Central to the research activites supervised by Prof. Hashemi are synergistic efforts in education, curriculum development, promotion of diversity, and engagement in community outreach. A sample of recent and ongoing activities include:

Purdue Robomaster

Purdue RoboMasters is a student-centered team focused on implementing cutting edge technology into the design, manufacturing, and programming of a team of six ground robots and one aerial drone for participation in the international RoboMasters competition. Students will need to transcend beyond their knowledge of engineering fundamentals to build a robust mechanical system, develop advanced autonomous control algorithms to enhance robot performance, and collaborate across disciplines. Purdue RoboMasters is one of the largest, most complex, and innovative student-led robotics teams at Purdue University. Prof. Hashemi has been one of the faculty advisors of the club. He has been co-teaching a Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) course since Fall 2022 which introduces undergraduate students to algorithms and systems for multi-robot teams and provides a research opportunity for the students to develop new computer vision systems and AI algorithms for multi-robot systems (photo: Purdue RoboMasters Fall 2021 callout).

Summer Stay Scholars

Summer Stay Scholars is an on-campus summer scholarship program for undergraduate students at Purdue University that combines coursework with research or internship experience. Selected students for Summer Stay Scholars will receive a scholarship that covers tuition for a resident student and offer a sizeable decrease for non-resident/international students. Students will not only receive financial assistance, but the research or internship experience will greatly enhance their coursework as well as give them a unique advantage to pursue careers post-graduation.

Prof. Hashemi has been involved in the Summer Stay program since Summer 2021. That effort resulted in the recruitment of underrepresented undergraduate students to perform research on the development and analysis of new AI/ML algorithms for collaborative multi-agent decision-making with application to robotic navigation. The students are further encouraged to continue the research activities even after the Summer Stay program and be involved in the authorship of a research paper (photo credit: Jacob Askeroth).

SURF Program

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a competitive and paid fellowship that matches undergraduates with a faculty member and graduate student mentor who introduce them to the research tools used on the cutting edge of science, engineering, and technology. The program is open to Purdue students and undergraduate students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. SURF students participate in research activities over 10 weeks during an 11-week program in the summer. In addition to research activities, students will also participate in weekly professional development workshops. The program culminates with a student research symposium where all fellows present a technical poster or an oral talk.

Prof. Hashemi has been involved in the SURF since Summer 2021. That effort resulted in the recruitment of underrepresented undergraduate student to investigate how to successfully use multiple robot agents to collaboratively perform tasks in an unknown environment with communication limitations. The students are further encouraged to collaborate with other group members and be involved in the authorship of a research paper (photo credit: SURF).