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{{short description|American space systems engineer and Navy pilot}}
{{short description|American space systems engineer and Navy pilot}}
{{About|the Navy pilot and college professor|the American philanthropist|Mary Cummings}}
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{{Infobox academic
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{{About|the Navy pilot and college professor|the American philanthropist|Mary Cummings}}{{Infobox academic|name=Missy Cummings|birth_name=Mary Louise Cummings|birth_date={{birth year and age|1966}}|education=[[United States Naval Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Naval Postgraduate School]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])<br>[[University of Virginia]] ([[PhD]])|workplaces=[[Pennsylvania State University]]<br>[[Virginia Tech]]<br>[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<br>[[University of Washington]]|module={{infobox officeholder
|name=Missy Cummings
|image = Missy Cummings crop.jpg
⚫
|birth_name=Mary Louise Cummings|birth_date={{birth year and age|1966}}|education=[[United States Naval Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[Naval Postgraduate School]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])<br />[[University of Virginia]] ([[PhD]])|workplaces=[[Pennsylvania State University]]<br />[[Virginia Tech]]<br />[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<br />[[University of Washington]]|module={{infobox officeholder
| embed = yes
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| office = Senior Advisor to the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]] for Safety
| office = Senior Advisor to the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]] for Safety
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| serviceyears = 1988–1999
| serviceyears = 1988–1999
}}}}
}}}}
'''Mary Louise "Missy" Cummings'''<ref name="doctorate">{{cite book |url=https://majorevents.virginia.edu/sites/majorevents2017.virginia.edu/files/program_graduates04.pdf |title=One Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Final Exercises |date=May 16, 2004 |page=5 |publisher=University of Virginia |accessdate=2021-02-11}}</ref> (born 1966) is an American academic who is a professor at [[Duke University]] and director of Duke's Humans and Autonomy Laboratory.<ref name=":0">[http://hal.pratt.duke.edu/ Duke Humans and Autonomy Laboratory]</ref> She was one of the [[United States Navy|United States Navy']]<nowiki/>s first female [[Fighter pilot|fighter pilots]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://esd.mit.edu/staging/Faculty_Pages/cummings/cummings.htm |title=Mary (Missy) Cummings |publisher=[[MIT Engineering Systems Division]] |accessdate=October 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="MITSloanCIO">{{cite news |url=http://www.mitcio.com/prof-mary-missy-cummings-duke-university|title=MIT Sloan CIO Symposium: Missy Cummings|work=[[MIT Sloan CIO Symposium]]|date=2015-05-18|accessdate=2015-05-30}}</ref> In November 2021, Cummings joined the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]] (NHTSA).
'''Mary Louise "Missy" Cummings'''<ref name="doctorate">{{cite book |url=https://majorevents.virginia.edu/sites/majorevents2017.virginia.edu/files/program_graduates04.pdf |title=One Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Final Exercises |date=May 16, 2004 |page=5 |publisher=University of Virginia |accessdate=2021-02-11}}</ref> (born 1966) is an American academic who was a professor at [[Duke University]] and director of Duke's Humans and Autonomy Laboratory.<ref name=":0">[http://hal.pratt.duke.edu/ Duke Humans and Autonomy Laboratory]</ref> She was one of the [[United States Navy|United States Navy's]] first female [[fighter pilot]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://esd.mit.edu/staging/Faculty_Pages/cummings/cummings.htm |title=Mary (Missy) Cummings |publisher=[[MIT Engineering Systems Division]] |accessdate=October 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="MITSloanCIO">{{cite news |url=http://www.mitcio.com/prof-mary-missy-cummings-duke-university|title=MIT Sloan CIO Symposium: Missy Cummings|work=[[MIT Sloan CIO Symposium]]|date=2015-05-18|accessdate=2015-05-30}}</ref> In November 2021, Dr. Cummings joined the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]] (NHTSA). She currently teaches at [[George Mason University]].


