Francesco Bullo
End of Navigation
Associate Professor & Department Vice Chair, Mechanical Engineering
Personal Profile
I was born and raised in Padova, Italy, where my family still lives
and where I completed my undergraduate degree. Then I came to the U.S. to get my
Ph.D from Cal Tech. Over the years I have lived in San Diego, Pasadena, and Urbana-Champaign,
before reaching beautiful Santa Barbara where I now live with my wife.
Research
Interests
I study control problems involving mathematics and robotics. When I first
started out, I worked on mechanical control systems such as manipulators, satellites,
and snake-like robots. More recently, I’ve been happily studying control problems
for groups of robots. I’m fascinated by coordination problems, e.g., how do fish
move in schools or how would a group of aircraft fly to monitor a wild fire or an
oil spill.
Teaching Style
I strive to deliver engaging and organized lectures. I
try to inspire my students, keep them involved and attentive, and instill them with
a passion for my favorite engineering subjects. I make my best effort to present
the course material in a clear and insightful way by maintaining well-organized
lecture material and continually improving my teaching techniques. Finally, I enjoy
interacting with and helping students: I always encourage questions and I carefully
and positively answer them all with the intent to provide an informal open environment
conducive to learning.
Idea of a Good Time
Nothing beats spending time with my family
and friends, laughing and enjoying great food together. We also enjoy traveling
to far off places together. I often visit my family back in Italy and my wife’s
family in Argentina. I also enjoy the outdoors for soccer, tennis, skiing, and taking
walks on the beach or in the mountains.
Most Important Thing to Learn at College
Most importantly, you should learn to think critically and question the reasons
behind the facts. But also, college is a great opportunity to learn many things
in life. You should truly become independent, take care of your responsibilities,
organize your priorities, lead a healthy lifestyle, get to know people from other
cultures and backgrounds, and be able to relax and have a good time as well. All
these things coupled with a strong passion for your major/career choice will no
doubt lead you down the right path.
Advice for New Students at UCSB
Follow your
dreams and work hard to deserve your success. Get organized and take advantage of
the many opportunities UCSB has to offer. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Study
abroad, it will change your life forever (as it did mine). Finally, enjoy every
minute of your college experience – before you know it, graduation will be around
the corner.
|