2. Outline What is an EngD? What is Systems Engineering? What is Systems Thinking and why is Systems Thinking important? Research into Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)
3. What is an EngD? The Engineering Doctorate, or EngD, provides a more vocationally oriented doctorate in engineering than the traditional PhD and is better suited to the needs of industry. The degree was introduced nationally in 1992 and combines academic research in an industrial context with taught modules in a range of related subjects. The EngD is a 'professional' doctorate, equivalent to a PhD, but with the Research Engineer pursuing a research project while based within a company. The research itself is identified by the sponsoring company and confirmed as appropriate by the University. Within the company, an RE is treated as an employee, eg with company hours of work and holiday periods. The company commits to supporting the research project over the duration of the 4-year EngD programme, and to releasing REs to attend taught modules. All time spent on the EngD programme is fully recognised by Institutions towards CEng status. Association of Engineering Doctorates, http://www.aengd.org.uk
4. PhD or EngD? This candidate is capable of independent research Abstraction / Generalisation / Roadmap Projects
5. CLASSIFYING COMPLEX SYSTEMS SOFT PEOPLE Extended human family Herd of elephants SOCIAL SYSTEMS Man-machine systems Organisations as systems Tech. management systems Safety management systems In an EngD our engineering system is usually here! SOCIO- PHYSICAL SYSTEMS PHYSICAL SYSTEMS THINGS HARD
6. The EngD Benefits: Competitive advantage Original learning Innovative solutions Motivated and developed people Problem field is agreed in the RE’s EngD agreement Roadmap stitching portfolio together Outcomes: Thesis that advances knowledge Portfolio Skills and techniques Self confidence RE’s EngD Progress reviews Conference & journal papers Literature reviews Project reports Portfolio Components Survey results Models and maps Assignment submissions Taught Units
7. The Final Portfolio Overriding research question Main road map question Research Q 1 Research Q2 Research Q3 Research Q4 Literature Review How and when are decisions regarding… .. and how are actions implemented? How do material properties… …affect heat transfer through material? How does design and selection influence … How do different types affect … Stakeholders and the soft system aspects of the research Background understanding Hard experimental research Hard research scoring based on predetermined assessment system Hard/soft, depends on how we define sustainability etc.
8. Types of qualitative research…. towards Positivism towards Phenomenology Questionnaire (some open questions) Ethnomethodology Unstructured interviews Structured interviews Narrative methods/ storytelling Semi-structured interviews Metaphors and artefacts Action research? Focus groups?
10. What is Systems Engineering? An interdisciplinary approach, focused on defining the needs and requirements (especially early in development cycle), Design synthesis and system validation whilst considering the whole problem, across the complete lifecycle. Systems Engineering considers both technical and business needs of all customers/stakeholders. This is the INCOSE definition Systems Engineering is focused on understanding the full context for the solution being developed
11. What is Systems Engineering? Managing “more than a brain full”
12. The need for the Systems Approach Every thing –even if it isn’t, can be considered as a system Using System properties is a means to understanding and managing the complexity of a system and preventing unwanted emergence A key aspect of complex engineering systems is the fact that they frequently suffer late-observed emergent properties - which are expensive and difficult to solve The problems faced by system creators are only getting more complex – or will have more complex interactions with existing systems The only known way of effectively reducing the problem is to apply Systems thinking systematically, rigorously as early in the problem life cycle as possible
13. The need for the Systems Approach Big Picture thinking and the application of common sense to projects A structured and auditable approach to identifying the requirements, managing interfaces and controlling risks through the project lifecycle Making sure appropriate effort is put into understanding the purpose of system, and ensuring a top-down approach (rather than diving straight to detail solution)
15. What is Systems Thinking? aka systems analysis Understanding the system elements Understanding the relationships between elements (‘interfaces’) Understanding any emergent properties Systems Engineering Systems Thinking
40. Contact Richard Craig (richard.craig@bristol.ac.uk) Realising the Potential of Systems Thinking by Professor Mike Jackson Tuesday 8th March 2011 Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queens Building, University Walk, 5.30pm Wine and Nibbles to follow. The talk will provide a brief account of the origins of systems thinking and its development over the past fifty years. It will review some of the successes and failures of the systems approach. Full abstract is available at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/eng-systems-centre/events/2011/m-jackson.html Mike Jackson is Professor of Management Systems and Dean of the Hull University Business School. He has written 4 books on systems thinking and its applications and edited 6 others as well as publishing over 80 articles in refereed journals.
Editor's Notes
By minimising the perceptual effort required to identify robot expressions we reduce the cognitive load and produce more efficient non verbal communication.Humans convey vast amounts of information through their gaze, posture, gesturesand facial expression. As technology aimed at improving our lives becomes furtherintegrated into our routines, these systems should adjust according to non verbalsocial cues to minimize effort during interactions. The aim of ’Affective computing’research is to detect and interpret human non-verbal of communication and modulatethese interactions through the application of human social characteristics [2]. Affectivesystems should not only provide improved performance when assisting humans,but also have a capacity to modulate human behaviour through the manipulation ofnon-verbal communication gained through an understand of human social cognition.Understanding innate human perception and response to robots will allow for efficientdesign of future social robots
