Outreach

Outreach and Broadening Participation

Broadening participation in engineering is a central part of my academic mission. I view outreach not as an isolated activity, but as an extension of teaching and mentorship—creating early, welcoming entry points into robotics, intelligent systems, and hands-on engineering for students from diverse backgrounds.

Purdue University Programs

[June 2025] Blue Sky Summer Scholars Program (BSS)

MARS Lab collaborated with the Blue Sky Summer Scholars Program and hosted an interactive lab tour session for Ivy Tech Community College students, including robot demonstrations, perception-based manipulation examples, and discussions on pathways into engineering and research.
Program link: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/MEP/

Lab tour and robotics demonstrations

Hands-on activity and discussion

Group visit and Q&A with students

[July 2025] MITE Summer Program

Through Purdue’s MITE (Multiethnic Introduction to Engineering) program, I supported pre-college students through interactive robotics demonstrations and mentoring. I focused on helping students connect foundational math/physics ideas to real robotic systems and encouraged confidence-building through hands-on exploration.
Program link: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/MEP/

Interactive robotics demonstration

Mentoring during hands-on exploration

Lab tour and pathways discussion

[June 2025] PREFACE Summer Program

Through Purdue’s PREFACE initiative, I engaged with incoming engineering students during their transition into the university. My involvement focused on mentoring, academic preparedness, and introducing students to hands-on engineering concepts, particularly in robotics and intelligent systems.
Program link: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/Initiatives/Pre-College/Programs/PREFACE.html

Introduction to robotics and lab demos

Mentoring and student engagement

Hands-on engineering concepts

[June 2024] PREFACE Summer Program

I also supported PREFACE programming in 2024, helping new students build confidence through guided lab tours and interactive demonstrations—especially for students from underrepresented or first-generation backgrounds.
Program link: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/Initiatives/Pre-College/Programs/PREFACE.html

Guided lab tours

Interactive demonstrations

Encouraging early confidence in engineering

[June 2024] MITE Summer Program

During the 2024 offering of Purdue’s MITE (Multiethnic Introduction to Engineering) program, I supported pre-college students through interactive robotics demonstrations, lab tours, and informal mentoring. My role emphasized helping students relate core STEM concepts to real robotic systems, fostering curiosity, confidence, and early identification with engineering pathways.
Program link: https://www.purdue.edu/engineering/MEP/

Robotics demonstrations for MITE students

Hands-on lab tour and system walkthrough

Mentoring and discussion on engineering pathways

[Sep 2025] Purdue FIRST Robotics

I have supported outreach through FIRST Robotics, introducing students to robotics demonstrations and emphasizing how mechanical design, sensing, and programming work together in real systems.
Program link: https://www.firstinspires.org/

Robotics outreach session

Hands-on demo and explanation

Lab visit and Q&A

Commitment to Mentorship and Inclusive Pathways

Across these activities, I prioritize mentorship and inclusive engagement. I aim to make engineering approachable through simple demonstrations, open Q&A, and honest discussion of educational pathways. I also emphasize that uncertainty and iteration are integral parts of engineering practice. Through these outreach efforts, I hope to strengthen pipelines into robotics and intelligent systems for students from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds.