REU Site: Trustworthy AI and Security for Intelligent Vehicles and Transportation Systems

This project offers a renewed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at The University of Alabama (UA) focused on trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity for intelligent vehicles and transportation systems. Intelligent transportation technologies are rapidly transforming mobility by improving safety, efficiency, and accessibility; however, they also introduce new vulnerabilities related to adversarial AI, insecure communication, and human interaction with automation. The project's novelties are the integration of AI, cybersecurity, and human factors research within a unified undergraduate research environment centered on real world transportation systems. The project's broader significance and importance are in advancing secure and trustworthy mobility systems while preparing a skilled workforce capable of addressing emerging challenges posed by automation and connectivity in intelligent vehicles and transportation systems. The project engages undergraduate students from multiple disciplines, such as computer science, transportation systems engineering, and psychology in multidisciplinary research on trustworthy AI and cybersecurity for intelligent vehicles and transportation systems. Students participate in hands-on research using advanced experimental platforms, including driving simulators, sensing systems, and AI tools, while receiving structured mentoring and professional development. All recruitment, outreach, and participation activities are open to all eligible U.S. students. The project introduces practical innovations and mechanisms to address security, resilience, and trust challenges in intelligent transportation systems, including secure and resilient navigation, robust AI-driven decision-making under adversarial conditions, and enhanced human-AI interaction for safer mobility. Expected outcomes include new algorithms, datasets, and prototype systems that enhance the resilience and safety of intelligent transportation systems, along with dissemination through publications, open educational resources, and outreach activities that broaden awareness and engagement in AI and cybersecurity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2548476 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Ahmad Alsharif | Institution: University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, TUSCALOOSA, AL | Award Amount: $415,000 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2548476 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2548476.html