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Chair’s Message – Section Events and Outlook, June 2011

Like all North Alabama communities, IEEE Huntsville Section members continue recovery from the devastating effects of the April 27th tornadoes, attending loss of life and property, and week-long power outage during the TVA infrastructure recovery. As thousands rebuild their lives and property in the wake of widespread destruction, hastened with volunteer assistance from across the country, this community’s response to these environmental disasters is a testament to resilience of the human spirit and the healing possibilities when government, businesses, and volunteers work together.

Huntsville Section welcomes Westwood Presnall as incoming Graduates of Last Decade (GOLD) Chair this year. Westwood works at Palco Telecom and he agreed to serve as GOLD Chair at the March ExCom meeting. Westwood is planning several affinity group networking and technical meetings this year. All active IEEE members less than 10 years from graduating with first undergraduate degree are automatically GOLD members, so keep watching the LiveWire blog for news of upcoming GOLD meetings and social events. Since joining the Section ExCom, Westwood was an enthusiastic member of the IEEE Section judge teams at both NARSEF and ASEF, and represented the Section at the Awards presentations for the top student winners.

At the June meeting, the ExCom confirmed our new Education Committee Chair, Lockheed Martin employee Jennifer Deang, PhD. Jennifer works on the National Team (MDNTB – A&SE) and is already an active participant in the Huntsville Section sponsored Future City Competition and other Section educational activities. We all look forward to Jennifer’s leadership on Section K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and university educational outreach projects. Huntsville Section prioritizes interaction STEM projects led by the Huntsville Association of Technical Societies (HATS) including HATS STEDTRAIN teacher grant program, as well as several other STEM projects with area and statewide students. Jennifer will manage and coordinate IEEE teams supporting these projects, as we continue providing event judges, technical support, and planning committee assistance.

The Section annually participates in the Alabama Regional Future City Competition (ARFCC) at UAHuntsville, North Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) at UAHuntsville, Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF) at UAHuntsville, Alabama Council on Technology in Education (ACTE) Student Competition at the Von Braun Center, ACTE Team Programming Challenge (TPC) at Randolph High School, and the BEST Robotics Competition at Calhoun Community College. Huntsville Section also helped sponsor two teams to the FIRST LEGO Competition in Carlsbad, CA this year, please check out the associated article here. Huntsville Section supported the Hampton Cove Elementary team in the article as well as the Jones Valley Elementary team, after both teams had superlative performances in the regional competition and advanced to the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) North American Open Championship Robotics Tournament.

The 2011 Third Annual Systems and Software Engineering Forum now takes place July 26 – 27, 2011 in the UAHuntsville University Center – Exhibit Hall. The Forum Planning committee worked closely with the UAHuntsville Continuing Education department to help locate a new host venue on campus after the week-long power outage preempted the original June hosting date Shelby Technology Center. IEEE Huntsville Section, Computer Society Chapter, Huntsville Regional INCOSE Chapter, and a small but dedicated team of professionals have supported the Forum since its inception, along with excellent leadership provided by NASA, the U.S. Army, and Huntsville corporate and academic professionals. UAHuntsville is now hosting the forum in its campus University Center, and you can see more details on the agenda and content in the LiveWire article at http://www.ieee-huntsville.org/2011-systems-and-software-engineering-forum. As shown in the Forum article, space is limited, so register soon!! Click to download the Forum poster for additional ways to register.

The Huntsville Section-MGA planning committee is now well into advanced stages for a 2-day IEEE Member Geographic Activities (MGA) Metro Area Workshop next fall, an exciting and cost-effective opportunity for current and prospective Section members. While the planning committee has not fully defined workshop details, the “sneak preview” for each attendee is two 8-hour workshops from a slate of Wireless RF Communications, Software Engineering, and Smart Grid Power Systems. The second day also hosts a Career Enhancement Workshop option as possible choice. The Section reserved the North Hall on November 4-5, 2011 (Friday and Saturday) and MGA is currently finalizing VBC host contracts. Workshops include breakfast and lunch both days, with a sit-down dinner and plenary speaker on Friday evening, all priced very affordable for members and non-members (roughly $100 and $200, respectively). IEEE Communications Society, Computer Society, and Power Society are providing workshop technical content, in some cases compressed versions of multiple day workshops offered by those Societies, typically hosted in much larger venues. As soon as we finalize the workshop content, we will provide that data and registration links on the Section website, stay tuned!!

