Computer Vision News - October 2016

CVN: Who is the group behind this project? Imama: I work with E-Motion Robotics . They are a startup based in Houston, Texas. CVN: Do you think your role is in the industry? Imama: I’m working in industry right now because industry has more resources when it comes to developing applications for consumers. Academia is more focused on theoretical problems and things which do not have immediate practical implementation. I graduated in 2013 with a PhD and I joined industry right away. I didn’t go for academia. Though, in my long term plan, at some point I might steer my career towards academia, when I’d like to slow down. CVN: Did you ever consider teaching or mentoring? Imama: I currently mentor high school kids who are interested in robotics and machine learning . They try to prototype or follow a certain blog for implementing a phase detector. They don’t have in-depth knowledge of what’s going on, but they can follow a certain guide to implement a particular application. CVN: Do you enjoy it? Imama: It’s interesting to compare their experience with mine, when I was in high school in Pakistan. Back then we didn’t have a lot of exposure to advanced technology. It’s interesting that these kids have that kind of exposure, and that they are already building applications so that they might be able to do more things going forward. CVN: Did you ever experience any difficulty in being a woman scientist? Imama: Scientists in general are very rare in Pakistan because it’s mostly an industrial-based economy. There are very few opportunities for research. In engineering, woman were always fewer than the male counterparts. In the US, I think it’s more open. You do get acceptance if you are given that opportunity, so I think it’s easier than in Pakistan. There is a stereotype that women struggle to get accepted in the community. Males have the advantage of being perceived as engineers and scientists. If you are a female, you have to prove your abilities in a concrete line of work. Other fellows were able to get accepted without very significant contributions, but the women have to put forth concrete contributions to get accepted and move up in the field. Computer Vision News Women in Computer Vision 17 Women Scientists