Date: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 12:00 PM- Wednesday, July 13, 2022 1:30 PM
Location: Virtual

This masterclass is an advanced look at current research in autonomous vehicles and populations with special needs, and the intersections with policy and product development.

Since the first Google self-driving car in 2009, proponents of autonomous vehicles have identified Seniors and people with disabilities as the obvious beneficiaries of these technologies. What is the reality behind that statement?  What does the research show? How are accessible AV technologies being developed, and what role can policy play?

Our expert panel includes:

• Amy Schoppman, Director of Government Relations & Public Policy for NMEDA, who is involved at the federal level with policy discussions about the accessibility of AV systems.
• Dr. Daniel McGehee, Director of the National Advanced Driving Simulator Laboratories and Associate Professor at the University of Iowa; he has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator in over $42 million research for the US Department of Transportation, the National Institutes of Health, and the automotive industry. In 2015 he was appointed to be one of three U.S. members of the Trilateral U.S., EU-Japan working group on human factors and automated vehicles.

• Dr. Shabnam Haghzare, University of Toronto, is a researcher whose work focuses on exploring means of adapting automated vehicles as an assistive technology for older adults with and without dementia to extend their well-being, health, and quality of life. Currently, she is an AI consultant for Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (Quebec Institute of Public Health) working on the applications of artificial intelligence in developing surveillance systems in the intersection of transportation and health.
• Michael Marder, Volkswagen, is Head of AD Market Intelligence for Volkswagen, where his portfolio of responsibilities includes Autonomous Driving, Mobility-as-a-Service, Transport-as-a-Service, Strategy, Sales Strategy, and Customer Requirements Management.
• Daniel N. Schmidt, Volkswagen, is a product manager who focuses on the technical development of vehicles and new vehicle concepts and mobility services. He holds a degree in industrial engineering from the Technische Universität Berlin.
• Kent Keyser is a Public Policy Fellow with United Spinal Association who speaks regularly on how access to autonomous vehicles could potentially be a game changer for millions of people living with disabilities. Prior to joining United Spinal Association, Kent had a 37-year career working for a member of Congress doing everything from a summer internship to serving as Chief of Staff.