We’re eagerly anticipating the 28th Annual Professional of the Year (POY) Banquet, presented by the Huntsville Association of Technical Societies (HATS) Huntsville-Westin, Tuesday June 21, 2011, 5-8 PM. The 2011 IEEE Huntsville Section POY is Willie J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, past Section Chair (2007-2008), Section Outstanding Engineer in 2002, and Section Outstanding Service in 2009. Willie is Chief of the Aviation Division in the Software Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command’s Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center. Dr. Fitzpatrick has a B.S.E.E. (Tuskegee University, 1974), M.S.E.E. (Leland Stanford University, 1975), and Ph.D., Industrial and Systems Engineering (UAHuntsville, 2001). He now serves as UAHuntsville Adjunct Professor and sits on their PhD committee as well as AAMU curriculum steering committees. Willie’s 35 year distinguished aviation and missile system career spans Apache, Blackhawk, Chinook, Comanche, Scout, and Kiowa automatic control systems and systems/software engineering. Willie demonstrates exceptional commitment to IEEE Huntsville Section K-12 STEM and university activities, serving as IEEE teamjudge and coordinator. He annually leads the IEEE Technical Team for the BEST Robotics Competition.

We’re constantly searching for better ways to meet Huntsville Section member needs and look forward to your suggestions to make IEEE better support your career development and professional networking needs. Join us on the Section website at http://www.ieee-huntsville.org and Huntsville Section LinkedIn group site.

Probabilistic Inference and its Application to Distributed Track Management Systems

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Speaker: Clay Stanek, Senior Software Engineer, Northrop Grumman
Meeting Flyer

Probabilistic inference is one of the hottest areas in Track Management technology space.  By combining computer science discipline with a rigorous understanding of probability theory, one can estimate the potential for machine learning to predict human and aggregate behavior, entity classification and subtle relationships between parameters of interest.  This discussion will better define the potential applications of probabilistic inference in TM and focus on classification, categorization, typing, discrimination and identification (CCTDI), generally known as the ‘Combat ID’ problem.  After familiarization with the problem space, we will look at the multiple types of probabilistic inference in use today and narrow our attention to one method:  Bayesian Networks.  We close our discussion by examining a simple Bayesian network built that demonstrates an example inference and solution.

RSVP not required but appreciated.  Please RSVP to Jamie Davidson at james.d.davidson@boeing.com

Everyone is invited!

Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2011
When: 11:30 am – 1pm (networking 11:30 to noon)
Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville University Center Room 126
http://www.uah.edu/sitefeature/campusmap.php Marked building #7a on the map

Grab lunch at the Charger Café in the same building or the adjacent Bevill Center and bring it into the meeting.

Directions:
The meeting will be held in Room 126 of the UAHuntsville University Center.  The University Center Building is located at the north end of the campus. Please park in the visitor parking lot in the front of this building in a “Visitor” space or in an unmarked space. Note:  Vehicles with a UAH decal cannot park in a “Visitor” space.

Speaker Biography:
Mr. Clay Stanek leads the Track Management software team on the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Comand System (IBCS) program at Northrop Grumman here in Huntsville.  Clay and his team’s Track Management functionality provides distributed data fusion of measurement level sensor data for situation awareness, track evaluation, and engagement. This distributed TM capability is one of the key enablers for extended range and non line-of-sight intercept of aerial threats using fire control quality data with the most appropriate weapon to complete the mission successfully.

Software Safety Engineering – An Updated Look at a Maturing Discipline

Date: May 10, 2011
Time: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville University Center Room 126
http://www.uah.edu/sitefeature/campusmap.php Marked building #7a on the map

Meeting Flyer

Speaker: Steven Mattern, Senior System Safety Engineer, Bastion Technologies

The discipline commonly referred to as “Software Safety Engineering” has been maturing within the systems and software engineering communities for the last 25 years.  Within the last five years, this maturation has resulted in a relatively standardized approach that, if successfully implemented, will meet the approval and acceptance of most government entities and the military services.  This presentation is a short synopsis of the two separate but complimentary processes that make up the software system safety process.  This presentation will describe these two processes and include the essential elements required to increase the likelihood of having a successful software safety engineering program.

RSVP not required but appreciated.  Please send to Jamie Davidson at james.d.davidson@boeing.com

Everyone is invited!

You can grab lunch at the Charger Café in the same building and bring it into the meeting.

Directions:

The meeting will be held in Room 126 of the University Center on the UAHuntsville Campus.  The University Center Building is located at the north end of the campus. Please park in the visitor parking lot in the front of this building in a “Visitor” space or in an unmarked space. Note: Vehicles with a UAH decal cannot park in a “Visitor” space.

Speaker Biography:

Mr. Mattern has accumulated a broad range of government, commercial and education-related experience in acquisition management and systems engineering on major system procurements. He possesses over 28 years of USAF active duty, DOD, and private sector experience on the development and test of high profile, safety-critical systems of national importance.

Mr. Mattern began his military career with the United States Air Force in September 1971 as an Airman, specializing in the installation, operations, and maintenance of HVAC equipment within military base facilities. He was honorably discharged in 1979 to attend the University of Wyoming through the USAF ROTC program where he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant 1981. Throughout his commissioned career in the USAF, Steven chose to work as an Acquisition Specialist in the System Safety Engineering career field.

On active duty, he was assigned to work on many major acquisition programs to include, but not limited to, the Peacekeeper (Missile-X) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, Small ICBM, F-15E, C-17, X-30 National Aerospace Plane, and Air Force One Replacement for the President of the United States. He also was the Explosive Safety Officer that performed the Quantity Distance (QD) explosive testing for the basing of Peacekeeper missiles in Minuteman silos. During Steven’s commissioned career he was certified as a Level III Acquisition Professional in Program Management, and Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering of the Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP).

In September 1994, Steven joined Science and Engineering Associates (later to become Apogen Technologies and then QinetiQ-North America) where he was specifically tasked to stand up and manage a systems engineering analysis directorate for the company that focused on both systems and software safety engineering.

Since 1994, Steven has secured and successfully executed contracts with government agencies, government prime contractors, and commercial companies on programs such as the Airborne Laser (ABL) Program, Crusader, Future Combat Systems, Ballistic Missile Defense, SH-2G(A) Helicopter, Standard Missiles 2-, -3, and -6, Wide Area Augmentation System, Shuttle Orbiter Cockpit Avionics Upgrade, SWY-3 Ship Self-Defense System, C-5 Avionics Modernization Program, and many others.

Mr. Mattern joined Bastion Technologies in June of 2010 and currently provides system safety and software safety engineering support to the US Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) Safety Office on unmanned air vehicle programs.

Steven holds a BS in Industrial/Electronic Technology from the University of Wyoming and a MA in Computer Resource Management from Webster University. He teaches two Continuing Engineering Education courses for the University of Cincinnati; System Safety Management and Software Safety Engineering. He is member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a Fellow Member of the international System Safety Society, and a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

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Bob Berinato
May 8th, 2011

Computer Society Meeting, “Evolving Critical Systems”, Mike Hinchey

Presentation:
“Evolving Critical Systems”

Meeting Details:
Meeting Flyer

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Mike Hinchey
NASA Expert Consultant

Dr. Mike Hinchey is Director of Lero, the Irish Software Research Center, and Professor of Software Engineering at University of Limerick Ireland. Until January 2007, he was Director of the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory, located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.

He now serves as a NASA expert consultant. Prior to joining the US government, at various times he held positions at the level of full professor in the US, Australia, Sweden, Ireland and the UK. He received a B.Sc. in Computer Science from University of Limerick, Ireland, an M.Sc. in Computation from University of Oxford, UK, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Cambridge, UK.

He is Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Complexity in Computing, Vice Chair of the IEEE Technical Committee on Autonomous and Autonomic Systems, and is the IEEE Computer Society’s representative to IFIP Technical Committee 1 (Foundations of Computer Science), which he currently chairs, and a member of the IFIP Board and Chair of its Technical Assembly.

