Noah C
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Expertise

vehicle security, vehicle reliability, cybersecurity, applied machine learning, Computer Science, Operating System Security

Bio

I am a PhD researcher at the University of Michigan, where I study reliable systems for semi-autonomous vehicles. As we enter the transitory stage between the eras of manual and fully-autonomous vehicles, it is increasingly important for self-driving technologies to exist in tandem with humans-in-the-loop. I am especially interested in improving the safety of these systems in the presence of sensor failures, malicious/irresponsible drivers, and cybersecurity hacks. My research was recently awarded an Honorable Mention by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Outside of my studies, I am interested in photography, being outside (running or hiking), reading, and playing video games. Having non-academic outlets helps me to clear my head and feel ready to tackle difficult research questions in my field. This summer my goal is to train diligently at running to be able to run a marathon next fall!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Understanding public knowledge of semi/fully-autonomous vehicle technologies

Perform a literature review on semi/fully-autonomous vehicle technologies. Conduct a survey on how people understand autonomous vehicle technologies as they exist in the commercial sector. Compare this understanding with how these technologies actually exist.

Build toy machine learning model for an semi-autonomous vehicle

(Requires sufficient programming knowledge.) Use an open-source self-driving vehicle simulator to collect data. Use data to train a machine learning model for a vehicle to navigate an autonomous routine. Measure the performance of the model.

Coding skills

C, Java, python, javascript, HTML, LaTeX

Teaching experience

- 2 years of experience teaching CS undergraduates in introductory coursework - 1.5 years of experience mentoring new CS undergraduate researchers on basic research skills (presenting, reading literature, formulating research questions)