March 24th: NextFab Presentation

When: 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Where: NextFab Studio

In the last 5 years, perhaps the most important advancement in the robotics community has been the rise of ROS (Robot Operating System) out of Willow Garage. This is an open-source system framework for advanced robot systems. We plan to give a gentle introduction to the packages and capabilities in this software, by giving a high level overview of our system approach and then narrowing to a few functions which will display the way we have applied ROS to our robot. This approach will be incredibly useful to people unfamiliar with ROS, while giving current users a greater idea of how to integrate this software in their own projects. Additionally, we will describe our competitions and the reasons why our robot is so awesome.

Purchase tickets here

March 30th: UG Space & Robotics Day

When: 1:30pm to 6:30pm

Where: Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine 101 + Raisler Lounge, Towne Hall

Have you ever thought about a career in robotics or space? Maybe both?
Or maybe you want to explore options after you graduate with an engineering degree?
Or you wonder, “Gee, can I do something COOL with what I’ve learned at Penn?”
Maybe you just want to get your hands wet and learn more about mechanical / electrical / computer science and engineering in the REAL WORLD?
Maybe you’re just thinking about switching to engineering?

Brought to you by Penn GRASP Robotics Lab’s team for the NASA RASC-AL Robo-Ops 2012 competition, the Space and Robotics Day will offer you some insight in all of the above!

Feel free to come to ANY portion of the day.
Please RSVP which hours you will be attending @ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEgzazc4eVR5VzM3NkVlMlJHcm9WUXc6MQ

Agenda:
1:30-2:00 pm Welcome & Keynote on Space and Robotics
2:00-2:50 pm Graduate Panel from NASA and JPL past interns
3:00-4:00 pm GRASP Lab tour + pizza
4:15-6:00 pm Interactive LEGO Paint Ball Catapult Competition (into a bull’s eye or make your masterpiece with provided paint balls!) @ Raisler Lounge

You’ll hear from a keynote speaker from robotics or aerodynamics (tentative), a grad student panel of past interns and research associates who worked at NASA, JPL, and other robotics and space institutes, go on a tour in the GRASP Robotics Lab, and/or participate in a fun catapult competition using LEGO Mindstorm kits!

Ask during the day about career path in robotics / space, current trends in industry and research, what our robotics team is doing for the NASA competition, advice for advancing your career, and if you wish, ask about how you can get involved!

We look forward to seeing you!

Stay tuned for our future outreach events and volunteer opportunities by liking our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Usmart/284070791663229