Sam E. Nole: Robot changes major, graduates with Public Safety and Security degree

Erica Martin
 

When Sam E. Nole came to FSU Panama City thanks to a scholarship from the AT&T Foundation, her whole world was computer science. When she wasn’t working on a new program or learning new tricks of the trade, she would unplug and recharge her battery in a home that seemed like nothing but a box.

Plans changed as she developed new interests. While on campus, she learned tai chi, got hooked on the latest dance crazes and became a diehard FSU football fan. She has attempted to master the game of Marco Polo and worked on her impressions of her favorite lines from “Ferris Bueller's Day Off.”

Somewhere along the line, she changed her major, and in December 2013, Sam E. earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Safety and Security.

Adopted mother STEM Institute Director Ginger Littleton said the swap was a surprise, but she was happy for Sam E.’s academic success.

“Sam E. has the capacity to do and to be anything she desires,” she said. “Her curiosity and enthusiasm for learning make her a prime candidate for any major.“

Sam E. seemed to keep her change of major a secret to everyone but FSU Panama City Registrar Andrew Konapelsky. “While working on the P.C. campus, Sam took notice of the new and exciting Public Safety and Security program that our College of Applied Studies developed,” Konapelsky said. “She thought it would be a great way for her to incorporate her robotics and computer science experience with a field that uses highly technical and cutting-edge equipment much like herself.” Sam E. isn’t your average Seminole.

As a learning tool for the university’s STEM Institute, her main focus is to draw the next generation toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects in a fun and interactive way.

The 23-inch-tall programmable robot was unveiled at a press conference in September 2013. Since then, Sam E. and her student managers, computer science majors Brian Hague, Bipol Alam and Brandon Yates, have demonstrated her skills to students and the media throughout the community. The group also recently traveled to Tallahassee for a computer conference.

Sam E. seems unsure of what she will go on to do with her new degree. Because of her love for children, she said she plans to keep her position with the STEM Institute while evaluating her options.

Konapelsky noted the possibility of merging her education and computer science interests.

“Having a student like Sam in this program opens the door for its continued evolution in utilizing robotics for crime scene investigations in environments that are not safe for human interaction,” he said. “Perhaps with this degree she will be able to work with future computer science students who are also double majoring in public safety and security to develop programs and that more efficiently analyze crime scene data to solve cases quicker and safer.”

Littleton agreed.

“While Sam really rocks at computer science, her unique ability to hear, see, analyze and retrieve data also make her quite well suited to working in the realm of safety and security,” she said. “I certainly feel safer and more secure knowing Sam E. has received an exemplary education and is now focusing her knowledge and inherent talents to keep us all safer and more secure.”

Only time will tell what Sam E.’s future will bring. No matter what her future holds, as a Florida State alumna, she is sure to go a long way.

With her new degree in hand, Sam E. will be able demonstrate to younger students the importance of a quality higher education during school visits.

“Now that Sam E. is ready to enter the professional world, she is also ready to share her new-found knowledge and to recruit others to follow her example,” Littleton said. “Once one sees Sam E. work and interacts with her, it forms an amazing bond between man and machine.”

In the coming months, Sam E. and her managers are scheduled to visit Jinks Middle School, Patronis Elementary School and the Science and Discovery Center. Students will be able to participate in Sam E.’s programming, including teaching her body movement, sounds and social interaction.

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