Targeted Infusion Project: Infusion of Cyber Physical System Education and Research Training in the Undergraduate Curriculum in the College of Engineering at TSU

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Tennessee State University will enhance undergraduate education by establishing an interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical System (CPS) program and prepare students to meet the needs of the workforce or advanced studies in CPS related fields. The CPS program spans the departments of computer science and electrical and computer engineering. The project will develop a state-of-the-art Cyber Physical System Research and Education Laboratory that will provide opportunities for research, education, and outreach in CPS for students and faculty; and incorporate learning modules into the programs at the undergraduate level to meet the needs of the technology workforce and impart essential knowledge and skills to prepare a competitive workforce in CPS. In developing such a program, the project will adopt, in contrast to the commonly used 'bottom-up' learning approach, a 'top-down' reverse-engineering paradigm for imparting knowledge that would seek to orient students with the paradigm of a CPS from an early stage with students gradually gaining detailed understanding of its building blocks both from a theoretical and practical perspective. The project will provide important insights into the effectiveness of the top-down approach. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.