Full Name
Randi Williams
Job Title
Graduate Research Assistant
Company
MIT Media Lab
Brief Biography
Randi Williams is a graduate research assistant in the Personal Robots group at the MIT Media Lab. She received her Master of Science in Media Arts in Sciences from MIT in 2018 and her Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from UMBC in 2016.
Randi is working to empower children with artificial intelligence (AI) education. She has developed a number of AI education projects, including PopBots, social robot learning companions that teach AI through social interaction, and How to Train Your Robot, a middle school AI and ethics curriculum.
To combat the current trend of misunderstanding and mistrust of AI, Randi is preparing the next generation to use AI to solve important problems in their communities. Her research intersects human-robot interaction and PreK-12 education with a particular focus on engaging students from diverse backgrounds.
Randi is a proud daughter of Prince George’s County, Maryland, a strong community that inspired her love of engineering, education, and social change. In 2013, Randi co-founded HackUMBC and leveraged the organization to organize outreach events in Baltimore to inspire youth in the city to learn about computer science and engineering. Previously, she also worked at UMBC’s Mobile, Pervasive, and Sensor Systems Lab and has also interned at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, MIT Lincoln Lab, and AliphCom/Jawbone.
Randi is working to empower children with artificial intelligence (AI) education. She has developed a number of AI education projects, including PopBots, social robot learning companions that teach AI through social interaction, and How to Train Your Robot, a middle school AI and ethics curriculum.
To combat the current trend of misunderstanding and mistrust of AI, Randi is preparing the next generation to use AI to solve important problems in their communities. Her research intersects human-robot interaction and PreK-12 education with a particular focus on engaging students from diverse backgrounds.
Randi is a proud daughter of Prince George’s County, Maryland, a strong community that inspired her love of engineering, education, and social change. In 2013, Randi co-founded HackUMBC and leveraged the organization to organize outreach events in Baltimore to inspire youth in the city to learn about computer science and engineering. Previously, she also worked at UMBC’s Mobile, Pervasive, and Sensor Systems Lab and has also interned at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, MIT Lincoln Lab, and AliphCom/Jawbone.
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