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SOUTHFIELD—Lawrence Technological University celebrated Italian Design Day Thursday with a presentation on the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in design by one of its professors, Sara Codarin, who was educated in Italy.
Codarin’s evening presentation, titled “The Intersection of AI and Robotics: Preserving Architectural Heritage and Craft,” was part of a national series of events celebrating Italian design expertise and talent. Events are scheduled at the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C. and Italian consular offices in Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
Codarin joined LTU as a visiting scholar in 2019 and became a full-time faculty member in 2021. She is currently assistant professor of architecture in LTU’s College of Architecture and Design. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees in architecture from the University of Ferrara in northeastern Italy, and also studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture at de Paysage in Bordeaux, France and the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver, Canada.
Her biography describes her as a “techno-optimist” who “loves robots,” and her research has involved robotic fabrication to produce customized pieces for the restoration of damaged buildings—which was one of the topics of her wide-ranging evening presentation.
Earlier this month, Codarin led a trip of LTU architecture and design students to Rome to study both classical design and modern technological advances in design and construction. The trip counted as three semester hours of credit for the students.
And next month, Codarin will host a workshop on artificial intelligence with advanced robotics applications for 30 Detroit-based high school students interested in pursuing design careers. Following an introductory theoretical sessions on advances in design in Italy, exploring the applications of AI and robotics, the students will have the opportunity to create Italy-inspired projects executed by robots in paper and clay media.
Read more about Codarin and her work at https://www.ltu.edu/faculty-and-staff-directory-details?_cid=269 .
Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 private, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.
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