Andrew Jones, a doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science, has received an award from the Space Grant Fellowship Program. The program is designed to support student research in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines relevant to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration focus.
Jones’s research relates to the autonomous control of robots in multi-robot missions. His focus is on the use of robotic systems for planetary exploration. Jones is developing algorithms for determining when and how to augment 3D printed robot teams with new robots that are printed during the mission to support mission objectives. Specifically, his algorithms determine when to commit from a limited pool of resources to build a new robot and what configuration the robot should have.
“I very much appreciate the award,” Jones said. “This is going to help and support my research and robotics development. It will help me further explore multi-robot coordination techniques and potentially benefit aerospace missions due to their need for multiple robots to allow for potentially more risk-taking experimentation and data collection.”
Space Grant Fellowships are awarded by the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium to a limited number of students in North Dakota. According to the program, they provide opportunities for students in STEM fields and prepare them for careers that support NASA’s goals and the high-tech workforce development needs of the state.
“Andrew has a significant interest in aerospace, and space in particular,” said Jeremy Straub, assistant professor of computer science and Jones’s adviser. “He has presented papers at the IEEE Aerospace Conference and the International Astronautical Congress. I am confident that Andrew has an excellent career in aerospace ahead of him.”
In addition to his dissertation work, Jones pursues his robotics passion through participating in multiple robotics teams. He leads NDSU’s team for the International Ground Vehicle Competition and has previously participated in unmanned aerial vehicle and submersible robotics teams.
Jones, who is from Fargo, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at NDSU.
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