Introduction to Computer Science Research Topics

Many students are not completely sure what they would like to research until they are actually participating in a project. By providing research projects in robotics, SIUE is helping students evaluate the possible options for research. This provides the student the opportunity to consider the field and determine whether or not they would like to continue working with robotics. This trial basis provides students a chance to work in a specific field of computer science without committing their career for an undesired amount of time. This is also useful to allow students who are mislead by the glorious image of robotics. Media hype tends to portray the robotics industry similarly to the video game industry. Television shows like BattleBots may have students mislead into thinking they will be doing this kind of work with robots.

Artificial Intelligence

In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, Dr. Frankenstein became completely terrified of his creation that he fled, leaving the creature to provide for itself with no one to care for and teach it. The monster then implements a terrible vengeance on its former master. The same ethical question is relevant to us in the present day. If we can create machines that think and feel, we must be careful how we treat them or suffer the consequences of how they treat us.