By South Carolina State University
South Carolina State University (SC State) offers a master’s degree in transportation engineering and the sole four-year nuclear engineering degree program among all historically Black colleges and universities.
Now, a South Carolina State University graduate student is using artificial intelligence to help solve a growing problem in urban traffic: scooters going undetected and causing accidents.
Nancy Kasamala, a transportation engineering student, recently presented her research at the university’s annual STEM Showcase, where students in various fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) presented the research they conducted with faculty mentors. Topics included cancer, cybersecurity, nuclear engineering, clean energy, plastics, environmental science, agronomy, biochemistry, transportation and more.
Kasamala’s efforts focus on a solution to improve how scooters are recognized by traffic cameras and autonomous vehicles. Her work addresses a common and often overlooked danger — missed detections.
“There are many accidents caused just because scooters aren’t detected by other vehicles or traffic systems,” Kasamala said. “My goal is to reduce those incidents.”
Offering convenient, affordable and environmentally friendly mobility, scooters have grown in popularity on college campuses and urban areas in recent years. Unlike cars or bicycles, however, scooters are often missed due to their smaller size and frequent occlusion by larger objects.
“I was motivated to enhance scooter detection because there are many accidents caused by failure to detect them,” Kasamala said. “Other vehicles and traffic systems often miss them, especially when they’re obstructed.”
Drawing from advances in artificial intelligence, Kasamala is developing a hybrid detection model that merges convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with transformers — a method designed to improve object recognition even when scooters are partially hidden. While CNNs are commonly used for image processing, transformers bring a self-attention mechanism that analyzes different parts of an image simultaneously, offering a more comprehensive understanding of complex traffic scenes.
“If a scooter is partially blocked by a car or pole, the transformer can still recognize that it’s there,” Kasamala explained. “It’s designed to pick up on small details, like a wheel or handlebars, that other models might miss.”
Her project is still in development, but the potential applications extend into the broader field of intelligent transportation systems — an area Kasamala hopes to pursue professionally.
The annual STEM Showcase, organized by SC State’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Transportation, provides a platform for students to present their research to peers, faculty and industry representatives. This year’s event was the largest to date, according to Dr. Courtney Thomas, associate professor of biochemistry and event organizer.
“We want students to showcase their research not just within the university but to external companies and graduate schools,” Thomas said. “It’s about opening doors for them — whether that’s internships, jobs or graduate programs.”
In addition to fostering connections, the showcase highlighted SC State’s recent elevation to R2 research status, recognizing the university’s expanding research portfolio. From biological sciences to transportation engineering, the breadth of topics on display illustrated the university’s commitment to innovation.
As South Carolina’s only Research 2 institution, SC State is home to numerous STEM-related disciplines and Centers of Excellence, including the James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center, the Center of Applied Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture and the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The university offers the sole four-year nuclear engineering degree program in South Carolina and among all HBCUs.
As the showcase continues to grow, Thomas hopes students like Kasamala will motivate others to explore research paths they might not have considered.
“When students see their classmates leading these projects, it makes the work feel attainable,” Thomas said. “It shows them they can be part of this, too.”
The STEM Showcase is not just for show – a panel of judges reviews the work and awards prizes for oral and visual presentations.
This year’s oral presentation winners:
- Kaitlyn Pinckney and Atalia Lee
Title: Effects of the Phytochemical of the Meta-Coumaric Acid Found in Sweet Potatoes on Inhibiting the Growth of E. Coli
Mentors: Dr. James Stukes and Dr. Nazimuddin Mohammad
- Gianna Wright
Title: Antibacterial Activity of m-Coumeric Acid Against Bacillus subtilis by Viable Count Method
Mentors: Dr. James Stukes and Dr. Nazimuddin Mohammad
- Kayla Glover
Title: The Function of Surface Expressed Calreticulin (CRT) in Prostate Cancer
Mentor: Dr. Courtney Thomas
This year’s poster winners:
- Elfreda Smalls
Title: Exploring Thione/Selone N-Heterocyclic Compounds
Mentor: Dr. Julia Brumaghim
- Ashley Smith
Title: Effect of Acetylating Drug, 7,8-Diacetoxy-4-MethylCoumarin on Prostate Cancer Cells
Mentor: Dr. Courtney Thomas
- Dominick El
Title: Temporal and Spatial VOC Plume Upwelling Patterns Within Stream Hyporheic Sediments
Mentor: Dr. John B. Williams
About South Carolina State University
Founded in 1896 as a land grant institution with a mission of providing service to the citizens of the state, South Carolina State University has evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major University center of learning and research. Located in Orangeburg, S.C., South Carolina State offers more than 50 different fields of study on the undergraduate and graduate levels. South Carolina State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools.