Woodie Flowers
Encyclopedia
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. His specialty areas are engineering design and product development
New product development
In business and engineering, new product development is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product to market. A product is a set of benefits offered for exchange and can be tangible or intangible...
, he holds the Pappalardo Professorship and is a MacVicar Faculty Fellow.
He received his B.S. from Louisiana Polytechnic University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in 1966, and later an M.S. (1968), M.E. (1970), and a Ph.D. (1972), all from MIT. He was made an Assistant Professor at MIT in 1972 and a professor in 1988.
In 1974, he took over MIT's “Introduction to Design” class (coursebook code: 2.70), in which he gave sophomores a set of random parts such as small motors, wire and tongue depressors. Students were told to build a device that would perform some specific function. Professor Flowers turned the competition into something like a sporting event, with dynamic challenges for the robots. The competition was held in large MIT classrooms and later, gymnasiums. (Many MIT alumni joke that it's the school's version of Homecoming.) The competition was broadcast on PBS’ "Discover The World of Science" throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.
He hosted Scientific American Frontiers
Scientific American Frontiers
Scientific American Frontiers was an American television program primarily focused on informing the public about new technologies and discoveries in science and medicine. It was a companion program to the Scientific American magazine. The show was produced for PBS in the U.S...
on PBS from 1990 to the spring of 1993. He was replaced in that role by Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
. Flowers also has the title "Distinguished Partner" at Olin College. He has been the co-founder of and national advisor to the FIRST
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
robotics competition since its inception in 1989. Each year, the Woodie Flowers Award is given by FIRST
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
to one mentor for his or her contributions to the students on their team. (Flowers was the first recipient of the award, which began in 1996.)
Flowers is a prominent member of the FIRST Robotics Community and was a member of the Game and Kit Design Committee for the FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
(as of 2011 Flowers is no longer a member of the GDC).
In 2007, he earned a Honoris causa from Chilean university Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello
Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello
Universidad Andrés Bello is a Chilean private university created in 1988. It belongs to the Laureate International Universities group.Andrés Bello University ranks as the 10th Chilean university according to the classification webometric CSIC 2011.2 in July and the 2nd Latin American private...
.