Dinner Meetings

Dinner Meeting: “Too Much Data: How to Find What You Value”

Date: February 16, 2012
Location: Amphora Restaurant
1151 Elden St.
Herndon, VA
Start Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $20.00

Topic: “Too Much Data: How to Find What You Value”
Panelists: Don Joder, Doug Whall, Peggy Hwu

Description: Our Dinner Meeting on February 16, 2012, will include a lively and entertaining moderated panel discussion of issues arising from the Systems Engineering community’s efforts to effectively work with increasingly large and complex data collections. Our three featured panelists, Don Joder, Doug Whall, and Peggy Hwu, are senior systems engineers with lots of battle scars from tackling architecture, design, integration, sharing, quality, security, and other data management challenges in a variety of organizational and technical contexts. Topics to be discussed include data architecture, data modeling, semantic computing, “Big Data”, data security, data’s role in Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and the data management implications of cloud computing. Active audience participation (questions, comments, and sharing of lessons-learned) will be encouraged.

Menu:
First Course: Caesar Salad
Entree – Choice of: Tortellini with vodka pink sauce – or – Chicken Marsala served with roasted potatoes and vegetable – or – Tuscan tilapia with peppers, onions, and capers, served with potatoes and vegetable
Dessert: Fruit Bavarian cake

Last Chance to Register: Jan. 17 Dinner Meeting

INCOSE Members,

Today is the last chance to register for tomorrow’s (January 17, 2012) dinner meeting.

Date: January 17, 2012
Location: Amphora Restaurant
1151 Elden St.
Herndon, VA
Start Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $20.00
Presentation Title: Introduction to Lifecycle Modeling on the Cloud – An Approach to Simplified, Rapid Development, Operations and Support
Author’s name: Steven H. Dam, Ph.D., ESEP

The cloud provides an opportunity to model large systems of systems, which contain hundreds of thousands to millions of element. However, that many elements mean the design information will be very complex. In addition, most modeling and development techniques focus on a particular niche area, such as systems or software development, but systems engineering was intended to cover the entire lifecycle. Dr. Steven Dam has developed a methodology that reduces the complexity of the technique ontology and logic depictions. It also cuts through the different techniques (SysML, UML, BPMN, Electrical Engineering notation, etc.) to span the entire lifecycle and enables translation into any of these other forms.  This presentation will discuss:
• Value of cloud computing in systems engineering throughout the lifecycle
• The breadth of languages used today for modeling portions of the lifecycle;
• Describe a new Lifecycle Modeling Language that enables modeling in all domains, from
• Concept Development through Disposal, including the necessary programmatics;
• Discusses a process that uses the LML technique to model the entire lifecycle;
• Introduces a new prototype for lifecycle modeling and simulation;
• Discusses how this new approach can cut the cost and time required for development.
Steven H. Dam, Ph.D., ESEP
Dr. Dam is the President and Founder of the Systems and Proposal Engineering Company (SPEC Innovations), based in Manassas, VA. He has been involved with structured analysis, software development, and system engineering for over 35 years. He participated in the development of C4ISR Architecture Framework and DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF), the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) Vision Architecture, the Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA), and Net- Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) architecture. He currently is applying system-engineering techniques to various DoD projects.
Dr. Dam is currently the Past President of the Washington Metropolitan Area (WMA) chapter of INCOSE. Dr. Dam is the author of two systems engineering-based books: “DoD Architecture Framework: A Guide to Applying System Engineering to Develop Integrated, Executable Architectures;” and “Proposal Engineering: A Guide to Developing Winning, Cost-Effective Proposals.” He was a contributor to the DoD/NASA-sponsored textbook entitled “Applied Space Systems Engineering.” Dr. Dam has a BS degree in Physics from George Mason University and a PhD. in Physics from the University of South Carolina.
Menu

Choice of House Salad, Caesar Salad, Greek Salad with
-London Broil w/Merlot Mushroom Sauce served with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetable
-Greek Style Roasted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetable or
-Grilled Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce served with Scalloped Potatoes and Vegetable
and White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake

Dinner Meeting: Introduction to Lifecycle Modeling on the Cloud

Date: January 17, 2012
Location: Amphora Restaurant
1151 Elden St.
Herndon, VA
Start Time: 6:00 PM
Cost: $20.00
Presentation Title: Introduction to Lifecycle Modeling on the Cloud – An Approach to Simplified, Rapid Development, Operations and Support
Author’s name: Steven H. Dam, Ph.D., ESEP

