Intelligent Systems for Safer Roads Danish Nadar (AI/M.A.S. AI 3rd Year) changed the way that he looked at transportation after he was struck by a speeding car. That experience got him thinking about how quickly everyday travel can become dangerous, and how he could affect change. “After that incident, that topic transformed from an interest to personal ambition,” he says. “It clarified what I want to spend my life working on, motivated me to use (artificial intelligence) and autonomy to build safer road travel systems, improve decision-making in complex environments, and leverage novel technologies to develop exceptional and life-changing applications.” Danish is fascinated by autonomous vehicle technology and the idea that software could reduce human error. He is exploring his fascination through Illinois Tech’s Elevate initiative and by joining the university’s EcoCAR team as a connected and autonomous vehicle engineer. “The Elevate [initiative] stood out because it emphasized internship access, real professional experience, and a clear pathway to develop industry-ready skills,” he says. “After I arrived, I discovered even more opportunities that reinforced that decision, including hands-on teams such as EcoCAR, engineering organizations, and development groups. Those experiences ended up aligning perfectly with my ambitions.” Danish says he has also found a culture of mentorship and support at Illinois Tech, especially from Teaching Professor of Computer Science Jacek Dzikowski, whose challenges have pushed Danish to aim higher than he thought imaginable. Dzikowski’s standards pushed him to tackle bigger goals, stay disciplined, and follow through at a high level. “I have developed a structured process for breaking problems down, testing assumptions, and improving systems through iteration,” he says. “That shift in my mindset has shown me the difference between writing code and engineering AI systems.” Danish has been pursuing practical, applied coursework in areas such as computer vision, natural language processing,