UMass Boston

Current student Olivia Moos is a member of UMass Boston’s Robotics and Engineering Club, which recently competed in NASA’s MUREP Innovation Technology Transfer Idea Competition (MITTIC).

“MITTIC is a technology pitch competition where the goal is to evolve one of NASA’s technology patents for earth applications rather than space applications,” says Moos. “It is a competition exclusively for minority-serving institutions like UMB. After coming up with the technology idea, the teams send in proposals to enter, and the top proposals from teams across the US are chosen to fly down to Johnson Space Center in Houston to compete against the other chosen teams. While at JSC, we were able to get in-depth tours of NASA’s facilities, see some of the projects that NASA is working on, and hear from a wide range of guest speakers both from NASA and other organizations. The last day of the trip was the pitch competition, and my team took home first place! As the first-place team we were awarded funds and a secondary trip to visit Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. It was truly one of the most fulfilling experiences I have ever had and would recommend it to everyone, regardless of their major.”

Olivia initially got involved with the Robotics and Engineering Club in her first semester at UMass Boston, which was the first in-person semester since the start of the pandemic. “There was an existing Robotics Club at UMB before COVID, but it became an inactive club over the remote years. During my first semester, I was looking for more ways to get involved on campus. My friend mentioned he wanted to start a Robotics Club and asked me to help him. We began the process of reactivating the club and by our second semester we were up and running.”

While the industries of engineering and robotics tend to be male-dominated, Olivia has found a welcoming environment here. “As a woman in engineering, there are definitely some societal challenges to overcome,” she says, “but this has not stopped me from making great friends and having full support from both my peers and professors. At UMB I have never felt looked down on or underestimated for being a woman; I have always felt like a valued member of the engineering community and seen for my character, not my gender. We also have some brilliant women engineering professors who are great mentors to look up to for inspiration.”

“For anyone trying to get into robotics or engineering, I would recommend getting hands-on experience with fun small projects; Arduino and/or Raspberry Pi projects are a great way to do so.” Olivia recommends websites like the Arduino Project Hub, where you can find in-detail descriptions of projects with varying difficulty levels. “Projects like these will allow you to start getting experience with hardware, software, and troubleshooting which are all important aspects of the field. Joining clubs is another great way to start getting involved with robotics and engineering. There are many tech-related clubs on campus, such as the Robotics and Engineering Club, that can provide the resources to get introductory experience in the field.”

Olivia also works as a student employee in the MakerSpace in UMass Boston’s McCormack Hall. “The MakerSpace is a 3D printing studio and open workspace for all students and faculty. This year we have been working to make the space more hands-on and rewarding for students. We hold certification courses twice a week where people can come and learn about 3D printing, 3D modeling, and how to use our machines with no prior experience needed. Once the course is finished, which only takes about an hour and a half, people can come in and use our 3D printers for school or personal projects.”