Quote:I have three ideas for the topic of my capstone paper. The first concerns advances in Internet search technology and how Google and the other companies that provide these services are snooping our emails and browsing history in order to bring us new functionality. The second is brain computer interfaces. These systems are used to control computer functions using brain waves and are used primarily for helping people with severe neurological problems interact with their environment. I'm curious if and when we might see this technology used by the general public and what we might use it for.The final topic I'm considering is the issue of distracted driving. My daily work is on car infotainment systems. The industry wants to bring more and more sophisticated services to your car. Heads-up displays, speech recognition, steering wheel controls, and many other techniques are used to keep the driver's eyes on the road, but is that enough?
Topic 1

Primary Question
Search engine technology has increased both in capability and in scope over the last 20 years. To what extent are users surrendering their privacy in exchange for increased utility and social media?
Subquestions
What are the most pressing privacy concerns?
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stated that sharing personal information online and with businesses is becoming a new “social norm”. What evidence exists that this is true? Do many users agree with that statement?
How much are users aware of the scope of their personal data being collected by Internet companies?
If privacy is surrendered online does that change people’s privacy expectations in other areas of their lives?
What effect would that have on legal privacy protections or search and seizure laws?
What technologies might be used to improve online privacy?
The European Union has much more stringent privacy laws than does the United States. How effective are they?
Topic 2

Brain-Computer interfaces (BCIs) are currently used to help people with neuromuscular diseases to interact with computers and control their environment.
Primary Question
Are BCIs practical for more general use? What are some of the the more interesting or consequential predicted uses?
Subquestions
What is the current state of the technology?
What uses are being pursued by researchers?
What tasks are possible now? In 5 years? In 10 years?
Topic 3

Primary Question
Car manufacturers are adding ever more features to their in-car infotainment systems. What are the effects of these new features on driving safely?
Subquestions
What are the major sources of distractions?
How can infotainment developers mitigate the problem by using alternative interfaces?
Are all drivers equally distracted by these features?
What is the size and nature of the problem?
What is the current state of legislation, and what kind of measures are planned?

davewill Wrote:Maybe a look into my topic choices will help. My degree is Computer Science, so I was looking for topics that would leverage those interests. Interestingly, I could see forms of all three of them done from a social science bent instead of a technology bent. Here's the blog post I turned in for the first module:



My mentor liked them all and said he would approve any of them, but thought the third was most developed. I ended up doing the third one, partly because I work in the automotive industry, but mostly because of the plethora of crash data and academic studies into distracted driving I found. I ended up editing and trimming my questions to the following by the end of the project, although the initial drafts had two more:

Main question: How do newer and more sophisticated infotainment systems affect driving safety?
Subquestion 1: What is the size and nature of the problem?
Subquestion 2: Are all drivers equally distracted by these features?
Subquestion 3: How can infotainment developers mitigate the problem by changing interfaces or using technological solutions?