Training Self-Driving Cars to Navigate Neighborhoods
Meet computer major & economics minor Gabriel Sasu.
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Thesis adviser: Professor Greg Anderson [computer science]
Thesis: “Constrained Reinforcement Learning Using Lagrange Multipliers”
What it’s about: Testing the safety of reinforcement learning algorithms, specifically within the context of autonomous vehicles.
What it’s really about: Training self-driving cars to be able to navigate neighborhoods and roads safely.
In high school: I was really curious and adventurous. I always wanted to try new things, see new places. That’s what drew me to Reed. I was on this journey of, “I don’t know anything about myself.” I wanted to broaden my horizons.
Influential professor: Professor David Ramirez Dominguez [computer science]. He helped me understand a lot of computer science concepts. The pace of the class was sometimes overwhelming, and he was always there to explain things and break them down. I’m grateful to him. Also, my thesis adviser, Greg Anderson.
Outside the classroom: Reed Finance and Investment Club, squash team, Black Student Union, Science Outreach.
Influential book: Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. It definitely introduced me to the idea of structured thinking—thinking of things in terms of a system. Every decision of your life is contributing to a system: a series of events that I influence because of prior decisions that will influence future decisions.
Concept that blew my mind: I never fully appreciated how one’s environment impacts and influences them. I always thought that your environment is a given—you do your best within what you have. But in sociology, we talked a lot about our environment and how the macro impacts the micro—your daily activities, daily interactions. In many ways, that’s not easily apparent.
Financial aid: The Centennial Scholarship and the Alvin and Alveda Pearson Scholarship. I don’t think I would have been able to make it to Reed without financial aid. I’m definitely super grateful to all the donors and alumni.
Awards: The president’s commendation for academic excellence, awarded to students at the end of the academic year for completing the academic year with no lower than a B grade.
Advice to future international students: Learn and be curious. Get involved in your community and get to know people, instead of being secluded in your dorm room. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your professors questions. Reed has a very liberal climate where you can actually talk to your professors about stuff.
What’s next? I will be working in tech for a while before pursuing a PhD.