UMD Names Director for Nation’s First Undergraduate Honors Program in Cybersecurity

UMD Names Director for Nation’s First Undergraduate Honors Program in Cybersecurity

Dr. Michel Cukier has been named the inaugural Director of the Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES) at the University of Maryland, the nation’s first undergraduate honors program in cybersecurity.

Cukier is Associate Professor of Reliability Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director for Education in the Cybersecurity Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received a degree in physics engineering from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, in 1991, and a doctorate in computer science from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse, France, in 1996. Before coming to Maryland in 2001, he was a post-doctoral fellow and then researcher at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His research covers dependability and security issues. His latest research focuses on the empirical quantification of computer security. He has published over 70 papers in journals and refereed conference proceedings in those areas.

Launched by a $1.1 million gift from Northrop Grumman, ACES is a 4-year undergraduate program for students interested in cybersecurity. Each class of 40-45 students will get to interact with and learn from campus faculty and industry and government professionals developing cybersecurity technologies, policies, and strategies. The first two years of the program are a living-learning academic experience for freshmen and sophomores, called ACES I. Juniors and seniors experience a series of upper-level courses and involvements, called ACES II. Integrated learning in computer science, engineering, business, public policy, and the social sciences will help train a new cadre of "cyber-enabled" leaders. This program will produce graduates with diverse backgrounds who will be ready to anticipate and respond to present and future cybersecurity challenges.

For more information, visit: http://www.honors.umd.edu/aces_dir.php

October 16, 2012