Rosalyn
Hobson’s research has taken her to dozens of countries to study
science and technology. Collaborative research with students in South
Africa focused on creating an automated speech-recognition program for
different languages. Another study used demographic information to predict
a person’s HIV status.
Hobson, associate dean for graduate studies and an
associate professor of electrical engineering at Virginia Commonwealth
University in Richmond, grew up in a Washington, D.C., household where
there was a strong focus on math and science.
In elementary school, she built a radio that won an
award. High school projects included constructing a model space station
and building a hydroelectric dam to scale.
She entered the University
of Virginia with intentions of becoming a physician.
Rosalyn S. Hobson, Ph.D.
However, a realization that she preferred electronics over
chemistry lab steered her toward engineering, a field that is less intimidating
than most people realize, she observes.
Even though she did not pursue her childhood dream of becoming
a physician, she has enjoyed a satisfying career. She often has taken advantage
of unique opportunities, believing that “opportunities are avenues by
which you can fulfill your dreams.” Whether studying abroad for a year
in Germany while in the eleventh grade, leading a volunteer organization, “Engineers
for Education”, while a student at UVA, or starting a new engineering
program at Virginia Commonwealth University, each of these experiences has enriched
her life.
Hobson’s current research involves artificial neural
networks and their application to control problems, intelligent systems, biological
modeling and signal- processing issues. She also works with elementary, middle
and high school students to spark their interest in science, math, engineering
and technology.
Hobson, who received her bachelor's, master's and doctorate
degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia, has received
more than $1.5 million in research funding. She took a sabbatical from VCU and
accepted a diplomacy fellowship at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
During her tenure there, Hobson worked with the National Academy of Sciences
and traveled around the world investigating ways science and technology can
be used to improve the human condition in the world’s poorest countries.
"Opportunities
are avenues by which you can fulfill your dreams."
Hobson is the recipient of numerous
fellowships, honors and awards, including the American Association for the Advancement
of Science Diplomacy Fellowship and the National Society of Black Engineers’
National Educator of the Year Award. She also was named Frontiers in Education
New Faculty Fellow and a Stanford University New Century Teaching and Learning
Scholar.
