Missy Cummings

Education

Cummings received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the United States Naval Academy in 1988, a Master of Science in space systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994, and a PhD in systems engineering from the University of Virginia in 2004. Her doctoral thesis was Designing Decision Support Systems for Revolutionary Command and Control Domains.

Career

For her last tour in the Navy, Cummings was an NROTC instructor at Pennsylvania State University. After the Navy, she became an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in the school's Engineering Fundamentals Division. After obtaining her PhD at the University of Virginia, she became an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She became a full professor at Duke University in 2016. Cummings served on the Board of Directors for the automotive technology company Veoneer, Inc. from 2018 to 2021. She resigned and sold all of her shares in October 2021 prior to starting at the NHTSA.

, Cummings is the director of George Mason University's Autonomy and Robotics Center and a professor at the university. She is an affiliate professor with the University of Washington’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow.

NHTSA appointment and responses

In October 2021, the NHTSA named Cummings as a new senior advisor for safety at the NHTSA on a "temporary assignment" through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act. Her appointment to the NHTSA was met with criticism from Tesla's CEO Elon Musk and personal harassment and death threats from Tesla advocates in response to her previous statements critical of Tesla. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg defended Cummings' appointment, and the NHTSA said that it was "look[ing] forward to leveraging her experience and leadership in safety and autonomous technologies." National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy surmised the Tesla advocates' responses to be a "calculated attempt to distract from the real safety issues". In January 2022, Cummings was required by NHTSA to recuse herself from any matters related to Tesla.

Cummings later parted ways with NHTSA and joined George Mason University as a professor and director of Mason's Autonomy and Robotics Center.

Focus and views

Cummings's research interests include human supervisory control, artificial intelligence, human-autonomous system collaboration and human-robot interaction, human-systems engineering, and the socio-ethical impact of technology. Cummings has written on the brittleness of machine learning and future applications for drones. In addition, she has spoken critically of the safety of Tesla's Full Self-Driving Capability surrounding its reliance on computer vision.

References

References

1. (May 16, 2004). "One Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Final Exercises". University of Virginia.
2. [http://hal.pratt.duke.edu/ Duke Humans and Autonomy Laboratory]
3. "Mary (Missy) Cummings". [[MIT Engineering Systems Division]].
4. (May 18, 2015). "MIT Sloan CIO Symposium: Missy Cummings". [[MIT Sloan CIO Symposium]].
5. Fadulu, Lola. (April 26, 2018). "'I Don't Know How Professors Teach Without Fighter-Pilot Experience'".
6. Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, entire book is under the sample chapter icon [http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?AuthorID=630]
7. Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, iUniverse.com
8. [http://www.thedailyshow.com/extended-interviews/423170/playlist_tds_extended_missy_cummings/423153 The Daily Show - Missy Cummings Extended Interview]
9. "From fighter pilot to robotics pioneer: An interview with Missy Cummings {{!}} McKinsey".
10. "Board of Directors".
11. "Resignation of Mary Louise Cummings from the Board of Directors – Becomes Senior Advisor At NHTSA".
12. "EDGAR Filing Documents for 0001733186-21-000107".
13. Ross, Philip E.. (May 13, 2023). "A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum".
14. (February 12, 2016). "Momentum Member Spotlight – February 2016; AIAA Congratulates Mary Cummings".
15. (October 19, 2021). "Biden to tap No. 2 official to head U.S. auto safety agency". Reuters.
16. Shepardson, David. (October 21, 2021). "U.S. transport chief defends auto safety agency after Musk criticism". Reuters.
17. Zipper, David. (October 22, 2021). "The Anger of Tesla Fans Is Becoming a Problem".
18. Matt McFarland. (October 28, 2021). "Tesla fan attacks on government's new safety advisor are 'calculated,' says head of safety agency".
19. Ruffo, Gustavo Henrique. (October 20, 2021). "Tesla Bulls Panic After Missy Cummings Is Named Senior Adviser for Safety at NHTSA".
20. Walker, Alissa. (October 22, 2021). "A Federal Transportation Official Deleted Twitter to Avoid Elon Musk's Fans".
21. (October 20, 2021). "Tesla Fans, Musk Lash Out at NHTSA Safety Adviser as Biased". Bloomberg.com.
22. FitzGerald, Rebecca Elliott, Justin Scheck and Drew. (January 15, 2022). "Elon Musk's Tesla Asked Law Firm to Fire Associate Hired From SEC". Wall Street Journal.
23. "A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum".
24. "Missy Cummings".
25. Cummings, Missy. "The Surprising Brittleness of AI".
26. "Former fighter pilot Missy Cummings discusses drones {{!}} NYU School of Law".
27. (August 16, 2021). "US opens formal probe into Tesla's Autopilot technology". Financial Times.
28. Vassallo, Steve. "Missionary Misfits: Meet A Former Fighter Pilot, Current Autonomous Vehicles Road Warrior".