Minds & Machines Program and
BS in Cognitive Science
Director: Bram van Heuveln
Minds & Machines Program
Objective
• The Minds & Machines program brings
together students and faculty with interests
in cognitive science and technology.
• Cognitive Science: The science of all
aspects (reasoning, perception, decisionmaking, etc) of any mind (human, animal,
machine) through philosophy, psychology,
computer science, neuroscience, linguistics,
and other disciplines.
Minds & Machines Program
Dual Major
• M&M students are encouraged to have a
dual major:
– 1 aimed at ‘Minds’ (e.g. PSYC or PHIL)
– 1 aimed at ‘Machines’ (e.g. CSCI , ECSE, ME,
EE)
– popular combinations are:
• Computer Science/Psychology
• Computer Science/Philosophy
• Engineering/Psychology
• Note: Dual major is appealing to employers
Minds & Machines Program
Concentrations
• Cognitive Modeling
• Perception and Action
• Gaming (the Games And Simulation
Program BS has a Cognitive Science
Concentration)
• AI
• Robotics
Minds & Machines Program
Laboratories
• CogWorks Lab
• Perception and Action (PandA) Lab
• Rensselaer Artificial Intelligence and
Reasoning Laboratory (RAIR Lab)
• Human-Level Intelligence Lab
Minds & Machines Program
Example Research: Puzzle Solving AI’s
Minds & Machines Program
Example Research: Cognitive Robotics
PERI passes one section of the
WAIS-R IQ test!
Minds & Machines Program
Example Research: Cogbot for UT
Minds & Machines Program
What Do I Get Out of the Program?
• Discussion of ideas in cognitive science and technology
with other students and faculty
• Biweekly luncheons (free lunch) during which faculty and
students share latest research findings
• Get actively involved in any of our research labs
• Do science as well as engineering, investigate as well as
design, think critically as well as creatively
• Be prepared for ‘cognitive revolution’
• Develop professional connections to find internship and
job opportunities (and letters of recommendation)
Minds & Machines Program
How Do I Enroll?
• Contact the Director:
– Bram van Heuveln
– heuveb@rpi.edu
• Orientation meeting:
– sept. 6 (next wed.), noon, Sage 4101
BS in Cognitive Science
Coming Soon: A BS in Cognitive Science!
• We are planning to offer a BS in Cognitive
Science
• If all goes right, this starts in the fall of
2008
• If interested, you can transfer into this BS
by that time.
BS in Cognitive Science
Core Curriculum
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Minds & Machines
Introduction to Cognitive Science
Introduction to Logic
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Neuroscience
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Cognitive Modeling
Sensation and Perception
Experimental Methods and Statistics
Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Undergraduate Thesis
BS in Cognitive Science
What Can I do With a Cognitive Science BS?
• Rich Skill Set:
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Programming/Modeling
Empirical Data Collection and Evaluation
Complex Systems Analysis
Critical Thinking
Communication
• Careers (industry, academics) in Computer
Science (AI, robotics), Psychology (HCI,
Neuroscience), Philosophy, Decision Sciences, IT,
Economics, Anthropology, Education, Law, etc.
BS in Cognitive Science
If You Are Interested
• Contact the Director-Of-UndergraduateStudies-In-Cognitive-Science-To-Be:
– Bram van Heuveln
– heuveb@rpi.edu