The cloud provides an opportunity to model large systems of systems, which contain hundreds of thousands to millions of element. However, that many elements mean the design information will be very complex. In addition, most modeling and development techniques focus on a particular niche area, such as systems or software development, but systems engineering was intended to cover the entire lifecycle. Dr. Steven Dam has developed a methodology that reduces the complexity of the technique ontology and logic depictions. It also cuts through the different techniques (SysML, UML, BPMN, Electrical Engineering notation, etc.) to span the entire lifecycle and enables translation into any of these other forms.  This presentation will discuss:
• Value of cloud computing in systems engineering throughout the lifecycle
• The breadth of languages used today for modeling portions of the lifecycle;
• Describe a new Lifecycle Modeling Language that enables modeling in all domains, from
• Concept Development through Disposal, including the necessary programmatics;
• Discusses a process that uses the LML technique to model the entire lifecycle;
• Introduces a new prototype for lifecycle modeling and simulation;
• Discusses how this new approach can cut the cost and time required for development.
Steven H. Dam, Ph.D., ESEP
Dr. Dam is the President and Founder of the Systems and Proposal Engineering Company (SPEC Innovations), based in Manassas, VA. He has been involved with structured analysis, software development, and system engineering for over 35 years. He participated in the development of C4ISR Architecture Framework and DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF), the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) Vision Architecture, the Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA), and Net- Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) architecture. He currently is applying system-engineering techniques to various DoD projects.
Dr. Dam is currently the Past President of the Washington Metropolitan Area (WMA) chapter of INCOSE. Dr. Dam is the author of two systems engineering-based books: “DoD Architecture Framework: A Guide to Applying System Engineering to Develop Integrated, Executable Architectures;” and “Proposal Engineering: A Guide to Developing Winning, Cost-Effective Proposals.” He was a contributor to the DoD/NASA-sponsored textbook entitled “Applied Space Systems Engineering.” Dr. Dam has a BS degree in Physics from George Mason University and a PhD. in Physics from the University of South Carolina.
Menu

Choice of House Salad, Caesar Salad, Greek Salad with
-London Broil w/Merlot Mushroom Sauce served with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetable
-Greek Style Roasted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetable or
-Grilled Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce served with Scalloped Potatoes and Vegetable
and White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake


2011 INCOSE WMA Holiday Party

Join us for the 2011 INCOSE WMA Holiday Party. Members and guests are welcome—bring a spouse, significant-other or colleague.

Register Now: http://www.incosewma.org/events/?event_id=25&regevent_action=register

Dinner Meeting: Standards in Systems Engineering Ken Zemrowski, TASC

Location: Brio Tuscan Grille, Tyson’s Corner
Time: 6-8:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 for dinner
Abstract
This presentation will address two aspects of standards and systems engineering. The primary focus will be on systems engineering standards, INCOSE’s role in influencing those standards, and the status of some of those efforts. Recognizing that the solutions developed by systems engineers will usually involve standards and regulations, Ken will also discuss some of the challenges of incorporating non-SE standards in SE efforts.
Biography
Ken Zemrowski’s “day job” is Chief Engineer for TASC’s support to the FAA, concentrating on the Next Generation Air Trasportation System (NextGen). While supporting the FAA for over twenty years, Ken has been involved with standards as US Chair of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the International Organization for Standardization technical committee for Open Systems Interconnection, which was the foundation for the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN). He also served as an editor and participant with the RTCA, a federal advisory group, and the International Civil Aviation Organization participating in development of Standards and Related Practices (SARPs). Ken served many years on the Executive Board of the International Committee for Information Technology Standards, which is the US TAG to Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC 1), Information Technology, of ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission. Ken is the INCOSE Assistant Director for Standards Initiatives, managing INCOSE’s participation in ISO/IEC JTC 1 and other standards bodies producing systems engineering standards.

