Dr. Alice Smith believes solving complex computational problems takes creativity.
“What we do is really artful,” she said. “I tell my students there’s no right or wrong answer. If it works, great. If not, try something else.”
It’s not the message engineering and computer science students are used to. Sometimes it makes students uncomfortable at first. “Part of my mission as an educator is to make them more comfortable with the idea that there are a lot of different possibilities,” Smith said.
AI Before It Was Cool
In her doctoral program, Smith’s advisor asked her to look into some new methods and “see what the value is.” So she investigated what she called the engineering side of AI. It’s easier to make an impact exploring emerging technologies and methods, she said, but it comes with career risk.
“For a long time, my field was thought of as not serious,” she said. Not scholarly enough. “But it helped me get involved in things that were just beginning.”
Smith likes to work on tricky problems that take a multifaceted approach to find solutions. Computation, she said, is the marriage of applied mathematics and computing, and her specialty is pairing emerging methods, inspired by natural systems, with traditional methods.
“I’m kind of a research omnivore, so as long as it has numbers, and it’s a hard problem, I’m probably interested,” she said.
Much of her early work involved optimizing processes in manufacturing, working with plastics, ceramics and advanced metals. More recently, she worked on operations problems — things like financial modeling, facility design and distribution systems. A recent project studied how autonomous aerial drones might be used in both manufacturing and distribution.
Smith’s research models complex processes where one perfect solution may not exist. However, a more holistic, customized approach could, for example, sort out the logistics of aerial delivery for online shopping packages.
“I found a niche for myself and my students — we work on the harder problems and complicated systems where, typically, you need a multifaceted approach,” she said.
A Distinguished New Chapter
Smith joined UA in January as part of the inaugural cohort of Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professors. In contemplating the move, she thought about her career and the impact she wanted to have. Many people with her depth and breadth of experience go into an administrative role to help shape the institution. But continuing to work directly with students was important to her.
“One of the best parts of my career has been mentoring and guiding and being friends with a variety of doctoral students,” she said.
Her position at the University is split between computer science and mechanical engineering, and she is excited about the possibilities that offers. She feels that her approach of combining old and new methodologies and expanding outside traditional discipline borders will be useful to UA students entering a workforce where technology is changing faster than ever.