North Texas Chapter

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Welcome to the North Texas Chapter

The North Texas Chapter of INCOSE (International Council of System Engineering) is centered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of North Texas and is open to those interested or practicing systems engineering.  

Contact us at ntxinfo@incose.net

Mission

Promote, educate, and mentor on Systems Engineering standards and practices to strengthen the North Texas Systems Engineering industry.

Vision

Serve as a professional organization that is the regional focal point for Systems Engineering resources, development, and awareness, in order to create a better world.

Chapter Meetings

Call for Ambassadors

The chapter is looking for people willing to host chapter meetings at remote sites. If you are interested contact the Vice President of Chapter Development, ntxinfo@incose.net

Program meetings typically 2nd Tuesday of month
Time: 6:00-7:00 CST
Networking at 5:30

Physical Locations

*Bell Helicopter
*L-3Harris - Greenville
*Lockheed Martin Aero- Fort Worth
*Lockheed Martin MFC- Grand Prairie
*Raytheon- McKinney
*Abbott  

Remote Program Access
Teams (Video/Audio) - Click here to join the meeting.
Contact INCOSE North Texas Chapter ntxinfo@incose.net to be added to our meeting emails.
The meetings are not recorded. Presentations are posted in the library and resources during the following weekend if we receive the presentation.

Board meetings typically 1st Tuesday of month
Time: 5:30-7:00 CST

Visit our 

Library & Resources 

for past newsletters and information/presentations from past meetings.

Chapter Events

Join us for our 9 April 2024 Chapter meeting featuring:

Main Presentation: "Risk Management and Systems Engineering: The Shaping of New and Future Activities of the INCOSE Risk Management WG", by Jack Stein and Bob Parro

Abstract: 

Systems engineers as individuals, and the field of systems engineering as a whole, are faced with an enormous challenge. Increasing system complexity, and ever more rapid and unpredictable developments and changes in technology, and in the socio-technical environments in which we will engineer and use the systems of the future, are creating levels of uncertainty, risk, and opportunity never before encountered.
In response, the practice of risk (and opportunity) management, in general and specifically as related to systems engineering, are undergoing significant change.
This presentation will inform attendees of recent changes in the practice of risk (and opportunity) management, and will provide an overview of INCOSE Risk Management Working Group (RMWG) current and future planned activities. The session will include an open Q&A segment, and is intended to be engaging two-way exchange of information, thoughts and ideas, aimed at directing, prioritizing, and improving the activities and work products of the INCOSE RMWG.

 

Bio: 

The INCOSE Risk Management Working Group (WG) was established in 1998, making it one of INCOSE’s longest running working groups. Currently, the WG has just over 120 members world-wide. The size and scope of activities of the WG are expected to increase as fundamental changes in the concepts, principals and practices of risk management defined in the 1st (2009) edition of overarching international risk standard ISO 31000, Risk Management — Principles and guidelines, are implemented in an increasing number of organizations and systems engineering projects and programs. These changes are reflected in ISO/IEC/IEEE 16085:2021, Systems and software engineering — Life cycle processes — Risk management, and in the 5th Edition of the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook.

Bob Parro and Jack Stein share in the chair-person duties of the Risk Management WG, making sure the WG is represented at monthly TechOps meetings and Annual International Workshops (IWs). As WG co-chairs, Jack and Bob have co-authored the Risk Management sections of both the 4th and 5th editions of the INCOSE SE Handbook. Together with WG member and standards specialist Paul Heininger, they represented INCOSE and the WG in the ISO/IEC/IEEE 16085:2021 work.

Jack Stein resides in Michigan and is a Past President of the INCOSE Michigan Chapter. Bob Parro resides in the Chicago area and is a Past President of the Chicagoland Chapter. They are both strong advocates of WG-Chapter interaction. 

Upcoming INCOSE Events

INCOSE-LA Chapter Speaker Meeting - Using a System-of-Systems Approach to Create and Test Interorbital’s NEPTUNE Small-Sat Launcher with Randa Milliron

El Segundo , USA
The Aerospace Corporation, 200 North Aviation Blvd., Bldg. D8, Room 1010
Deborah Cannon (310-336-8341)

Register here!

