Dr Ayanna Howard is an American Roboticist, entrepreneur and educator, currently serving as the dean of the Ohio College of Engineering, a position she has held since becoming the first woman to lead the institution.
Howard’s interest with artificial intelligence (AI) led her to join Axcelia Inc., where she helped develop technologies like Evolver, the first commercial genetic algorithm, and Brainsheet, a neural network created in partnership with Microsoft.
Howard held different roles at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including senior robotics researcher and deputy manager in the Office of the Chief Scientist. While she was there, she worked on developing the next-generation Mars Rover, a robot designed to explore the Martian terrain independently. In the future, the robot will be able to collect and analyse data to potentially uncover signs of life on the Red Planet.
Howard joined Georgia Tech as an associate professor and founder of the HumAns Lab. She has also served as associate director of research for the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines and as chair of the multidisciplinary robotics Ph.D. program. In 2017, she became the chair of the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech.
Howard’s SnoMote robots, designed to study the impact of global warming on Antarctic ice shelves, received worldwide attention in 2008. In 2013, she founded Zyrobotics, which has released their first suite of therapy and educational products for children with special needs.
She has authored over 250 publications in refereed journals and conferences and co-edited/co-authored more than a dozen books and book chapters.
In a Q & A session, Howard said if you intend to become an Engineer, you should not be afraid to learn basics and keep your imagination alive. “After all, Engineering is about bringing new things to life!”