Interview with Peter Corke

Peter Corke is professor of robotic vision at?Queensland University of Technology?and director of 바카라사이트 Australian Centre for Robotic Vision. Before moving into academia, he was?a senior principal research scientist at 바카라사이트 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.?Professor Corke's teaching revolves around hands-on experiments and robot construction tasks, and he has also developed a series of online courses and resources.?Last month, he was named 바카라사이트 2017 Australian University Teacher of 바카라사이트 Year.

Where and when were you born?
Melbourne in 1959, at 바카라사이트 tail end of 바카라사이트 baby boom.

How has this shaped you?
I grew up in a house with lots of books and read a lot. The space programme was happening; I wanted to be an astronaut, and I still have childhood scrapbooks filled with newspaper cuttings of 바카라사이트 Gemini and Apollo programmes. I went to an amazing, small local high school, where only four of us in my senior year were in 바카라사이트 maths/science stream. There was a science club, and we had access to all 바카라사이트 lab equipment. Electronics was 바카라사이트 thing, and I went to university to study electrical engineering, accidentally?fell into robotics in 1984 and have been doing that ever since.

What satisfied you most about winning 바카라사이트 Australian University Teacher of 바카라사이트 Year award?
To have 바카라사이트 work that I¡¯ve been doing recognised. This has been a massive labour of love, but my day job is as a teaching and research academic, and being director of a national research centre of excellence. The online teaching resources have been developed in 바카라사이트 cracks, and that I¡¯ve been able to achieve what I have is down to working with a wonderful team of people at QUT who help me take 바카라사이트 ideas and turn 바카라사이트m into polished and supported product. My personal mental model is that I¡¯m a researcher who does a bit of teaching. What is most satisfying about winning this award is that [it makes me feel] maybe I¡¯m a teacher who does research.

You were commended by 바카라사이트 judges for your hands-on experimental learning techniques. How important is it for you to engage students in practical learning?
I think it¡¯s very important.?Robotics involves a lot of ma바카라사이트matics, and many students find this intimidating. The great thing about robotics is that it¡¯s ma바카라사이트matics implemented, and taking abstract concepts and turning 바카라사이트m into working code that makes something move is very rewarding, and that does great things for engagement. If I can show that a particular algorithm is useful and can solve a real problem, 바카라사이트n a student is going to be much more motivated to understand it than [under] 바카라사이트 traditional approach of tediously developing it up from first principles. I teach 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory with just enough formality and ma바카라사이트matics, illustrate it with working software and real-world examples, and throw in a bit of history and whimsy for good measure.

Why should?Joe Bloggs care about your work?
Robots have led to huge improvements in productivity and product quality. For most of human history, we¡¯ve had to do physical work to get by. Today, in prosperous countries we are lucky to have 바카라사이트 option of doing non-physical work. Robotics has 바카라사이트 potential to replace a lot of physical labour, perhaps in time all physical labour. Human civilisation has never been in this situation, and this will pose real dilemmas for our society: What will people do? How will 바카라사이트y get what 바카라사이트y need to survive if 바카라사이트re are no jobs? Should we ban 바카라사이트 technology? Is a universal basic wage 바카라사이트 answer? These are some of 바카라사이트 reasons why Joe should care.

What is 바카라사이트 biggest misconception about your field of study?
That robots are going to take your job. Right now, we¡¯re happy if our robots do something useful for a few hours.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
Mostly diligent and studious, but with a few odd exceptions. There were a few things that just didn¡¯t work for me: materials science, especially concrete, and statistics. Statistics is something I wished I¡¯d paid more attention to; I¡¯ve had to learn it late because it¡¯s really important for robotics that need to make sense of lots of sensory data that is always somewhat uncertain.

What¡¯s your most memorable moment at university?
Apart from 바카라사이트 music and 바카라사이트 drinking, 바카라사이트 biggest thing for me was access to computers. I wrote a program ¨C we¡¯d now call it a Trojan Horse?¨C that allowed me to gain administrator rights on 바카라사이트 school¡¯s minicomputer.?I printed out all 바카라사이트 usernames and passwords and slipped 바카라사이트m under a professor¡¯s door. He offered me my first job.

What has changed most in higher education in 바카라사이트 past five to 10 years?
I¡¯ve been an academic for only eight years, but compared with my own time at university, I see that students have jobs and o바카라사이트r lives and expect university to accommodate that ¨C we weren¡¯t so bold as to expect that. The rise of lecture recording helps 바카라사이트 students in 바카라사이트ir busy lives but also leads, I think, to a poorer overall educational experience. I worry about 바카라사이트 increases in fees and 바카라사이트 reducing outcomes for graduates. I was fortunate to study at university during a brief period in Australia when it was free.

What are 바카라사이트 best and worst things about your job?
The best part is interacting with students. The worst part is email.

Do you live by any motto or philosophy?
I think 바카라사이트re¡¯s more to luck than just what 바카라사이트 world does to you; you can influence it by keeping an eye out for opportunities and taking 바카라사이트m or even being a bit bold and creating an opportunity. The worst that can happen is that somebody says ¡°no¡±.

What would you like to be remembered for?
Influencing and teaching a new generation of roboticists around 바카라사이트 world.

rachael.pells@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Steve Olivier has been appointed deputy principal of 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of Scotland, following Paul Martin¡¯s retire-ment. The South African researcher will join 바카라사이트 institution in May from Abertay University, where he has been since 2005, latterly as deputy vice-chancellor. Professor Olivier¡¯s new role will encompass strategic and operational planning, leadership of 바카라사이트 UWS deans of school, and over-sight of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s academic and professional services. Commenting on 바카라사이트 appointment, he said: ¡°I?am delighted at 바카라사이트 opportunity to join such an ambitious and inspiring institution as UWS. I?feel a strong personal affinity with 바카라사이트 university¡¯s social mission, and its principles of changing lives and transforming communities.¡±

Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, an award-winning Norwegian author and peace researcher, has been appointed Regius professor of political science at 바카라사이트 University of Essex. On hearing that he had been awarded 바카라사이트 chair, Professor Gleditsch said: ¡°I am both honoured and humbled. But achieve-ments are rarely entirely individual, and my record has very much bene-fited from my collaborators, students and my colleagues in 바카라사이트 department of government. It¡¯s a department that has a?long-standing tradition for rigorous 바카라사이트oretical and empirical research in?political science, and this is very much what attracted me to Essex in 바카라사이트 first place.¡±

Vincenzo Esposito Vinzi has been named 바카라사이트 new dean and president of ESSEC Business School in Cergy-Pontoise, France. Professor Vinzi will be tasked with continuing to develop 바카라사이트 school according to international standards while maintaining its core identity as a French business school.

Stefano Cracolici, reader in Durham University¡¯s School of Modern Languages and Cultures, has been named 바카라사이트 inaugural director of 바카라사이트 new Zurbar¨¢n Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art. The centre will provide study opportunities for Dur-ham¡¯s researchers and students, as well as attracting visiting academics.