The Georgia Institute of Technology will host the Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER) at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center March 19-22, 2013. This year’s theme, “Addressing Societal Needs with Next-Generation Systems” will focus on fostering new research ideas and pushing the boundaries of today’s systems engineering research to find solutions that better society.

Since 2003, the annual conference serves as an international platform to showcase innovative systems engineering research. Conference papers address a variety of subjects within systems engineering such as evolutionary systems, infrastructure, workforce training, defense, and aerospace.

Three keynote speakers have been scheduled to discuss systems engineering challenges as well as its role today and into the future.

Victoria Cox, former FAA assistant administrator for NextGen, will speak on Wednesday, March 20. Her presentation, “Challenges with Deploying Complex Systems of Systems: Some Perspectives,” will discuss how non-technical challenges presented by the economic landscape, political climate, and stakeholder equity as well as the culture into which the system of systems will be inserted are often as crucial to successful delivery of the product as the viability of the technologies involved.

Paul Eremenko, who recently served as the deputy director and acting director of the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, will speak on Thursday, March 21. His presentation, “Formal Model-Based Design & Manufacture: A Template for Managing Complexity in Large-Scale Cyber-Physical Systems” will touch on the proposition that the traditional top-down systems engineering process is inadequate for coping with the increasing complexity, dynamic coupling, and cyber-physical interactions found in modern large-scale systems such as aerospace systems.

Ann Devereaux, lead system engineer for the flight system of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover Project, will serve as the final keynote on Friday, March 22. Her presentation, “Landing Curiosity: SE Challenges for NASA’s Newest Martian,” will walk the audience through the systems engineering challenges and successes of the project.

In addition to the keynote presenters, technical paper presentations, special sessions and panels will be featured. Awards for Best Paper and Best Student Paper will be announced during an evening reception that will take place on Thursday, March 21.

Several Georgia Tech faculty members and instructors serve as conference organizers. Chris Paredis, associate professor with the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, is the conference chair. Carlee Bishop, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Professional Master’s Degree in Applied Systems Engineering, and Doug Bodner, senior research engineer with the Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Tech, are conference program co-chairs.