CMU’s Inaugural Bachelor of Science in Robotics Grad Reflects on Forging a New Path

A mass email from the dean to the entire Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science felt especially personal to Beverly (Bev) Da Costa. 

The email, sent by Martial Hebert back in 2023, announced the Bachelor of Science in Robotics (BSR) program, the newest undergraduate degree offered by SCS. The degree promised a grounding in core computer science topics combined with foundational robotics. Da Costa, who had already decided to major in computer science, felt like the program was designed just for her.

“I had always wanted to do robotics at CMU in some way because it’s what sparked interest in my computer-science-oriented brain in the first place,” Da Costa said. “Back in high school, I built a robot that could navigate a maze and solve it. It was one of the first times I wrote and tested algorithms, and I loved it because I could see them actually working on a real robot. That experience never left me.” 

CMU pioneered the academic study of robotics. It established the Robotics Institute in 1979, the first academic department in the United States devoted to the field. The Bachelor of Science in Robotics is the institute’s latest offering and features the same philosophy prevalent in all its academic programs: creating machines and systems that work.

The BSR is the fifth undergraduate degree offered by the School of Computer Science, joining bachelor’s degrees in artificial intelligence, computational biology, computer science and human-computer interaction.

“We decided to design and launch this new degree once the field of robotics had matured enough to make an undergraduate degree valuable,” said George Kantor, associate director of education and a research professor in the RI. “For a long time, jobs in robotics were limited to people with graduate degrees. Now, as the industry has grown, so has the demand for workers with all varieties of experiences.” 

As the inaugural BSR graduate, Da Costa not only moved through a brand-new curriculum but also helped define it. From exploring hands-on systems integration and problem-solving to reflecting on the broader societal impact of robotics, she tackled both the technical rigor and the human questions at the heart of the field.

As she graduates, Da Costa reflects on what drew her to the program, the challenges of navigating a rapidly evolving discipline and what it means to be the first to complete a degree designed to shape the future of robotics at CMU and beyond.

How did you first hear about the BSR program? What influenced your decision to enroll in it?  

When I got an email from Dean Martial Hebert announcing the new major offered at the Robotics Institute, it felt as if it had been written specifically for me –– like someone had looked at my life and tailored it directly to where I was. As a pure computer science student, I felt my creativity was limited to the digital world. Robotics gave me my hands and arms back. Being in the School of Computer Science (SCS) was the opportunity to expand my mind, and choosing BSR was the opportunity to get out of my head and use my whole self.

What has it meant to you to help define this robotics program as its first graduate?

It means pride on multiple levels. Pride in myself because I’ve always wanted to do big, important things. Pride as a Black woman because the odds of someone who looks like me being the first to do something this significant at an institution like CMU are not lost on me. And pride for everyone who comes after me, because the BSR program sits at the intersection of something special and something that’s going to shape the world in amazing ways. There’s also a sense of gravitas in being any kind of pioneer. I’ve always wanted to be someone who shows that taking risks is worth it — not just calculated risks, but the ones that feel like your calling.

What’s one robotics project you worked on that you’re especially proud of and why?

My capstone, without a doubt. I worked on a teleoperated robot arm and hand system that provides haptic feedback to the user, allowing you to physically interact with an environment through a robot. It enables humans to perform dangerous tasks from a safe distance by combining human intuition and dexterity with robotic execution. Because robots alone still struggle with complex, human-like manipulation, this system allows users to maintain control over tasks while eliminating the physical risks of being on-site.

My role was software integration, bringing together all the subsystems: the arm control, the robot hand, the haptic glove and the camera into one cohesive system. Getting to do that alongside a team of talented, caring people has given me a sense of accomplishment I’ve never felt before. There’s something about watching it all come together that hits different, because you can look at it and see everyone’s determination and intellect built right into it.

How did the program prepare you for what’s next for you? 

Problem-solving has been baked into every single class here, and I don’t just mean math problems. I mean resourcefulness. The robot isn’t behaving as expected. How do you pinpoint the issue? If the issue is really bad, how do you work around it? That kind of thinking gets trained into you over and over again. 

My capstone was the peak of all that, where I gained the most real-world experience of my life. Doing research in labs exposed me to real systems and all the minutiae that come with them, the wiring, electronics, code, testing and hardware failures. And in classes, you see and experience everything yourself instead of just watching a video or reading about it. That bakes the memories and lessons into your brain in a way that sticks, especially the mistakes. I feel ready for what’s next. 

I’m heading into a master’s program at Arizona State University in artificial intelligence engineering for robotics. I’m hoping to do really cool research that puts everything I’ve built here to the test. And, eventually, I plan to head to a job where I’m doing work that expands the field in ways we haven’t even imagined yet.

What’s something that challenged you during the program? How did you grow from it?

The math and feeling like I didn’t have enough experience. Robotics is such a vast field, and its concepts and scope can be overwhelming. You can’t know everything, but you have to love learning cool things and getting knocked down just to get back up stronger. The experience piece was harder in a different way. I’m not a mechanical engineer, an electrical computer engineer or even a traditional computer science student. I came in as a computer science transfer, and finding my place took time. But I realized I am in my place. BSR is unique in that way; it doesn’t ask you to be one thing, it asks you to bring what you have and grow from there.

How has your understanding of robotics and its impact on society changed over time?

I think robotics is widely misunderstood and underestimated. People think it’s limited or wasteful, but it can be applied to anyone, anywhere. What I’ve learned is that robotics isn’t just endless in its possibilities; robots are a reflection of humanity. Roboticists can only design for what they know. You can deploy a system and only later realize it’s neglectful of certain communities because you never considered them in the first place, and that’s an accessibility problem. That realization has changed how I think about the kind of roboticist I want to be. It has driven me to design with intention, to consider not just what a system can do, but who it serves and who it leaves behind.

What advice would you give to future BSR students just starting the program?

The program might challenge everything you think you know about yourself and your place in this field. Lean into that discomfort. Pay attention to what you feel called to, in class, in labs, in your homework –– because it’s in there somewhere. Those moments when you mix determination, research and creativity and watch it come to life through a robot, that’s what you’re chasing. Let yourself feel things, try new things and have interesting discussions. The field is vast, but somewhere in all of it is the thing that’s yours. Work hard and dream harder.

To learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Robotics, visit the program page.

For More Information: Aaron Aupperlee | 412-268-9068 | aaupperlee@cmu.edu

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