Teaching Cyber-Physical Systems

This article discusses various aspects of a course on cyber-physical systems (CPS) in the educational programs of defense organizations. CPS are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computational algorithms and physical components. The article also highlights various objectives of the CPS course. A central challenge to deploying resilient CPSs involves the appreciation for the multi-disciplinary challenges and the lack of a unified framework for CPS analysis, design and implementation. A significant part of the course focuses on a case study in industrial control of a Vinyl Acetate (VAc) chemical plant. The course described herein presents fundamental concepts within the rapidly expanding field of CPS and has been tailored to and is well received by U.S. Naval Academy Systems Engineering senior level engineering students. The U.S. Naval Academy thrust in cyber security studies includes a new major, Cyber Sciences, and construction of a new facility, Hopper Hall, to house the assembled multi-disciplinary teaching and research team.