Mon, 12/20/2021
This fall Student Fellows Bogac Canbaz and Garrett Wirka (College of Engineering) and Josh Lee (College of Law) collaborated on a project exploring issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, including an analysis of relevant Nebraska law addressing the issue, and an examination of high-profile accidents involving self-driving vehicles and the causes behind those collisions.
Their research found that LB 989, a Nebraska statute that opened the door to self-driving vehicles in the state, faces significant limitations in that it is overly-broad and non-specific in its description of “autonomous vehicles.” While the law discusses such vehicles generally, the reality is that “autonomous vehicles” possess variable levels of autonomy, from relatively limited levels of driver-assistance and notification, to vehicles which can operate without the active intervention of a driver. Their research also explores how autonomous vehicles have been utilized in a public-transport context, and explores the causes behind accidents involving self-driving vehicles in instances where those accidents have occurred.
Bogac Canbaz is pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nebraska College of Engineering. Prior to joining the University he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Boğaziçi Üniversitesi in Instanbul, Turkey.
Josh Lee is a J.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska College of Law; prior to joining the college he served as a Human Resources Administrator for the Nebraska Army National Guard. Josh has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement from Utah Valley University, where he graduated with a 3.87 GPA.
Garrett Wirka is a Computer Science Ph.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering. His research focuses on “computer vision,” an interdisciplinary field that deals with how computers can gain sophisticated levels of understanding from digital images or videos.
Tags: Fellows
