2018 Issue

52 T he International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Wasatch chapter will host the inaugural Western States Regional Conference (WSRC) in Salt Lake City. The conference will be held from Thursday through Saturday, September 20-22, 2018, at the Orbital ATK Conference Center in Ogden Canyon. We invite you to join us to discuss new and exciting techniques and applica- tions for systems engineering. What is Systems Engineering? Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design and manage complex systems over their life cycles. Systems en- gineering considered many related issues to produce successful systems. These issues include requirements capture and analysis, design development, modeling and simulation, reliability, logistics, coordination of cross-functional teams, testing and evaluation, and maintainability. Those who practice systems engineering are called “systems engineers”. Systems engineers work in many different industries: INCOSE Wasatch Chapter to Host the Western States Regional Conference By Paul White, senior systems engineer, KIHOMAC academia, aerospace, commercial, defense, health care, and manufacturing. Many companies, large and small, employ systems engineers and value their contributions in developing state-of-the- art technologies or in sustaining and modernizing existing legacy systems. As an example, systems engineers are actively working to field the new Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system; and they also play a critical role in sustaining the Minuteman III ICBM system. What is INCOSE? INCOSE is a not-for-profit mem- bership organization founded to promote systems engineering. INCOSE is an industry organiza- tion like the other professional engineering societies that make up the UEC—and are featured in this journal. INCOSE promotes systems engineering by: • Hosting regular events to disseminate and increase systems engineering knowledge and proficiency • Providing a focal point for networking among systems engineers and companies • Offering certification programs that enable systems engineers to formally demonstrate their professional competency in systems engineering INCOSE was chartered as an organization in 1991. INCOSE has experienced steady growth since its founding. INCOSE now has more than 11,000 members—among 74 active chapters—across the United States of America and in many parts of the world. For more information, you may go to the INCOSE website at www.incose.org . What is the Wasatch Chapter? We chartered the IN- COSE Wasatch chap- ter in January 1997 to serve the Utah systems