== Education ==
== Education ==
She 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|systems engineering]] from the University of Virginia in 2004. Her doctoral thesis was ''Designing Decision Support Systems for Revolutionary Command and Control Domains''.<ref name="doctorate" />
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|systems engineering]] from the University of Virginia in 2004. Her doctoral thesis was ''Designing Decision Support Systems for Revolutionary Command and Control Domains''.<ref name="doctorate" />


== Career ==
== Career ==
Cummings spent eleven years (1988–1999) as a naval officer and military pilot, earning the rank of [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]], and was one of the United States Navy's first female fighter pilots, flying an [[F/A-18 Hornet]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fadulu|first=Lola|date=2018-04-26|title='I Don't Know How Professors Teach Without Fighter-Pilot Experience'|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/missy-cummings-professor-fighter-pilot/558701/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> She became a fighter pilot shortly after the [[Combat Exclusion Policy]] was repealed in 1993, and her book ''Hornet's Nest<ref>Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, entire book is under the sample chapter icon [http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?AuthorID=630]</ref>'' recounts her experience with discrimination and hostility as one of the first women in the fighter community. Her first [[call sign]] was ''[[Medusa]]''<ref>Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, iUniverse.com</ref> and her second was ''[[Shrew (archetype)|Shrew]]''.<ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/extended-interviews/423170/playlist_tds_extended_missy_cummings/423153 The Daily Show - Missy Cummings Extended Interview]</ref>
[[File:Michael Toscano, Missy Cummings, Shane Harris.jpg|thumb|left|Michael Toscano, Missy Cummings and Shane Harris at #FTdrones panel]]Cummings spent eleven years (1988–1999) as a naval officer and military pilot, earning the rank of [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]], and was one of the United States Navy's first female fighter pilots, flying an [[F/A-18 Hornet]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fadulu|first=Lola|date=2018-04-26|title='I Don't Know How Professors Teach Without Fighter-Pilot Experience'|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/missy-cummings-professor-fighter-pilot/558701/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> She became a fighter pilot shortly after the [[Combat Exclusion Policy]] was repealed in 1993, and her book ''Hornet's Nest<ref>Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, entire book is under the sample chapter icon [http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?AuthorID=630]</ref>'' recounts her experience with discrimination and hostility as one of the first women in the fighter pilot community. Her first [[call sign]] was ''[[Medusa]]''<ref>Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, iUniverse.com</ref> and her second was ''[[Shrew (archetype)|Shrew]]''.<ref>[http://www.thedailyshow.com/extended-interviews/423170/playlist_tds_extended_missy_cummings/423153 The Daily Show - Missy Cummings Extended Interview]</ref>


She was an instructor for the U.S. Navy at Pennsylvania State University, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in the school's Engineering Fundamentals Division, and an associate professor of [[aeronautics]] and [[astronautics]] at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<ref>{{Cite web|title=From fighter pilot to robotics pioneer: An interview with Missy Cummings {{!}} McKinsey|url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/from-fighter-pilot-to-robotics-pioneer-an-interview-with-missy-cummings|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.mckinsey.com}}</ref> Missy served on the [[Veoneer|Veoneer, Inc.]] Board of Directors from 2018-2021. Dr. Cummings resigned and sold all of her shares prior to her appointment to the NHTSA in October 2021, as required for such federal positions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.veoneer.com/en/board-directors|access-date=2021-08-22|website=Veoneer|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Resignation of Mary Louise Cummings from the Board of Directors – Becomes Senior Advisor At NHTSA|url=https://news.cision.com/veoneer/r/resignation-of-mary-louise-cummings-from-the-board-of-directors---becomes-senior-advisor-at-nhtsa,c3439411|access-date=2021-10-25|website=News Powered by Cision|language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=From fighter pilot to robotics pioneer: An interview with Missy Cummings {{!}} McKinsey|url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/from-fighter-pilot-to-robotics-pioneer-an-interview-with-missy-cummings|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.mckinsey.com}}</ref> Cummings served on the Board of Directors for the automotive technology company [[Veoneer|Veoneer, Inc.]] from 2018 to 2021. She resigned and sold all of her shares in October 2021 prior to starting at the NHTSA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.veoneer.com/en/board-directors|access-date=2021-08-22|website=Veoneer|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Resignation of Mary Louise Cummings from the Board of Directors – Becomes Senior Advisor At NHTSA|url=https://news.cision.com/veoneer/r/resignation-of-mary-louise-cummings-from-the-board-of-directors---becomes-senior-advisor-at-nhtsa,c3439411|access-date=2021-10-25|website=News Powered by Cision|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=EDGAR Filing Documents for 0001733186-21-000107|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001733186/000173318621000107/0001733186-21-000107-index.htm|access-date=2021-11-03|website=www.sec.gov}}</ref>


