By: Jorg Largent

Words from the INCOSE-LA Misison:

• INCOSE shall foster the definition, understanding, and practice of world-class systems engineering…
• To provide a focal point for dissemination of systems engineering knowledge…

The Board of Directors is working toward that end, and we encourage the membership to take advantage of the opportunities the Chapter provides for professional development and networking.

Face-to-face discussions of “how to” apply the process are the most beneficial way to improve one’s knowledge of the process and to apply it effectively to the tidal waves of new technologies that will be integral to new systems. In May Elaine Thorpe of the Boeing Company spoke to the Chapter on the challenges facing the Human Systems Integration practitioner as a new generation of “tech-savvy” users become a larger part of the user community. Her discussion of the challenges (how does one model an emergency landing, and how does one develop the necessary “liveware?”) and of her experiences in deftly developing these systems for future applications was highly educational and insightful. And, speaking of tidal waves, in June Jimmy Thai of SAIC discussed the systems engineering challenges faced in the development of a global tsunami warning and mitigation system for 26 countries in the Indian Ocean region — a large and daunting task.

The Chapter has come up with the next-best thing for those who cannot get to one of the “face-to-face” speaker meetings: remote site webcasts. Remote sites are an integral part of the speaker meetings and are hosted at various locations throughout the Los Angeles area, providing convenient, real-time participation.

In addition to the speaker meetings, the Chapter hosts or sponsors tutorials, conferences, and a website — all with the purpose of helping the members learn about the systems engineering challenges and solutions that are a part of the future.

The members of the Board of Directors are here to help you keep from getting swamped by the growing and changing challenges in the application of the systems engineering process.