Event: Luncheon
Date: May 10th, 2011
Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm
Location: Seasons Restaurant, Huntsville Marriott (5 Tranquility Base Huntsville, AL 35805 256-830-2222)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Mike Hinchey
Speech Title: Evolving Critical Systems

Lunch Menu Selections:
Sandwiches Served with fries $9.95
1. Philly Steak-n-Cheese (Grilled steak, onions and tri colored peppers with melted cheese served on toasted hoagie bun)
2. Turkey BLT (Turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, lemon mayonnaise on Wheat Berry Bread)
Drink (Tea, Coffee, or Soda): $1.95

Total is the food cost + tax + 18% Gratuity, attendees cover costs at the restaurant.

Room Capacity: 25 people max

Contact Caroline Wang at Caroline.k.wang@nasa.gov or call her at 256-544-3887.
Supply the following information to register attendance:
1. Full name
2. Phone number
3. Email address
4. Choice of food (you can order other items, but delivery may take longer)

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Bob Robinson
May 5th, 2011

Chair’s Message – Section Events and Outlook, Spring 2011

IEEE Huntsville Section has seen a series of activities so far this year, beginning with the Alabama Regional Future City Competition (ARFCC) in January, followed with exception performance of the ARFCC top finisher in the national Future City Competition in Washington, D.C. during Engineers Week in mid-February. The Section presented awards to outstanding community contributors at the Eweek Awards Banquet. In March, we supported the IEEE-USA Annual Meeting in Austin, immediately followed by the Region 3 SoutheastCon 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. The IEEE UAH Student Chapter fielded an entry in the annual SoutheastCon robotics competition, and we heard excellent presentations on cutting edge trends and technology possibilities. IEEE Region 3 members worked collaboratively to develop strategies to better meet the needs of IEEE members and mitigate issues due to challenging economic times, nationally and globally. Attendees debated and reached consensus on proposals that we will present at IEEE Sections Congress this summer.

Huntsville Section met with IEEE engineers and scientists from across the country to explore vehicle electrification challenges and opportunities, infrastructure, and enabling standards at IEEE-USA Annual Meeting “Engineering in Motion” in Austin, Texas. During that same week, engineers Wayne Kendrick, Westwood Presnall, and Woody Williams represented the Section as North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) category judges, where they awarded area middle and high school students who demonstrated outstanding projects that exemplified excellence in IEEE areas of interest. Top NARSEF finishers competed with students from across the state a week later in the Alabama Science and Engineering Fair (ASEF), where we evaluated statewide competitors. Students judged as demonstrating the "Best of the Best" projects from NARSEF and ASEF will compete with students worldwide at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in San Francisco later this year.

The North Alabama regional Alabama Council on Technology in Education (ACTE), led by local teachers Sylvia Dean and Sue Zupko, held the annual ACTE Team Programming Challenge last week. IEEE Section members helped judge the Team Programming Challenge Thursday night at Randolph High School, where junior-senior teams, freshman-sophomore teams, and 7th-8th grade teams displayed their teamwork and analytical problem solving skills against other area school teams. Every year, the competition becomes more heated as these students code solutions in their programming language of choice. On Friday, we returned to the ACTE Technology Fair at the Von Braun Center, where grades 3-12 students faced off against area school teams (and Boy Scout et al) in robotic competitions, multimedia competitions, computer programming, webpage design, and other competitions. Click here for full list and evaluation criteria.

In May, the Huntsville community is once again looking forward to the 2011 Third Annual Systems and Software Engineering Forum. IEEE Huntsville Section, Computer Society Chapter, Huntsville Regional INCOSE Chapter, and a small but dedicated team of professionals have supported the Forume since its inception, along with excellent leadership provided by NASA, the U.S. Army, and Huntsville corporate professionals. UAHuntsville is once again hosting the forum on its campus, and you can see more details on the agenda and content in the LiveWire article at http://www.ieee-huntsville.org/2011-systems-and-software-engineering-forum. As shown in the Forum article, space is limited, so register soon!! Click to download the Forum poster for additional ways to register.

We’re constantly searching for better ways to meet Huntsville Section member needs and look forward to your suggestions to make IEEE better support your career development and professional networking needs. Join us on our Section website at http://www.ieee-huntsville.org and our Huntsville Section LinkedIn group site.

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