Cummings is a professor in the Duke University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-18|title=Mary "Missy" Cummings|url=https://pratt.duke.edu/faculty/missy-cummings|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Duke Pratt School of Engineering|language=en}}</ref> She is an affiliate professor with the University of Washington’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and an [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]] [[Fellow|Fellow.]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Momentum Member Spotlight ? February 2016|url=https://www.aiaa.org/list/newsletters/Momentum-Member-Spotlight-February-2016|access-date=2021-08-22|website=www|language=en}}</ref>
{{asof|2021}}, Cummings is the director of George Mason University's Autonomy and Robotics Center and a professor at the university.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Philip E. |date=May 13, 2023 |title=A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/self-driving-cars |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=[[IEEE]] |language=en}}</ref> She is an affiliate professor with the University of Washington’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and an [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]] [[Fellow]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=Feb 12, 2016 |title=Momentum Member Spotlight – February 2016; AIAA Congratulates Mary Cummings |url=https://www.aiaa.org/list/newsletters/Momentum-Member-Spotlight-February-2016 |access-date=2021-08-22 |website=www.aiaa.org |language=en}}</ref>


=== NHTSA appointment and responses ===
=== NHTSA appointment and responses ===
In October 2021, the Biden administration named Cummings as a new senior advisor for safety at the NHTSA on a "temporary assignment" through the Intergovernment Personnel Act.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-19|title=Biden to tap No. 2 official to head U.S. auto safety agency|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-autos-biden-idUSKBN2H92CV|access-date=2021-10-19}}</ref> Her appointment to the NHTSA was met with criticism from [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]]'s CEO [[Elon Musk]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shepardson|first=David|date=2021-10-21|title=U.S. transport chief defends auto safety agency after Musk criticism|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-transport-chief-defends-auto-safety-agency-after-musk-criticism-2021-10-20/|access-date=2021-10-21}}</ref> and personal harassment and [[Death threat|death threats]] from Tesla advocates,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zipper|first=David|date=2021-10-22|title=The Anger of Tesla Fans Is Becoming a Problem|url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/tesla-missy-cummings-nhtsa-elon-musk.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=Slate Magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Business|first=Matt McFarland, CNN|title=Tesla fan attacks on government's new safety advisor are 'calculated,' says head of safety agency|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/cars/tesla-ntsb-cummings/index.html|access-date=2021-10-29|website=CNN}}</ref> as a result of her previous statements critical of Tesla.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ruffo|first=Gustavo Henrique|date=2021-10-20|title=Tesla Bulls Panic After Missy Cummings Is Named Senior Adviser for Safety at NHTSA|url=https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-bulls-panic-after-missy-cummings-is-named-senior-adviser-for-safety-at-nhtsa-172163.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=autoevolution|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Alissa|date=2021-10-22|title=A Federal Transportation Official Deleted Twitter to Avoid Elon Musk’s Fans|url=https://www.curbed.com/2021/10/elon-musk-missy-cummings-transportation-twitter.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=Curbed|language=en-us}}</ref> [[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."<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-20|title=Tesla Fans, Musk Lash Out at NHTSA Safety Adviser as Biased|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-20/tesla-fans-musk-in-uproar-as-nhtsa-taps-biased-safety-adviser|access-date=2021-10-21}}</ref> [[National Transportation Safety Board]] chair [[Jennifer Homendy]] surmised the Tesla advocates' responses to be a "calculated attempt to distract from the real safety issues".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Business|first=Matt McFarland, CNN|title=Tesla fan attacks on government's new safety advisor are 'calculated,' says head of safety agency|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/cars/tesla-ntsb-cummings/index.html|access-date=2021-10-29|website=CNN}}</ref>
