In celebration of International Engineering Week, alumnus Nicholas Drake Broadbent will present his talk "Over the Hill, to The Farm, and Beyond" at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in Bell Engineering room 2286. The event is free and open to the public with a reception to follow.

Broadbent, a 2020 graduate of the International Engineering Program, earned both a B.S.M.E. and a B.A. in German. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford's Dynamic Design Lab and Center for Automotive Research, and his research focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for autonomous vehicle control in high-performance applications like automated racing and drifting. As a graduate fellow at Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Broadbent is exploring new paradigms for ensuring the reliability and robustness of AI deployed in safety-critical systems, at the interface of control theory, social philosophy and legal principle.

In his lecture, Broadbent will share insights from his journey — from his undergraduate research and German study abroad experience to Stanford's top-tier engineering program. Highlights will include his undergraduate research, participation in Formula Student, interning at Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Germany, autonomous AI-driven racing on a Formula 1 track in Portugal and a frozen lake near the Arctic Circle, and developing AI systems to drift vehicles with precision in challenging conditions. He'll reflect on his experiences working alongside engineers at Volkswagen's headquarters and presenting his research on AI-driven vehicle dynamics in Italy. Broadbent will also recognize the people and mentors who made these accomplishments possible.

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About the International Engineering Program: Established in 2015, the IEP allows undergraduates to earn a B.S. in engineering and a B.A. in German in five years. Students spend their fourth year abroad, the first semester enrolled in German engineering courses at the Technische Universität Darmstadt and the second semester interning at a German company. More information can be found here.