillman Centers. When Conitzer was finishing his graduate work in computer science in 2006, he spent his time in Wean Hall.

The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries latest exhibition highlights the history of robotics at CMU and the ongoing work of The Robotics Project to preserve the legacy of the field. The exhibition, "Looking Back To Move Forward / A Re:collection of Robotics at Carnegie Mellon," opened Jan. 19 and runs through Friday, March 18, in the Hunt Library gallery. A virtual tour is available for visitors to explore the exhibition remotely. Curated by archivist and oral historian Katherine Barbera and Kathleen Donahoe, the Robot Archive processing archivist, "Looking Back To Move Forward" invites viewers to explore the history and the wide variety of research areas that CMU is known for, including field robotics, artificial intelligence and human-robot interaction, among others. Visitors will see more than 40 robots and archival artifacts -- such as soccer robots, snake robots, a nurse robot called "Pearl," a "Snackbot" autonomous food-delivery robot, and "Terregator," one of the first outdoor autonomous vehicles -- along with personal recollections from the people who made it all happen.

Bloomberg recently announced that Namyong Park, a Ph.D. candidate in the Computer Science Department, was selected for its Data Science Ph.D. Fellowship. The fellowship provides a $35,000 stipend, offers $5,000 to cover travel to professional conferences for the 2021-2022 school year, and can be renewed for up to three years. Park will also have a Bloomberg mentor and complete a 14-week paid summer internship at Bloomberg. Park's research centers on developing tools to better understand how real-world dynamic networks evolve over time and to spot anomalies in them. This research could lead to a better understanding and use of real-world data, including temporal knowledge graphs and financial transaction networks.

The Association for Computing Machinery has named Anupam Gupta and Matthew T. Mason 2021 ACM fellows. The ACM recognized Gupta, a professor in the Computer Science Department, for his contributions to approximation algorithms, online algorithms, stochastic algorithms and metric embeddings. Mason, a professor emeritus in the Robotics Institute, was honored for his contributions to robotic manipulation and manipulation path planning. Gupta and Mason were among 70 fellows recognized in 2021. "Computing professionals have brought about leapfrog advances in how we live, work and play," said ACM President Gabriele Kotsis. "New technologies are the result of skillfully combining the individual contributions of numerous men and women, often building upon diverse contributions that have emerged over decades.

Imagine flying a small, robotic aircraft from goal post to goal post on an American football field. Now, repeat the flight 470 more times, and you'll match the record-setting 32-mile autonomous drone flight recorded by Aakash Sinha's industry-leading startup based in New Delhi. "It's only the beginning," said Sinha, a 2003 School of Computer Science graduate with a master's degree in robotics. "I'm super excited about how drones can change things, not just here in India but globally." From delivering vaccines in hard-to-reach areas to limiting fossil fuel leaks in expansive pipelines, the possibilities for positive change are endless.

Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian highlighted the collaboration among government, academia and industry that has propelled Pennsylvania's autonomous vehicle (AV) industry forward during an event Wednesday outlining new legislation regulating AVs in the commonwealth. The legislation, unveiled at CMU's Mill 19 facility at Hazelwood Green by state Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee; and Yassmin Gramian, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, would update Pennsylvania's policies around autonomous vehicles to mirror requirements in other states. Jahanian said that the global market for the autonomous vehicle industry will reach about $7 trillion dollars by 2050, with the potential to create countless jobs for workers of all education and skill levels. "While the economic impact of AV promises to be extraordinary, it also holds remarkable potential to enhance quality of life for citizens across the nation and contribute to solving significant societal challenges," Jahanian said, adding that benefits could include improvements to traffic safety and infrastructure maintenance and reductions in carbon emissions. He also noted that the technology's implications could extend to logistics, sustainability, medical care and expanding opportunities for independent living.

The National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) -- an innovative model for academic-industry collaboration founded 25 years ago to catalyze robotics research, development and commercialization -- has dramatically transformed the Pittsburgh region, its economy and the robotics industry, says a report released by Carnegie Mellon University. "The impact of Carnegie Mellon's NREC has been game-changing, not just for igniting a thriving technology industry in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania but also for revolutionizing robotics and catalyzing its impact across the globe," said CMU President Farnam Jahanian. "As NREC marks its first 25 years and plans for the future, the report's findings reinforce what insiders have always known: NREC's innovations have transformed entire industries and are helping to solve some of humanity's greatest challenges." CMU collaborated with NASA, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the City of Pittsburgh, local foundations and other partners to create NREC. The center began with an initial investment of less than $10 million and has raised more than $500 million in total direct funding to date -- a remarkable 50 times the original investment.

A virtual, autonomous racing challenge launching this week will enable aspiring racers to head to the track without building a car, knowing how to brake and accelerate through a corner, or leaving their computer. And as teams tackle the demands of high-speed and safe driving that pushes race cars to their limits, they will improve the safety of autonomous vehicles and the learning algorithms teaching them to drive. The Learn-to-Race Autonomous Racing Virtual Challenge started Monday, Dec. 6. Competitors use the Learn-to-Race environment to teach an artificially intelligent agent how to race. The challenge is coupled with a workshop on Safe Learning for Autonomous Driving, which is accepting research paper submissions.

Changes in the global climate system are exacerbating the risk and intensity of large-scale natural disasters. With tragic effects resulting from unprecedented heat, drought, cold and wet conditions, such as torrential rains, mudslides, flash floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires, robots can provide a rapid and accurate response in finding survivors when every minute counts.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto presented keys to the city to Carnegie Mellon University's Red Whittaker and Andrew Moore on Friday, calling the two "leaders of the fourth industrial revolution." Peduto, who will leave office at the end of the year after serving two terms as mayor and a career in city hall, said it has been an honor to work with Whittaker and Moore throughout much of the 2000s as Pittsburgh emerged as a hotbed of tech talent and grew its economy around robotics, autonomy, computer science, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The mayor described Whittaker and Moore as humble men who love Pittsburgh and chose to stay in the city to train top-level scientists and develop transformative technologies. They created new industries that not only changed Pittsburgh but changed the world," Peduto said. "They changed Pittsburgh beyond its economy and brought it back to the world stage."