Dinner Meeting: John Snoderly

Abstract

Agencies and Industry to rethink how national security systems and other complex systems have been developed, fielded and supported to meet the warfighter’s needs. The Department of Defense (DoD) is at a critical point where it must transform its business model for acquiring and maintaining these systems to reduce costs and develop joint interoperable systems that adopt and exploit open system design principles and architectures. Effective November 15, 2010, DoD directed that Program Managers conduct of a business case analysis, in consort with the engineering tradeoff analysis that will be presented at MS B. The business case analysis will outline the open systems architecture approach, combined with technical data rights the government will pursue in order to ensure a lifetime consideration of competition in the acquisition of weapon systems. The results of this analysis will be reported in the Acquisition Strategy Report and in the competition strategy.

At the same time, there have been significant changes in research and development such as the emergent globalized nature of technology development in addition to shorter schedules and less funding available for new technology development.

Agencies and Industry to rethink how national security systems and other complex systemshave been developed, fielded and supported to meet the warfighter’s needs. The Department of Defense (DoD) is at a critical point where it must transform its business model for acquiring and maintaining these systems to reduce costs and develop joint interoperable systems that adopt and exploit open system design principles and architectures. Effective November 15, 2010, DoD directed that Program Managers conduct of a business case analysis, in consort with the engineering tradeoff analysis that will be presented at MS B. The business case analysiswill outline the open systems architecture approach, combined with technical data rightsthe government will pursue in order to ensure a lifetime consideration of competition in the acquisition of weapon systems. The results of this analysis will be reported in theAcquisition Strategy Report and in the competition strategy.

At the same time, there have been significant changes in research and development suchas the emergent globalized nature of technology development in addition to shorterschedules and less funding available for new technology development.

Speaker

Dr. Snoderly was the President of International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) from 2002-2004. He is the current 2011 Chairman of the INCOSE Foundation. In March of 2008 he received the recognition as an INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP). He is Co-Author of the 1994 IEEE 1220 Systems Engineering Standard. He received a Doctor of Public Administration Degree from USC in December of 1996. He received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from USC in May 1995. He also holds a Master Degree in Systems Management from USC in 1973 and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from WVU in 1963.

From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Snoderly was a part time Associate Professor at George Mason University School of Management. He conducted an executive postgraduate level seminar for Chief Information Officers and a course on Program Management for the GMU Masters of Technology Management program’s 2003 fall semester.

Dr. Snoderly is currently the Program Learning Director of Systems Engineering at the Defense Acquisition University. He is responsible for the development of SE courses as well as providing instruction on management of the Systems Engineering aspects of the Department of Defense systems acquisition process.

Prior to joining DSMC (now DAU) in 1979, Professor Snoderly was the Deputy Program Manager for the U.S. Navy LAMPS MK III Program at the Naval Air Systems Command. Professor Snoderly has 16 years of engineering and management experience working for the U.S. Navy as a civilian engineer. His recommendations were instrumental in the development and fielding of the Navy LAMPS MK III weapons system.

Cost: $20

INCOSE Dinner Meeting: Steve Welby

Abstract

Mr. Welby will use the context of DoD Systems Engineering to discuss some challenges to the practice and profession of systems engineering – with a focus on 1) How we manage complexity 2) How we identify and manage risk and 3) How we develop future Engineering Leaders.

Speaker

Mr. Stephen P. Welby was appointed the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering in September 2009. He is the principal systems engineering advisor to the Secretary of Defense and is responsible for establishing and executing engineering policy and oversight across the Department. His responsibilities include pre-acquisition development planning; engineering support to design, development and manufacturing; and independent engineering review, technical risk assessment and engineering analysis across the Department’s portfolio of major acquisition programs. He provides functional leadership to more than 40,000 Defense acquisition professionals in the DoD systems planning, research, development, and engineering (SPRDE) and production, quality, and manufacturing (PQM) workforce. Mr Welby also serves as the Defense Standardization Executive.

Cost: $25


Location

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant
8484 Westpark Drive
McLean, VA 22102

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant8484 Westpark DriveMcLean, VA 22102

Menu

Mixed Greens Salad or
Caesar Salad

Pesto Cream Pasta or
Parmesan Chicken or
Shrimp Scampi

Chocolate Truffle Cake or
Creme Brulee

May 16th Dinner Meeting – Venue Moved

The May 16 Dinner Meeting venue has been moved to Brio Tuscan Grille in McLean, Va. (instead of Marco Polo). This event will start at 6pm.

