Hampton University partners with Amazon to create robotics program

HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Hampton University and Amazon Robotics are partnering together to establish a robotics degree program.

“We are very thankful Amazon Robotics has invested in Hampton University and its students for this project which will enable the growth and development of the next generation of diverse STEM scholars,” says William R. Harvey, Hampton University President. “Amazon Robotics recognizes the stellar talent that comprises Hampton University’s faculty, staff, and students to launch this program. I look forward to seeing what innovations will blossom from this cutting-edge partnership.”

The program will create an undergraduate curriculum that will lead to both advanced robotics degrees as well as robotics careers within the industry.

As part of the agreement, Amazon will fund a new research laboratory, a one-year faculty position, a senior capstone course and the expansion of K-12 programming.

Part of that K-12 funding will go towards an annual drone camp to encourage underserved high and middle school students to pursue degrees in STEM and robotics.

“This will not only build infrastructure inside the school, but it also provides funding for Hampton to go out into the community,” says Tye Brady, chief technologist for Amazon Robotics. “That will allow Hampton to share the excitement of robotics and the excitement of engineering with those who may not have had exposure to it yet.”

Officials say this new partnership will be in addition to its existing computer science partnership. Hampton students will also receive free AWS credits, allowing them to utilize AWS tools and computational power for robotics projects.

“Several years back, we were engaged with a cross section of HBCUs in a robotics initiative to get our students interested in computer science through introducing them to robotics,” explained Jean Muhammad, chair of the Hampton computer science department. “That was a great project that fell to the wayside, and it included a course in robotics that students really liked. So we’re pleased to add robotics back. We’re also very excited about getting more engaged with AI and machine learning. Quite a few of us have experience in AI, but we have not had as much experience in machine learning. I look at this as a way not only to get back into the robotics space, but for both our faculty — and then subsequently our students — to build capacity in those other areas that are all tied together. Our faculty is quite excited about this as well.”

In the future, they hope to establish a master’s degree in robotics.