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]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-19|title=Biden to tap No. 2 official to head U.S. auto safety agency|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-autos-biden-idUSKBN2H92CV|access-date=2021-10-19}}</ref> Her appointment to the NHTSA was met with criticism from [[Tesla, Inc.|Tesla]]'s CEO [[Elon Musk]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shepardson|first=David|date=2021-10-21|title=U.S. transport chief defends auto safety agency after Musk criticism|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-transport-chief-defends-auto-safety-agency-after-musk-criticism-2021-10-20/|access-date=2021-10-21}}</ref> and personal harassment and [[death threat]]s from Tesla advocates<ref>{{Cite web|last=Zipper|first=David|date=2021-10-22|title=The Anger of Tesla Fans Is Becoming a Problem|url=https://slate.com/technology/2021/10/tesla-missy-cummings-nhtsa-elon-musk.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=Slate Magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Business">{{Cite web|author=Matt McFarland|title=Tesla fan attacks on government's new safety advisor are 'calculated,' says head of safety agency|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/cars/tesla-ntsb-cummings/index.html|access-date=2021-10-29|website=CNN|date=28 October 2021 }}</ref> in response to her previous statements critical of Tesla.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ruffo|first=Gustavo Henrique|date=2021-10-20|title=Tesla Bulls Panic After Missy Cummings Is Named Senior Adviser for Safety at NHTSA|url=https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-bulls-panic-after-missy-cummings-is-named-senior-adviser-for-safety-at-nhtsa-172163.html|access-date=2021-10-22|website=autoevolution|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Alissa|date=2021-10-22|title=A Federal Transportation Official Deleted Twitter to Avoid Elon Musk's Fans|url=https://www.curbed.com/2021/10/elon-musk-missy-cummings-transportation-twitter.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=Curbed|language=en-us}}</ref> [[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."<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-10-20|title=Tesla Fans, Musk Lash Out at NHTSA Safety Adviser as Biased|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-20/tesla-fans-musk-in-uproar-as-nhtsa-taps-biased-safety-adviser|access-date=2021-10-21}}</ref> [[National Transportation Safety Board]] chair [[Jennifer Homendy]] surmised the Tesla advocates' responses to be a "calculated attempt to distract from the real safety issues".<ref name="Business"/> In January 2022, Cummings was required by NHTSA to recuse herself from any matters related to Tesla.<ref>{{Cite news |last=FitzGerald |first=Rebecca Elliott, Justin Scheck and Drew |date=2022-01-15 |title=Elon Musk's Tesla Asked Law Firm to Fire Associate Hired From SEC |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-tesla-asked-law-firm-to-fire-associate-hired-from-sec-11642265007 |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220513062923/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/elon-musks-tesla-asked-law-firm-to-fire-associate-hired-from-sec-11642265007 |archive-date=2022-05-13 |issn=}}</ref>

Cummings later parted ways with NHTSA and joined George Mason University as a professor and director of Mason's Autonomy and Robotics Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/self-driving-cars |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=[[IEEE]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Missy Cummings |url=https://computing.gmu.edu/profiles/cummings-0 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=School of Computing |language=en}}</ref>


