LTU autonomous vehicle grant brings Southfield high schoolers to campus

SOUTHFIELD-Three years ago, Lawrence Technological University won a National Science Foundation grant for a summer program to bring college students from around the country to LTU's campus to work on developing autonomous vehicle software.

But the grant is not only for current college students-but also for future college students.

Last week, LTU hosted high school students from Southfield's Bradford Academy for a hands-on autonomous vehicle software workshop. Acting as host was C.J. Chung, professor of computer science at LTU and principal investigator on the NSF "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" (REU) grant.

Chung said the visit fits perfectly with one of the goals of the REU grant-to conduct comprehensive research, and to build awareness and encourage students at all levels to pursue higher education and careers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

Assisting Chung in organizing the Bradford Academy visit were LTU's Robofest office-an international robotics competition for grades 5-12 that Chung developed starting in 1999-and LTU's Admissions office.

In the workshop, 11 Bradford Academy students learned how to program Lego Spike Prime robots using Python software. The robots were instructed by the software to follow a line, stop for obstacles ahead, and restart if the obstacles were removed. They also learned how to program a display to show the current speed of their robot.

The event culminated in a "RoboParade" of the self-driving vehicles the students programmed.

According to pre-workshop and post-workshop assessment scores, students' proficiency with speed calculation mathematics improved 800 percent.

The workshop was led by Ryan Kaddis, an LTU Master of Science in Computer Science candidate and 2022 summer research intern under the REU grant, assisted by Milan Joestes, an undergraduate computer science major and 2023 research intern, Devson Butani, a Master of Science in Computer Science candidate and REU CS graduate assistant, and Robofest Director Elmer Santos.

The event also included a campus tour and a chance for each student to ride in LTU's award-winning self-driving vehicle, a Polaris GEM city car, which is equipped with high-definition, high-dynamic range (HDR) cameras, Global Navigation Satellite Systems sensors, and two- and three-dimensional LIDAR (laser-based radar). During the event, Chung told the students about undergraduate research opportunities and encouraged them to seriously consider higher education.

Said Stephanie Broddie, Bradford Academy High School instructional coach about the event: "The students truly enjoyed the experience. Their interest in learning and level of engagement was evident as they were able to see their accomplishments in action. The team at Lawrence Tech University offered nothing less than encouragement to the students to succeed, and their dedication to that was well received. Thank you so much Dr. Chung for providing this opportunity."

Lawrence Technological University is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932 and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU as part of its growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation's top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation's top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report list it in the top tier of the best Midwest colleges. And LTU is included in the Princeton Review's "The Best 390 Colleges 2025 Edition," a list of the nation's top 15 percent of colleges and universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, "theory and practice" education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech's 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

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