In the days (years) that follow, autonomous trucks may become a common sight on the highways and roads—should human beings ever venture outside anymore.
While autonomous vehicles have been in existence for some 60 years or more—specifically in the railway segment, and now in aviation with drones, there has been limited usage for automobiles and trucks.
Maybe it’s because people still enjoy getting behind the wheel—even when forced to deal with horrendous traffic.
But that hasn’t stopped the autonomous vehicle sector from continuing to enlarge its reach.
Thanks to a plethora of TV police dramas, plots have shown that it is possible for someone other than a driver or a fleet operator to take control of a vehicle and do something evil with it… or at least turning it into something less evil than Stephen King’s Christine (’58 Plymouth Fury) or the Green Goblin truck from Maximum Overdrive.
Less evil, but still a cyber security concern.
The University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) has announced full-tuition scholarships of up to US$12,000 each for graduate students enrolling in its College of Engineering & Science’s Vehicle Cyber Engineering (VCE) graduate certificate program.
Detroit Mercy will host several information sessions via Zoom to provide details on the program and scholarships, and answer questions attendees may have. The first information session is scheduled for Thursday, April 6 at noon. Subsequent sessions will take place Wednesday, April 19, at 4 PM, and Thursday, May 4, at noon. To register for an information session, please visit http://bitly.ws/BTHS.
(https://apply.udmercy.edu/portal/Graduate-Engineering-Sessions)
Detroit Mercy’s VCE program is designed to meet the growing demand to expand and enhance the cybersecurity engineering workforce. The 100 percent online-applied curriculum was developed in consultation with industry and military leaders, providing opportunities for engineers and computer science professionals with the upskilling and reskilling needed to enhance their career and to bring increased value to their employers.
This program is also part of the Metro Detroit Regional Vehicle Cybersecurity Institute, a regional cybersecurity consortium established in 2021 through a $1.12-million award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD).
“We’re awarding multiple full-tuition scholarships to educate professionals who can counteract cybersecurity threats,” said Paul Spadafora, UDM’s director of Professional Engineering Programs. “This program provides hands-on training to increase the field’s professional workforce and reduce the cybersecurity risk to the Department of Defense and commercial ground vehicles.”
Currently, there is significant demand within the field of vehicle cyber engineering. Detroit Mercy’s history of working with industry partners in developing applied programs in emerging fields supported the development of this 15-credit VCE graduate certificate. The VCE graduate certificate can be completed in one year and also stacks toward a master’s degree in Vehicle Cyber Engineering, Product Development, or Technical Management.
“The Electrical Module Systems I work on at Ford Motor Company have many security requirements,” said Victor Carpenter, an electrical engineer currently enrolled in the program. “Having the knowledge provided by Detroit Mercy’s Vehicle Cyber Engineering program absolutely aids in my ability to understand requirements and contributes to the most secure and efficient design.”
For more about Vehicle Cyber Engineering, visit http://bitly.ws/BTIV.
Detroit Mercy ‘s Professional Engineering programs also offers certificate and graduate programs in Advanced Electric Vehicles, Applied Data Science, Systems Engineering, and Smart Autonomous Vehicles that can be tailored for industry needs, and meet the growing demand for professionals.
To find out more, visit http://bitly.ws/BRoP.