CyberTraining: Implementation: Small: Collaborative and Integrated Training on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Cyber Infrastructure

为了应对联网和自动驾驶汽车（CAV）的快速发展和普及，美国的城市和州最近开始建设CAV网络基础设施。然而，在这一领域没有足够的熟练的研究人员。这种劳动力发展的一个关键障碍是缺乏结构良好的培训计划，以利用CAV网络基础设施来实现和潜在地转变基础CAV研究。为了解决这一问题，将在该网络培训项目中制定一个以项目为导向的培训计划，以促进CAV网络基础设施的科研人员发展。据估计，到2050年，自动驾驶汽车的采用将带来近8000亿美元的年度社会和经济效益，因此，国家投资自动驾驶汽车网络基础设施研究人员培训计划非常重要。拟议的培训计划针对对自动驾驶汽车感兴趣的学生和早期研究人员，包括具有广泛学术水平和经验水平的自动驾驶汽车参与者。预计每年将有100多名学员参加培训计划，其中包括来自网络物理系统、边缘计算、无线网络、深度学习、计算机视觉和大数据等各个领域的研究人员。将与学员和/或其导师建立长期合作关系，以确保研究界广泛采用CAV网络基础设施，以促进重大研究进展。该项目的长期目标是开发首个开放的自动驾驶汽车网络基础设施，一个综合培训和研究中心，以加速自动驾驶汽车的研究和教育。该项目的目标是制定一个协作和综合培训计划，以促进联网和自动驾驶汽车网络基础设施（CAV- ci）的科研队伍发展，并促进CAV- ci的广泛采用，以推进基础CAV相关研究。为了实现这些目标，该项目将利用与相关利益相关者的现有合作伙伴关系，为CAV-CI研究人员的发展创建定制的、高影响的、参与的、协作的和集成的培训模块。为了提高学员的设计和执行能力、解决问题的能力和批判性思维能力，建议的培训计划将导致：(1)以项目为导向的短期课程，加上长期的指导和支持；(2)CAV-CI的感知层、网络层和应用层的实践培训模块；(3)每年举办一次研究研讨会，传播研究成果并接收来自研究界和工业界对培训计划的反馈；(4)通过NSF本科生研究经验（REU）计划支持的学生研究项目和高年级本科生的顶点项目。在培训工作坊期间，将提供以项目为导向的培训，使学员积极参与学习和解决现实问题。将设计三个样本研究项目，使学员能够发展完整的研究技能，即解决实际问题的能力。每个样本研究项目都具有很强的实际相关性和意义，之后将开发两个版本的培训模块，以覆盖更广泛的培训群体：一个面向本科生和社区学院教育工作者的基础培训模块，以及一个面向研究生和博士后的研究密集型培训模块。通过基础或研究密集型培训模块，学员将提高他们解决问题的能力，提高他们的创造性和独立思考能力，并获得开展CAV-CI研究的热情和信心。CAV-CI教育、研究和培训活动包括培训来自代表性不足群体的个人和更广泛的STEM劳动力的具体目标。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In response to the quick development and adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs), U.S. cities and states have recently started building CAV cyberinfrastructure. However, there is not an adequate supply of skilled research workforce in this field. A key obstacle to such workforce development is the lack of well-structured training programs for utilizing CAV cyberinfrastructure to enable and potentially transform fundamental CAV research. To address this issue, a project-oriented training program will be developed in this CyberTraining project to enable scientific research workforce development for CAV cyberinfrastructure. It is estimated that the adoption of CAVs would lead to nearly $800 billion in annual social and economic benefits by 2050, therefore, it is important for the nation to invest in CAV cyberinfrastructure research workforce training programs. The proposed training program targets students and early-stage researchers who are interested in CAVs, including participants with a broad diversity in academic level and in experience level with CAVs. It is expected that more than 100 trainees will participate every year in the training program, including researchers from various domains such as cyber-physical systems, edge computing, wireless networking, deep learning, computer vision, and big data. A longstanding collaboration with the trainees and/or their advisors will be built to ensure a broad adoption of CAV cyberinfrastructure by the research community to catalyze major research advances. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a first of its kind open CAV cyberinfrastructure, an integrated training and research hub, to accelerate research and education in CAVs.The goal of this project is to develop a collaborative and integrated training program to enable scientific research work force development for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle CyberInfrastructure (CAV-CI) and foster broad adoption of CAV-CI to advance fundamental CAV related research. To achieve these goals, the project will leverage existing partnerships with relevant stakeholders to create tailored, high-impact, engaging, collaborative, and integrated training modules for CAV-CI research workforce development. With the aim of enhancing trainees design and implementation capabilities, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking ability, the proposed training program will result in: (1) a project-oriented short course plus long-term coaching and support, (2) hands-on training modules on the perception, network, and application layers in CAV-CI, (3) an annual research workshop that disseminates research results and receives feedback on the training program from the research and industrial communities, and (4) research projects for students supported through NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)program and capstone projects for senior undergraduates. During the training workshops, project-oriented training will be offered to actively engage trainees in learning and solving real-world problems. Three sample research projects will be designed, allowing trainees to develop complete research skills, i.e., competency to solve authentic problems. Following every sample research project, with each having a strong practical relevance and meaningfulness, two versions of training modules will be developed to reach a broader trainee group: a fundamental training module for undergraduate students and community college educators, and a research-intensive training module for graduate students and postdocs. By taking either the fundamental or the research-intensive training modules, trainees will enhance their problem-solving skills, improve their creative and independent thinking ability, as well as gaining enthusiasm and confidence in conducting CAV-CI enabled research. The CAV-CI education, research and training activities include specific goals to train individuals from underrepresented groups and the broader STEM workforce.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.