Jan 2026 Event
This is a by-invitation only event. Registration is closed. If you have any questions please contact Prof. Hannah Stuart at hstuart@berkeley.edu.
You should be able to use the Berkeley-Visitor WIFI without a password.
Schedule
| 12:30 | Check-in (+ Coffee/Snacks) |
| 1:00 | Welcome address & Introduce BIRD (SLIDES LINK) |
| 1:30 | UC Berkeley speed talks (Core and Affiliated center faculty) |
| 2:30 | Student Posters & Demonstrations (+ Coffee/Snacks) |
| 3:45 | Breakout Discussion Groups & Share Out |
| 4:45 | Closing Remarks |
| 5:00 | Tour of Facilities (30 min) |
Student Posters & Demos
UC Berkeley speed talk schedule:
| Time | Faculty member | Talk title | BIRD role | Home Dept. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:30 | Prof. Grace Gu | Nature-inspired robotics for complex environments | Core Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 1:37(:30) | Prof. Kosa Goucher-Lambert | Reimagining Engineering Design through Human-AI Collaboration | Affiliate Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 1:45 | Prof. Mark Mueller | Next generation flying robots | Core Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 1:52(:30) | Prof. Negar Mehr | Coaching the Learning Loop: Foundation Models for Learning Complex Robot Tasks | Affiliate Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 2:00 | Prof. Lining Yao | Robotic Materials | Core Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 2:07(:30) | Prof. Ronald Fearing | Mechanical and Computational Intelligence for Jumping and Manipulation | Affiliate Faculty | Elect. Eng. |
| 2:15 | Prof. Hannah Stuart | Robots need a sense of touch to perform manual work | Core Faculty | Mech. Eng. |
| 2:22(:30) | Prof. Victor Ortega-Jimenez | Design Inspired by Nature: From Flamingo Filtration to Ultra-Fast Insect-Robots | Affiliate Faculty | Integrative Bio |
Breakout discussion topics:
| Topic 1 | What are the robot design “intelligence”s? (Mueller, Fearing, Mehr) |
| Topic 2 | Opportunities and challenges for industry-academic collaborators (Stuart, Goucher-Lambert) |
| Topic 3 | The role of bioinspiration in robot design (Gu, Ortega-Jimenez) |
| Topic 4 | Integrating startups in the BIRD ecosystem (Lining) |
Discussion prompt and note-taking document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sJwWY_19gXSdq_Gp42nNhmrTl5AkplYqet3XEjFuq1Q/edit?usp=sharing
Getting here
Venue
The event is at the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation (2530 Ridge Rd, Berkeley, CA 94709). It is along the norther edge of campus.
The eastern entrance has an elevator, while the western entrance does not.
A lactation room in available in Etcheverry Hall Room 6142A.
Parking
The Lower Hearst Structure recommended. Use ANY entrance on Scenic Ave to access “P” Public Parking – parking fee will apply. Note that the campus is diligent about checking parking permits. If parking is not available on the second floor, please check on the 3rd and 4th.
Metro
Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation is a 0.8 mile walk through campus (uphill) from the Downtown Berkeley BART station.
Alternatively, it is a 5 minute ride-share or 10 minute bus ride away from Downtown Berkeley.