May 16th Dinner Meeting

INCOSE – WMA CHAPTER MEETING: 16 MAY 2011 @ Marco Polo Restaurant, Vienna, VA

WHAT CSEP CERTIFICATION REALLY MEANS:HOW CREDENTIALED SYSTEMS ENGINEERS ARE SEEN

A true credentialed systems engineer is someone who has done more than simply pass a test. It is someone who is seen by others as an experienced individual who finds a way to get the job done—no matter what obstacles and complications may arise. This is the expectation that comes with certification. And it is not one that can be taken lightly.

Systems Engineers don’t start from the position that the problem is someone else’s responsibility. They know how to break down barriers. They don’t give up. They get the job done.  That is the standard the credentialed systems engineer is held to, by INCOSE, by the program manager, by everyone.

John Thomas will share the current benefits and expectations of Credentialed Systems Engineers and their ability to:

  • Break down barriers because they have a sense of empowerment—and the good judgment to know exactly how far they can push
  • Get the job done because they focus on outcome, not process
  • Be collaborative, not competitive
  • Solve problems because they understand the nuances and complex interrelationships inherent in any situation
  • Demonstrate their problem solving capabilities because their skills and knowledge are both deep and broad

Presenter: John A. Thomas, Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

John A. Thomas, a Booz Allen Hamilton Senior Vice President and its Chief Systems Engineer, leads the firm’s systems engineering effort. Mr. Thomas assists those organizations whose missions are aligned with defense, homeland security, and intelligence. Within the intelligence field, he is recognized for his expertise in Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). His key areas of experience include:

*Systems engineering and integration

*System analysis

*Solutions delivery

*Conflict management and resolution associated with singular complex problems

He leverages this experience to lead initiatives that aggregate firmwide expertise in business process analysis, organizational transformation, cost estimation, and program planning to support delivery of large-scale systems engineering and integration services. Since joining Booz Allen in 1991, Mr. Thomas has supported both the commercial and public sectors.

He holds an M.S. degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a B.S. from Michigan State University, both in electrical engineering. He graduated cum laude from both institutions.His career spans more than 30 years and includes active duty service with the U.S. Air Force. He retired from the Air Force Reserves as a major. Mr. Thomas is a prolific writer and speaker on new techniques for the integration of systems engineering with business analysis and program support services. He is president-elect of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), Program Management Institute (PMI), and Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

Register at: http://www.incosewma.org/events/?event_id=14&regevent_action=register

April 12th: Dinner Meeting

Register Now: http://www.incosewma.org/events/?event_id=13&regevent_action=register
Date/Time: April 12 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Brio Tuscan Grille in McLean, VA

Title: Models as a Foundation for Systems Engineering – Should We Expect a Breakthrough?
Presenter: David Long

Abstract:

Though models and modeling techniques have always played a key role in systems engineering, model-based has now become the hot topic in systems engineering. Organizations are investing heavilyin developing new representations, standards, methodologies, and technologies to transform the practice of systems engineering through model-driven paradigms. As we look at the landscape todayand the roadmap tomorrow, projects and practitioners are striving to make sense of this movement – “What does MBSE mean? What would it take to realign our practices? What return on investment will it deliver, now and in the future?”. Assessing the state of systems engineering, the needs of our customers, technology and environmental trends, we will look at what model-based systems engineering is and is not. Most importantly, we will identify opportunities, enablers, obstacles, and threats that will help determine if model-based systems engineering will ultimately transform systems engineering or simply be the next failed silver bullet.

(This presentation is an adaptation and extension of the work originally delivered as the closing plenary for the 3rd International Conference on Model-Based Systems Engineering held in September 2010.)

Presenter Bio:

David Long founded Vitech Corporation in 1992; developed and commercialized CORE, a leading model-based systems engineering software tool used across the globe; and continues to lead the Vitech teamin developing and applying innovative engineering and business process systems to solve the problems of today and tomorrow.

For over twenty years, David has been focused on enabling, applying, and advancing model-based systems engineering to help transform the state of the systems engineering practice. He has played a key technical and management role in refining and extending an underlying language and integrated model for MBSE as well as integrating traditional and SysML representations with the integrated model to expand the analysis and communication toolkit available to systems practitioners.

David’s advanced systems engineering experience is vast, having impacted domestic and international commercial, education, government and military industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics, as well as a master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech.