Purdue feature traces the community roots of ELARA's robotics research

Purdue Polytechnic has featured Chorong Park's path from graduate research at Purdue to community-engaged work at ELARA Lab, University of Houston. Written by Nick Pompella and published October 21, the profile explores how older adults help shape research on AI and companion robots. [2]

Screenshot of Purdue Polytechnic's article headline and a portrait of Chorong Park wearing a dark jacket and red shirt. — The original screenshot shared in Park's LinkedIn post, showing Purdue Polytechnic's feature. Article by Nick Pompella; portrait credited to the University of Houston.

Sharing the feature on October 26, Park reflected on more than 500 hours spent helping older adults with technology during her Ph.D. Purdue's account identifies the Tippecanoe Senior Center as a setting for that work, which current Purdue students continue. [1][2]

For Park, those conversations exposed the gap between what seems straightforward to a designer and what someone actually experiences. She credits them with shaping a research approach in which older adults help decide what support belongs in their lives, rather than simply testing a finished design. [1][2]

The feature also describes her continuing collaborations with Purdue faculty, connecting work on accessibility, human-robot interaction, immersive technology and aging with ELARA's research in Houston. [2]

Sources

Adapted from Chorong Park's LinkedIn post. LinkedIn images are presented in their original order.