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October 17, 2005 Vol.
77, no. 8F
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| New EECS assistant professor Jose
Carmena received his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering
from Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, in 1995 and
1997, respectively; another M.S. in artificial intelligence
from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1998; and his
Ph.D. in robotics from the University of Edinburgh in 2002.
His research focuses on the neurophysiologic and clinical implications
of the interface between brains and machines. (Jose Carmena
Photo)
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Professor
Minute with new EECS assistant professor Jose Carmena
What first inspired
you to go into engineering?
I guess it was my first experience with a computer, the Sinclair ZX-81,
back in 1984. (The U.S. version was called Timex Sinclair 1000.) I
was fascinated, and still am, by the number of things you can do with
just one Kb of RAM. Once at college, I was fascinated by an article
in Scientific American about the research in behavior-based robotics
done by Rodney Brooks at MIT. The fact that intelligent, insect-like
behavior could emerge from simple circuits interconnected in a particular
way (subsumption architecture) blew my mind and put me on the path
of A.I. and robotics at Edinburgh.
If you had a few extra hours, what would you do?
I’d normally go for a jog, play tennis, or even try to do some
shopping, which I never find time for. If I am too tired, I’d
simply enjoy a glass of Ribera de Duero (wine region of Spain with
outstanding quality) with some nice jazz in the background.
What should engineering
students make sure they do at Berkeley before they graduate?
Take advantage of all that Berkeley has to offer in the arts and humanities,
explore other territories, find connections between engineering and
other disciplines. Bottom line, get the big picture; don’t just
focus on your specific field of interest within engineering.
What is one thing you would like to learn how to do?
Being a true Valencian and not having mastered the art of cooking paella
is somewhat embarrassing. I consider this a personal challenge to achieve
before tenure! (Paella is the best known international dish from Spain
and originated in Valencia, a beautiful city on the east coast.)
If you would like us
to feature your favorite professor, please e-mail his or her name to
engnews@coe.berkeley.edu.
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