Worlds collide in autonomous race

Missy Cummings gets recruited for jobs outside of academia a lot. But she always says no. Cummings, a professor in the department of mechanical engineering and material science (aka robotics) at Duke University, has consulted for many autonomous drive programs for automakers and Silicon Valley companies, but she said it's better for everyone if she just stays where she is for her full-time gig. "I've had many offers to leave academia, but I'm doing everyone a favor by staying in academia," she said. "I am very persnickety about data and evidence and I would drive these companies crazy." As companies such as Google race to bring autonomous cars to market, the cultural divide between academic types and corporate types is surfacing publicly.