== Focus and views ==
== Focus and views ==
Cummings's research interests include human supervisory control, [[artificial intelligence]], human-autonomous system collaboration and [[Human–robot interaction|human-robot interaction]], [[Human systems engineering|human-systems engineering]], and the socio-ethical impact of technology.<ref name=":0" /> Cummings has written on the [[Software brittleness|brittleness]] of [[machine learning]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cummings|first=Missy|title=The Surprising Brittleness of AI|url=https://www.womencorporatedirectors.org/WCD/News/JAN-Feb2020/Reality%20Light.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=Oct 19, 2021}}</ref> and future applications for [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former fighter pilot Missy Cummings discusses drones {{!}} NYU School of Law|url=https://www.law.nyu.edu/news/Missy-Cummings-discusses-drones-at-Engelberg-conference|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.law.nyu.edu}}</ref> In addition, she has spoken critically of the safety of Tesla's [[Tesla Autopilot#Full Self-Driving|Full Self-Driving Capability]] surrounding its reliance on [[computer vision]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fedor|first=Lauren|last2=Waters|first2=Richard|date=2021-08-16|title=US opens formal probe into Tesla’s Autopilot technology|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/afb75ffd-44eb-4ae3-8bca-ae830fa52111|access-date=2021-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Vassallo|first=Steve|title=Missionary Misfits: Meet A Former Fighter Pilot, Current Autonomous Vehicles Road Warrior|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevevassallo/2020/10/17/missionary-misfits-meet-a-former-fighter-pilot-current-autonomous-vehicles-road-warrior/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>
Cummings's research interests include human supervisory control, [[artificial intelligence]], human-autonomous system collaboration and [[Human–robot interaction|human-robot interaction]], [[Human systems engineering|human-systems engineering]], and the socio-ethical impact of technology.<ref name=":0" /> Cummings has written on the [[Software brittleness|brittleness]] of [[machine learning]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cummings|first=Missy|title=The Surprising Brittleness of AI|url=https://www.womencorporatedirectors.org/WCD/News/JAN-Feb2020/Reality%20Light.pdf|access-date=Oct 19, 2021}}</ref> and future applications for [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former fighter pilot Missy Cummings discusses drones {{!}} NYU School of Law|url=https://www.law.nyu.edu/news/Missy-Cummings-discusses-drones-at-Engelberg-conference|access-date=2021-10-19|website=www.law.nyu.edu}}</ref> In addition, she has spoken critically of the safety of Tesla's [[Tesla Autopilot#Full Self-Driving|Full Self-Driving Capability]] surrounding its reliance on [[computer vision]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Fedor |first1=Lauren |last2=Waters |first2=Richard |date=2021-08-16 |title=US opens formal probe into Tesla's Autopilot technology |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/afb75ffd-44eb-4ae3-8bca-ae830fa52111 |access-date=2021-10-19 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210817104056/https://www.ft.com/content/afb75ffd-44eb-4ae3-8bca-ae830fa52111 |archive-date=17 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Vassallo|first=Steve|title=Missionary Misfits: Meet A Former Fighter Pilot, Current Autonomous Vehicles Road Warrior|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevevassallo/2020/10/17/missionary-misfits-meet-a-former-fighter-pilot-current-autonomous-vehicles-road-warrior/|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
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[[Category:Female United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:Female United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
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[[Category:American female aviators]]
[[Category:American women aviators]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni]]
[[Category:University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni]]
[[Category:University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni]]
[[Category:Women systems engineers]]
[[Category:Women systems engineers]]
[[Category:American women engineers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women engineers]]
[[Category:21st-century American engineers]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech faculty]]
[[Category:Virginia Tech faculty]]
[[Category:MIT School of Engineering faculty]]
[[Category:MIT School of Engineering faculty]]

Latest revision as of 04:43, 3 December 2024

This article is about the Navy pilot and college professor. For the American philanthropist, see Mary Cummings.
Missy Cummings
Born
Mary Louise Cummings

1966 (age 58–59)
Academic background
EducationUnited States Naval Academy (BS)
Naval Postgraduate School (MS)
University of Virginia (PhD)
Academic work
InstitutionsPennsylvania State University
Virginia Tech
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Washington
Senior Advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for Safety
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Military service
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1988–1999

Mary Louise "Missy" Cummings[1] (born 1966) is an American academic who was a professor at Duke University and director of Duke's Humans and Autonomy Laboratory.[2] She was one of the United States Navy's first female fighter pilots.[3][4] In November 2021, Dr. Cummings joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). She currently teaches at George Mason University.

Education

[edit]

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.[1]

Career

[edit]
Michael Toscano, Missy Cummings and Shane Harris at #FTdrones panel

Cummings spent eleven years (1988–1999) as a naval officer and military pilot, earning the rank of lieutenant, and was one of the United States Navy's first female fighter pilots, flying an F/A-18 Hornet.[5] She became a fighter pilot shortly after the Combat Exclusion Policy was repealed in 1993, and her book Hornet's Nest[6] recounts her experience with discrimination and hostility as one of the first women in the fighter pilot community. Her first call sign was Medusa[7] and her second was Shrew.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10][11][12]

