From: Crawford, Bruce [bruce.crawford@lmco.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:55 AM
To: INCOSE2006@comcast.net
Subject: INCOSE Meeting Tues - April 10 - International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
To: Distribution
Subject: INCOSE Meeting Tues >>>> April 10 <<<< International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Tuesday Evening Monthly Program
5:30 PM Social Half-Hour and hot snack
6:00-7:00 Talk followed by questions.
Networking and sidebars to 8 PM.
Speaker:Scott Workinger, Ph.D.
(650) 363-0979 Office
(650) 207-6551 Mobile
Topic: Teaching Technical Leadership in a Networked World, Educating Students in a new Systems Engineering Paradigm [0]
Abstract:
Networked computing is driving a new paradigm in systems engineering, characterized by size, complexity, different techniques and new types of working relationships. The challenges of educating systems engineers in the new paradigm are explored and a particular approach is outlined. The approach focuses upon an explicit presentation of the paradigm structure to give students an analytical framework for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the new paradigm as it evolves. A comprehensive introduction to the new paradigm, engineering examples, the presentation of practical tools, and hands-on experience are viewed as crucial to helping make the new paradigm a reality to the students.
Introduction:
A systems engineer's role is to exercise technical leadership in the analysis, architecture, implementation, and management of systems that transcend the scope of a single specialized engineering discipline. The development of networked systems has had a profound impact upon engineered systems. The largest man-made systems are many times as large as the largest systems that existed before networked computing became a ubiquitous part of most work environments in the 1990's. This has created unprecedented challenges, which systems engineers have begun to address. Beyond the new scope, there are new types of objects that are used in systems, new architectures, new techniques, new ways of working together for engineering professionals, and in some cases, new values. In the aggregate, there is so much new substance pertaining to this leap forward in professional practice that some systems engineers have begun to speak of a new paradigm.
As always, with new paradigms, there tend to be variations regarding terminology. Various individuals apply terms such as "Systems of Systems," "Capability Engineering" and "Complex Systems" in the context of the new paradigm.[1] These concepts and associated techniques are being applied in practical ways by working systems engineers. Even so, it is likely that terminology will continue to evolve as professionals develop new techniques, validate them in practical application, and consider new perspectives on the practical significance of the new developments. What seems well established, at this point, is that there are significant new developments and that it's time for those developments to be shared, so that they can 1) bring benefit to the wider community of systems engineering professionals, 2) generate dialog about the details of the new developments, and 3) stimulate further development of insight and technique.
Educating students in a new paradigm for professional practice can present serious instructional challenges. Most teaching is properly geared toward educating students in an existing paradigm. In these situations, the educational process tends to be routine 1) because the content is well known, 2) expectations tend to be well set, and 3) the path through the material is well established. New paradigms change the rules...
[0] The following text is excerpted from a paper scheduled for publication in the April edition of INSIGHT.
[1] This paper will not enter the debate upon whether these concepts individually or in the aggregate constitute a valid new paradigm for the profession of systems engineering. That issue is being addressed by other authors. Indeed, one expects this particular debate to continue for some time. Such argument is an important and necessary aspect of establishing and validating a new paradigm and both sides of such a debate make important contributions. This paper has a more modest objective, the discussion of how a new paradigm can be taught, using the new body of systems engineering techniques as an example.
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Place: Santa Clara University, in Room 326 of the Bannan School of Engineering Building.
Directions, including Transit information is at http://sfbac.banyantrees.org/directions-to-scu
From the main campus entrance on El Camino Real in Santa Clara, CA, stop at the visitors entrance booth and ask for a "Visitors" parking permit. Say you are here for a meeting and that you are an invited guest of the Dean of Engineering. Park in the parking garage in the visitor's parking spaces or in any other available "Visitors" parking space.
Go to Engineering Room 326. Walk to the large three-story building that runs parallel to the parking structure. This is the Bannan School of Engineering Building. Room 326 is on the third floor on the Southwest side of the building. The Bannan Quad and front entrance is on the side facing West. If you have any questions, you may contact Campus Security at 408-554-4441.
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Donation: FREE for members; $4 for non-members For more information, contact:
Carol Ann McDevitt, 408-525-4565, cmcdevit@cisco.com or Dorothy McKinney, 408-742-8790, dorothy.mckinney@lmco.com or Tom Jackson, 408-742-2013, t.l.jackson@lmco.com
The mission of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), a non-profit professional society, is to "foster the definition, and practice of World Class Systems Engineering in industry, academia, and government."
The SF Bay Area Chapter presents thought-provoking monthly programs for its members and their guests. Learn about the INCOSE at www.incose.org. Thank you,
Bruce Crawford
INCOSE SFBAC Secretary
INCOSE2006@comcast.net