ALUMNI
SPEAKER
SERIES
Autonomous
Vehicles:
The
Hope
and
Hype
of
Self-Driving
Cars
Thanks to the rapid progress and intense research of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and autonomous vehicles systems, the advancement of self-driving vehicles is becoming a reality. Will you be “driven” by an autonomous vehicle in your lifetime? What are the wicked problems of self-driving cars? How will these vehicles fare against Canadian winters? Will self-driving cars become a shared service instead of a personal purchase? Will autonomous vehicles improve the transportation sector’s environmental record including its contributions to Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions? What technology are we waiting on? Join this webinar to learn about the future of self-driving vehicle as our panel of experts discuss the reality of autonomous vehicles from the research, industry and consumers’ point of view.
The
audience
will
have
an
opportunity
to
ask
questions
of
the
panel
of
experts.
Register
online
A
Zoom
link
will
be
sent
to
those
who
register
for
this
session.
Moderator:
BASc
2015,
Mechanical
Engineering
Manager
of
Industry
Engagement
Engineering
Research
Office,
University
of
Waterloo
Stefanie
Bruinsma manages
industry
engagement
for
the
University
of
Waterloo’s
Faculty
of
Engineering
Research
Office.
She
has
a
lengthy
and
unique
history
within
the
automotive
industry,
becoming
a
licensed
Automotive
Technician
in
2007
and
building
upon
this
with
a
degree
in
Mechanical
Engineering
from
the
University
of
Waterloo
in
2015.
Stephanie
was
the
team
lead
for
the
Green
and
Intelligent
Automotive
(GAIA)
Facility
at
UWaterloo
from
its
inception
until
2019.
Her
experience
includes
managing
powertrain
dynamometer
facilities,
where
Stefanie
commissioned,
launched,
and
operated
test
cells
for
vehicles,
motors,
engines,
and
batteries.
Experienced
in
setting
up
numerous
different
test
scenarios,
she
has
worked
on
significant
research
projects
with
industry
partners
and
advised
Waterloo’s
undergraduate
automotive
student
competition
teams.
In
2019,
she
transitioned
to
the
role
of
manager,
industry
engagement
for
the
Engineering
Research
Office
at
UWaterloo.
Demonstrating
her
lifelong
love
of
learning
and
constant
drive
to
expand
her
knowledge
base,
she
enrolled
in
the
Master
of
Business,
Entrepreneurship
and
Technology
(MBET)
degree
at
UWaterloo,
which
she
will
complete
in
June
2021.
She
is
also
a
Concept
$5k
and
APEX
pitch
winner,
whilst
developing
her
Miss
Mechanic
expansion
project
which
is
currently
in
an
active
beta
pilot.
Currently
registered
with
Professional
Engineer’s
Ontario
(PEO)
as
an
Engineer-in-Training
(EIT),
Stefanie
expects
to
receive
her
Professional
designation
in
2021.
Panel
Speakers:
Stephen
L.
Smith,
PhD
Associate
Professor
and
Canada
Research
Chair
in
Autonomous
Systems
University
of
Waterloo
Stephen L. Smith received his B.Sc. degree from Queen’s University, Canada, in 2003, his MASc degree from the University of Toronto, Canada, in 2005, and his PhD degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, in 2009. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada, where he holds a Canada Research Chair in Autonomous Systems. He is also a faculty affiliate with the Vector Institute, in Toronto, Canada. From 2009 to 2011 he was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prof. Smith has received several awards including the Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation in 2016, the NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement Award in 2015, and two Outstanding Performance Awards from the University of Waterloo. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PEng) with the Professional Engineers Ontario, a Senior Member of the IEEE, an associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Control of Networks Systems, and a General Chair of the 2021 30th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). His main research interests lie in control and optimization for autonomous systems, with a particular emphasis on robotic motion planning and coordination.
Lisa
Aultman-Hall,
PhD
Professor
and
Chair
of
the
Department
of
Systems
Design
Engineering
University
of
Waterloo
Lisa Aultman-Hall is professor and chair of systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada. Dr. Aultman-Hall focuses on transportation systems, especially methods to collect unique databases for modeling and analysis of long-distance travel, transportation sector emissions, network resiliency, streetscape design, and non-motorized transportation. Until recently, she served several leadership roles at the interdisciplinary University of Vermont Transportation Research Center. Dr. Aultman-Hall is active with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies where recent roles include chairing the National Transportation Data Committee and the 2018 National Household Transportation Survey (NHTS) Conference. Dr. Aultman-Hall brings modeling of real-world spatial behavior to the modeling of charging demand for electric vehicles with the Joint Clean Climate Transport Research Partnership (JCCTRP) led by the University of Quebec at Montreal. Her expertise in automated vehicles focuses on how they will be used for passenger travel including long-distance trips and elements of equitable access.
Amar
Varma
(BASc
1999,
Electrical
Engineering)
Co-Founder
and
COO
Autonomic
Inc.
Biography
to
come.
Host
Engineering
Alumni
Affairs
Please note: This session will be recorded with permission of the speakers and moderator and will be posted to view on the Alumni Speaker Playlist on the Waterloo Engineering YouTube Channel after the live session. Viewers do not have permission to record the session.