As of 2021, Cummings is the director of George Mason University's Autonomy and Robotics Center and a professor at the university.[13] She is an affiliate professor with the University of Washington’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fellow.[14]

NHTSA appointment and responses

[edit]

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.[15] Her appointment to the NHTSA was met with criticism from Tesla's CEO Elon Musk[16] and personal harassment and death threats from Tesla advocates[17][18] in response to her previous statements critical of Tesla.[19][20] 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."[21] National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy surmised the Tesla advocates' responses to be a "calculated attempt to distract from the real safety issues".[18] In January 2022, Cummings was required by NHTSA to recuse herself from any matters related to Tesla.[22]

Cummings later parted ways with NHTSA and joined George Mason University as a professor and director of Mason's Autonomy and Robotics Center.[23][24]

Focus and views

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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.[2] Cummings has written on the brittleness of machine learning[25] and future applications for drones.[26] In addition, she has spoken critically of the safety of Tesla's Full Self-Driving Capability surrounding its reliance on computer vision.[27][28]

References

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  1. ^ a b One Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Final Exercises (PDF). University of Virginia. May 16, 2004. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  2. ^ a b Duke Humans and Autonomy Laboratory
  3. ^ "Mary (Missy) Cummings". MIT Engineering Systems Division. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  4. ^ "MIT Sloan CIO Symposium: Missy Cummings". MIT Sloan CIO Symposium. 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-30.
  5. ^ Fadulu, Lola (2018-04-26). "'I Don't Know How Professors Teach Without Fighter-Pilot Experience'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  6. ^ Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, entire book is under the sample chapter icon [1]
  7. ^ Cummings, M. L., 1999. Hornet's Nest, iUniverse.com
  8. ^ The Daily Show - Missy Cummings Extended Interview
  9. ^ "From fighter pilot to robotics pioneer: An interview with Missy Cummings | McKinsey". www.mckinsey.com. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  10. ^ "Board of Directors". Veoneer. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  11. ^ "Resignation of Mary Louise Cummings from the Board of Directors – Becomes Senior Advisor At NHTSA". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  12. ^ "EDGAR Filing Documents for 0001733186-21-000107". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  13. ^ Ross, Philip E. (May 13, 2023). "A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum". IEEE. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  14. ^ "Momentum Member Spotlight – February 2016; AIAA Congratulates Mary Cummings". www.aiaa.org. Feb 12, 2016. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  15. ^ "Biden to tap No. 2 official to head U.S. auto safety agency". Reuters. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  16. ^ Shepardson, David (2021-10-21). "U.S. transport chief defends auto safety agency after Musk criticism". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  17. ^ Zipper, David (2021-10-22). "The Anger of Tesla Fans Is Becoming a Problem". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  18. ^ a b Matt McFarland (28 October 2021). "Tesla fan attacks on government's new safety advisor are 'calculated,' says head of safety agency". CNN. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  19. ^ Ruffo, Gustavo Henrique (2021-10-20). "Tesla Bulls Panic After Missy Cummings Is Named Senior Adviser for Safety at NHTSA". autoevolution. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  20. ^ Walker, Alissa (2021-10-22). "A Federal Transportation Official Deleted Twitter to Avoid Elon Musk's Fans". Curbed. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  21. ^ "Tesla Fans, Musk Lash Out at NHTSA Safety Adviser as Biased". Bloomberg.com. 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
  22. ^ FitzGerald, Rebecca Elliott, Justin Scheck and Drew (2022-01-15). "Elon Musk's Tesla Asked Law Firm to Fire Associate Hired From SEC". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-06-15.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "A Former Pilot On Why Autonomous Vehicles Are So Risky - IEEE Spectrum". IEEE. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  24. ^ "Missy Cummings". School of Computing. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  25. ^ Cummings, Missy. "The Surprising Brittleness of AI" (PDF). Retrieved Oct 19, 2021.
  26. ^ "Former fighter pilot Missy Cummings discusses drones | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  27. ^ Fedor, Lauren; Waters, Richard (2021-08-16). "US opens formal probe into Tesla's Autopilot technology". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  28. ^ Vassallo, Steve. "Missionary Misfits: Meet A Former Fighter Pilot, Current Autonomous Vehicles Road Warrior". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
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