Randa Milliron is the CEO and co-founder of Interorbital Systems (IOS), a private-sector rocket manufacturing and orbital space launch corporation based since 1996 in Mojave, California. In addition to her corporate duties at IOS, Ms. Milliron has two decades of academic involvement, working as a Professor of Communication at colleges in Europe and America. She is currently a faculty member at the University of Phoenix. An award-winning television writer/director/producer, she served as a Television News Director at AFN Berlin. Randa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Existential Phenomenological Psychology and a Master of Arts in African Languages from Duquesne University. She spent two years as doctoral candidate in Communication at Humboldt Universitaet, Berlin, Germany, and has undertaken additional formal studies in Chemistry at Cal Poly, Pomona. Her current scientific involvement at Interorbital Systems includes experimentation in the development of heat-resistant composite materials. She also acts as IOS’ Director of Marketing and as federal space launch licensing coordinator.

Abstract

The expense of buying passage for a small satellite payload is often more than a small business or an academic institution can afford, and usually more than a government or military entity would like to spend. Waiting for an opportunity to launch as a secondary payload is often a frustrating, if not endless process. Global competitions among hundreds of student satellite projects for these rare flights leave all but the one or two lucky winners without a ride to orbit. An inexpensive, dedicated launcher; an assortment of affordable small satellite kits; and low-cost, rapid-response launch services are urgently needed to create and carry small experimental, academic, government, art, and military payloads to orbit. Interorbital Systems’ (IOS) NEPTUNE modular rocket series: N1; N3; N5; and N8 LUNA; and IOS’ Personal Satellite Kits will fill those needs. Creating a rocket system like NEPTUNE and keeping it low-cost is possible only through using a Systems-of-Systems approach for design, build, and test phases.

The N1 is designed to launch a 20-kg small-sat payload(s) to LEO for under $1 million. Interorbital’s orbital launch manifest now numbers 157 picosats. Orbital launch services are set to begin in Q1, 2020, followed by a 2021 Moon impactor mission, Lunar Bullet, with Ed Belbruno’s Innovative Orbital Design.

A 2019 suborbital launch of the NEPTUNE CPM 2.0 will test IOS’ guidance and control systems and provide a platform for flight-testing significant science applications and breakthrough technologies like the Wayfinder II, a 3U CubeSat and hosted–payload platform designed and integrated by Boreal Space, NASA Ames Research Park. It carries a mission called SHRINE. SHRINE stands for the Stanford, Hakuto, Raymix, Inventor, NUS Experiment. Five separate organizations provided payloads for integration into the Wayfinder spacecraft bus. The Extreme Environments Lab at Stanford University supplied a Gallium-Nitride-based magnetic-field instrumentation payload. Japan’s Team Hakuto (now iSpace), provided a robotics experiment to validate their hardware and software assembly. The National University of Singapore contributed a materials experiment to research potential changes to a graphene sample when subjected to launch loads. Space Inventor of Aalborg, Denmark supplied their SpaceLink UHF radios for which they seek TRL advancement. Finally, the popular Latin American artist Raymix contributed a musical piece for downlink from the SpaceLink radios. This launch’s flight data will complement payload performance data, allowing participating teams to iterate and improve designs, and raise Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for future missions.  This launch is a multi-system test under the rigors of flight.

In this presentation Ms. Milliron will share insights on how Systems-of-Systems methodology was used to develop a solution for the, in-demand, small satellite rapid-response launch needs.

Chapter News

The North Texas Chapter is excited to Sponsor the SEP Exam at the 2024 MBSE Cyber Systems Symposium. See the event link above for more information.

silver-circle-award

North Texas Chapter has received the INCOSE Silver Circle award for 2022

The Silver Circle Award recognizes chapters adopting best practices and performing to the highest goals and standards established by our organization.

For many, chapters provide the primary day-to-day interface with INCOSE.  Chapters organize technical and social programs, communicate key information about our organization and discipline, support technical activities, and enhance the member experience by facilitating an open, inviting environment where members receive valued products and services that enhance their careers. In fulfilling this mission, the North Texas Chapter leaders and members have committed significant time and energy to further the goals of our organization.  

High quality, vibrant chapters are essential in INCOSE’s drive to enrich, educate, and enlighten the INCOSE membership while improving recognition of INCOSE and the systems engineering profession. The Sector Directors and INCOSE extend heartfelt congratulations, thanks and appreciation to the North Texas Chapter for its contributions towards attaining these goals.


Find out more by visiting the NORTH TEXAS ENGAGE community today!

Viva Engage is INCOSE's social media platform for members. Use your INCOSE-issued Microsoft credential to login and join the conversation. INCOSE credentials are in the form of first.last@incose.net or first.last@incose.buzz.   

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