Robots are doing amazing things — and no longer just in science fiction. They’re building cars, vacuuming floors, providing healthcare for the elderly, entertainment for kids and adults, even assisting in dangerous rescue missions and working in military environments.

Another place where robots can make an immediate impact is in computer science education. Published reports indicate that thousands of schools in the United States teach computer science, but far fewer schools use robotics in the computer science curriculum. Meanwhile, enrollment in computer science overall is declining, potentially impacting growth in the industry and academia. Some in the field see a need for a new approach to draw the brightest and best to computer science, and personal robots — especially in introductory courses — may be just the thing to get a new generation of students enthusiastic about careers in technology.

With that in mind, Microsoft today announced the creation of the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE) in partnership with the College of Computing at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Bryn Mawr College, an all-women’s school in Pennsylvania. For more insight into the partnership, its roots and how the participating institutions believe it will benefit students, professors and the industry, PressPass spoke with Stewart Tansley, program manager in External Research & Programs at Microsoft Research; Richard DeMillo, dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech; Tucker Balch, associate professor in the College of Computing's Interactive and Intelligent Computing division; and Douglas Blank, associate professor of computer science at Bryn Mawr.