Computer Vision News - January 2022

34 Women in Science Don’t you miss home sometimes? I certainly miss my family! I think about my path, and they are very supportive. We usually meet together on Zoom meetings. What are your hopes for the startup that you have created? I have a great vision for the startup. In the future, I want to revolutionize learning and teaching robotics, from PowerPoint and these boring lectures to practical robotics that students really enjoy and engage in, so that they can learn. Also, for robotics researchers… for instance, if someone is researching autonomous vehicles. He or she cannot purchase a big car for it. We can create models for research that they can get and apply their algorithms on. Also, I want to categorize the world of robotics in terms of news so that researchers can have classified categories. I’ve already started it. I don’t know if you’ve seen our videos.  Oh yes, there are many of them on YouTube. They are very impressive. Maybe some of our readers want to have a look. We also have a website.  What would be the main take-home success for you? It means a lot to me. I want to have a voice in this world! As a female scientist, this company can be my voice. People can hear me, and I can inspire other female engineers and scientists to believe in themselves and try harder. We can do a lot of things! Why did you come to the United States? At first, for my PhD… The US has so much potential. You can do anything that you want. You can reach your potential. I think that in all parts of the world, you can reach your potential, but there are lots of opportunities here. During this journey, did you meet scientists who inspired you and motivated you? Yeah! There were lots of people who helped me on this path. The first person who helped me and had a great influence on me was my PhD advisor, Dr. John Swensen, who helped me and mentored me during my PhD. I also get advice from other mentors and friends in the area, whom I met at different conferences. They helped me to choose my career. What does it mean to be Iranian for you? [ laughs ] I really like to dance. The music and the food are both really good. It is a rich culture, full of kindness.  My husband says, ‘You work like a robot‘!