Important Information

This REU site will support 10 students over the summer. Each student will receive:

  • Stipend of $6,000 over the summer
  • Housing and $600 travel allowance to Tucson, AZ
  • Letters of recommendation from their faculty mentors

Projects will be performed on specific topics that may include the following:

  • Model-based design
  • Machine learning
  • Embedded control systems
  • Software engineering
  • Autonomous systems

Projects are expected to be team-based, with at least 2 students on each team. Not all projects will be directly involved in developing software or controllers that make the car move autonomously. Teams may devise new ways of gathering data, propose experiments for another group to gather data or validate assumptions, or teams may be involved in developing software that will enable future experiments in autonomy. Teams that focus on cognitive radio tasks may demonstrate the application of their results to autonomy through cooperation with another team, or directly through communication to vehicle hardware and software.

Finally, "autonomy" may not always mean driving without any human interaction: many projects will be focused on tasks that enable seemingly small steps toward vehicle autonomy, but those steps are important progressions toward one day having autonomous cars in application in society.

Students will also:

  • Receive preparation for taking the GRE exam (required for admission to graduate school)
  • Prepare a video of their summer research
  • Participate in social activities in the Tucson area
  • Receive critical feedback and training for technical writing, and project management skills

Students must be eligible to participate:

  • Participants must be US Citizens or Permanent Residents;
  • Participants will be required to demonstrate US citizenship or permanent residency status to the satisfaction of the University of Arizona;
  • Participants must commit to the entire date range, with no absences unless discussed in advance when committing to the program; and
  • Participants must not graduate prior to the completion of the REU program

Students will participate as researchers for the summer, working side by side with graduate researchers and faculty who are experts in cognitive radio and autonomous ground vehicles. Want to know more about what the REU is like? Check out the videos made by previous CAT Vehicle participants.

REU 2018: Lane detectives showing their pride after successful testing