Lazos Leads Autonomous Vehicle Summer Program

A group of engineering students from across the country gathered on the University of Arizona campus this summer to help shape the future of self-driving cars. The students participated in the Cognitive and Autonomous Test Vehicle (CAT) program, researching the intelligence systems, security and reliability of a rapidly developing industry. 

The 10-week program is hosted by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is part of the UA’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC), where students from both community colleges and universities work with faculty and graduate students to put scientific concepts to real-world use. CAT was funded through a $415,000 National Science Foundation grant that began in 2020 and extends until 2024.

“The most important skill that the students developed is to apply scientific rigor,” said ECE professor Loukas Lazos, principal investigator of the NSF grant. “We worked on basic elements of research such as conducting literature reviews, problem selection and modeling, composing evaluation criteria, developing multiple candidate solutions, conducting theoretical analysis and experimental validation.”

Each summer, participating students stay on campus, receive a $6,000 stipend, and earn letters of recommendation from faculty members toward their future goals. UROC programs help students pursue graduate education and include elements such as graduate school test workshops. ECE also hosted the UROC program PACT this past summer.

In addition to graduate school preparation, this year’s CAT students appreciated the skills they learned and the camaraderie formed between team members.

Across the 10 weeks, the students developed a deep understanding of intelligent transportation systems, learned how to read technical papers, and honed their communication skills in highly complex settings. The students were split into three groups to research areas such as verifying the veracity of a vehicle-to-vehicle messaging, continuous authentication for vehicle platooning using dynamic traffic, and lane detection.

“The CAT Vehicle REU program is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates to experience the rush of scientific discovery and achievement,” Lazos said. “The students who complete the program return to their home institutions with a strong focus on aligning their learning with the great challenges faced by our society and a passion to solve them.”