Nick DePalma
MIT Personal Robots Group
Boston, MA USA
"If you're still thinking about [something] in the shower…that's when you love it."
Career Roadmap
Nick's work combines: Science, Technology, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Graduate Degree
Computer Science
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Doctorate
Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
His love for computers and programming started with video games.
2.
First, he'd hack his computer to get the most out of his games.
3.
From there, he started physically taking clocks and computers apart and rebuilding them.
4.
He originally had a computer science degree that focused on special effects, but for his master's, he chose a specialization in robotics.
5.
Now, as he's pursuing his Ph.D., he's part of MIT's Personal Robots Group, that focuses on human/robot interaction.
6.
Time magazine named his lab's creation-Nexi, a robot that can display human emotion-one of the best inventions of 2008.
7.
Says you know you love something if you're still thinking about it in the shower.
8.
Says, unfortunately, part of becoming a professional means building a professional persona, but you can maintain your identity in outlets outside of work.
