Liberal arts schools with competitive robotics?
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Anonymous
| DS wants to study math in a liberal arts setting -- he does not want engineering and wants a school with smaller classes, so many state schools are out (we're in DC, so no in state option anyway). But he loves his robotics team and wants a similar experience in college. Any liberal arts schools also have robotics or other design teams? Harvey Mudd is a possibility, but he obviously needs more options. At this point, ignore cost. |
Anonymous
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Does he want to compete or just build things with other people?
Many engineering schools have engineering project teams. And some make room for non-engineers. Look at the Michigan LSA math major and then at the descriptions of Michigan Engineering project teams. There's a Michigan Mars Rover one that might be interesting. Also a NASA one. The descriptions often say when they have space for LSA majors. Michigan also has Computer Science and Data Science in LSA. https://studentorgs.engin.umich.edu/project-teams/ https://studentorgs.engin.umich.edu/project-teams/ |
Anonymous
He doesn't need to compete, but wants to build/design with others with a purpose -- but just tinker. |
Anonymous
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In terms of facilities, Hamilton will offer "best-in-class technologies and resources" for students interested in electronics and robotics:
Hamilton Invests in Digital Innovation with New $50 Million Facility - News - Hamilton College https://www.hamilton.edu/news/stories/ai-technology-innovation-building-campus I am not sure of Hamilton's current status in competitive robotics, or of whether or not competitive robotics will be developed through the new facility. |
Anonymous
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PP. You could look at the Michigan Residential College for a smaller feel if your kid is interested in humanities as well.
https://lsa.umich.edu/rc You might want to look at the Vex Robotics university level team standings to work out school possibilities backwards. Michigan has this. https://www.robotevents.com/robot-competitions/college-competition/standings/skills https://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/mtbr First Robotics doesn't have college competitions but colleges have clubs to mentor younger kids. Michigan has this too. https://famnm.club/ |
Anonymous
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PP again.
I found this article online. Maybe investigate Swarthmore? https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8825973 "At Swarthmore College, where the majority of students taking Mobile Robotics are engineering or computer science majors, I often start the course with a timeline of key points in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), beginning in 1920 with playwright Karel Čapek’s coining of the word robot as we use it today." Also maybe look for AI classes. https://www.iecaonline.com/journal-article/why-small-liberal-arts-colleges-are-great-places-to-study-artificial-intelligence/ Also look for schools with "Makerspaces" and related clubs. Where these things co-exist, there may be related extracurriculars for a math major. |
Anonymous
50 million is not that much…and it currently doesn’t exist. |
Anonymous
| Interesting... loves math and robotics but 0 interest in STEM/Engineering schools. |
Anonymous
Ours was the same. Tech school culture is…really unappealing. |
Anonymous
It’s plenty of money for effectively an expansion of the sciences building. It includes a new robotics lab, is under construction, and will be open by fall of 27. If you cannot contribute useful information please just keep quiet. |
Anonymous
OP here. His academic interest is math, which is firmly a liberal art. He loves the group problem solving experience of his robotics team -- he likes robotics, but I think would be happy with any STEM team where participants work together over time toward a common goal. He actively doesn't want a tech focused school like RPI. |
Anonymous
I am contributing. You just don’t like it. I’m don’t think of a resource that doesn’t exist, has not been used, and is not a current formal program as a benefit. Fall of 2027 can easily be pushed back by construction realities and that doesn’t mean Hamilton will be fully ready to operate a robotics lab with programming by 2027- just that the press release and flashy building is up. New programs are not where you want to steer your faith when something as simple as robotics is freely available at many institutions. I’m unsure why your response was so emotional. |
Anonymous
They are not Tech schools they are colleges that are really good in stem and engineering. Most offer many other degrees. How is that unappealing to you? |
Anonymous
| Reed. |
Anonymous
A lot are tech schools and have a certain personality and “type” where certain students thrive. I was a math and physics double major who went to a liberal arts college before going to a grad school at a well known institute for stem. The personalities of the faculty and students I worked with would’ve driven me out of stem in undergrad. There are many schools good at STEM subjects, and the kid is interested in math- not computer engineering, where it’s necessary to go to an engineering college. |