Bryan Mesmer from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of Alabama in Huntsville will present at the Seminar on Friday April 27 at 1:15pm in Room 105 of Nedderman Hall. Dr. Mesmer’s presentation title, abstract, and biographical sketch are below.
Title: Reimagining Systems Engineering Through Preferences and the Arts
Author: Bryan Mesmer
Location: Nedderman Hall (NH) Room 105
Date: Friday, April 27
Time: 1:15pm – 2:15pm
Abstract: This seminar will discuss the pursuit of creative and novel research in the foundations of systems engineering to enable a reimagining of systems engineering. A reimagining is needed due to the growing challenges in costs, schedules, etc. that systems engineering is facing as systems become ever more complex. Specifically two research topics will be discussed: decision making in systems engineering and the art of systems engineering. Decision making is researched in order to reduce inconsistencies in systems engineering by advancing the state of observing, communicating, and representing preferences. Inconsistencies in decision making typically lead to designs that are non-optimal due to stakeholders disagreeing on what is best. Utility and game theories are the primary tools used in this research. The arts are researched to identify approaches that could aid in understanding and performing systems engineering and to infuse those artistic approaches into systems engineering. The arts research that will be discussed in this seminar are gaming, storytelling, and theatre. In particular, the need for a surrogate of complex systems due to the high costs, long durations, and limited accessibility of common complex systems will be discussed, with theatre proposed as a surrogate. The findings of the research demonstrate that systems engineering can be improved, but a fundamental transformation of systems engineering may need to occur for those improvements to be fully realized.
Biography: Dr. Bryan Mesmer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Mesmer was previously a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University. He completed his Ph.D. in August 2012 at the State University of New York at Buffalo in Mechanical Engineering. Also at the University at Buffalo, he completed his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (2010) and a dual B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (2007). His research has focused on improving the systems engineering process, particularly for large-scale complex systems. He uses his background in decision analysis, multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization, system/subsystem modeling, design theory, and value-based design to perform research on topics including: interactions in systems and design; incorporation of end-user models and simulations in design; preference representation and communication; the arts in systems engineering; and integration of new system and design processes in government and industry practice. He is currently the University Lead of the NASA Systems Engineering Research Consortium, leading efforts on the development of systems engineering principles and the integration of modelling techniques.