Culver-Stockton Professor of Computer and Data Science Dr. Joe Liesen
A Culver-Stockton College (C-SC) professor is bringing new technology training to campus after completing a demanding certification program and launching a new course of his own. Both efforts are aimed at giving students an edge as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries from manufacturing to healthcare.
C-SC Professor of Computer and Data Science Joe Liesen recently completed Udacity’s Robotics Software Engineer Nanodegree, a project-based program covering robot operating systems, autonomous navigation, and computer vision. The certification was comprised of six courses and a series of increasingly complex, hands-on robotics projects.
“AI and robotics are beginning to transform many industries, and the demand is high in the job market,” Liesen said. “As a computer and data science professor, I think it’s very important to expand my knowledge and skills to include the latest technologies so my students can benefit from that.”
Liesen said the biggest takeaway from the program was seeing how the individual components of a modern autonomous robot system work together, including ROS 2, SLAM, localization, navigation, and robot perception.
“The robot perception piece was most interesting because that component focused on AI and modeling, which fits perfectly with my current curriculum,” he said.
Liesen is putting that experience directly to work in a new AI and robotics course he developed with support of a two-year grant from a private foundation. The grant has funded professional development along with new hardware and software, including a high-performance computing platform and robots students will use for hands-on projects.
In his Introduction to Robotics course, students work with the same industry-standard tools Liesen used in his certification, including ROS 2, SLAM, localization and navigation, and go on to explore robotics perception modeling in his advanced machine learning course.
“My students will be exposed to these industry trends using the same concepts and software tools and practices used by professional robotics engineers,” Liesen said.
Christe Thomas, chair of Culver-Stockton’s Division of Computational, Health, and Natural Sciences, said Liesen’s initiative reflects the kind of forward-looking instruction Culver-Stockton wants students to experience.
“Joe has done some amazing work these past few months. What he’s building is cutting edge, and it’s going to help students well beyond the classroom. They’ll graduate with real, hands-on experience employers are actively looking for,” she noted.
Liesen said the goal isn’t for students to simply read about emerging technology, but to build with it.
“They will have the opportunity to build projects and gain practical experience that prepares them for graduate school or industry,” he said. “Even if a student isn’t interested in becoming a robotics engineer, they will still benefit from understanding how intelligent systems are designed and deployed. Exposure to these technologies helps students become adaptable in preparation for current and future careers.”
Liesen added he plans to keep growing the program alongside the technology industry.
“I am committed to giving my students opportunities to learn emerging technologies in a hands-on format,” he said. “I want to make sure my students leave with a solid technological foundation so they can succeed in a rapidly changing world.”
For more information about the Computer and Data Science program at Culver-Stockton College, visit culver.edu/majors/computer-data-science.
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