CSER2025 will feature tutorials on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

The tutorials can be attended in person or virtually and attendees do not have to register for CSER2025  to be able to attend the tutorials.  The cost is $175 for one tutorial, $300 for attending two. Each of these tutorials are from USC Viterbi Systems Architecting and Engineering (SAE) courses or Aerospace University courses.

 

Track 1 morning

Augmented Intelligence – Dr. Azad M. Madni, USC

With AI resurgence paced by recent machine learning advances, several engineering disciplines including systems engineering

turn to AI to improve system model accuracy, process flexibility, content exploration and search, and team productivity. More

recently, AI has become a means to augment rather than replace human capability. This perspective alters AI’s role from autonomous intelligence to augmented intelligence (AugI). Inherent in this view, recognizing AI and human together can perform certain tasks better than either could alone. This tutorial presents a methodological framework for effectively exploiting AugI in systems engineering and in engineered intelligent human-machine systems.

 

Track 1 afternoon

Machine Learning for Systems Engineers – Dr. Michael Sievers, USC

Machine learning (ML) is a multidisciplinary form of artificial intelligence that extracts meaning from large training data sets to create algorithms that mimic human learning. ML algorithms look for meaning and patterns relevant to the training set to make decisions about new information. ML continually validates and refines a learning model from inaccuracies accrued by its prediction performance.  This tutorial is based on a graduate ML course taught at USC focusing on systems engineering considerations. Topics discussed include:

• Learning, hypothesis testing, and data bias

• Knowledge representation

• Learning algorithms and data mining

• ML models and applications

• Practical engineering applications, strengths, weaknesses, and potential pitfalls

 

Track 2 morning

Learning MBSE with SysML - Dr. Mark L. McKelvin, Jr., The Aerospace Corporation and USC

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is an approach to systems engineering and architecting that applies the use of models across a system’s lifecycle. The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is a graphical modeling language used to represent different aspects of systems in a MBSE approach. The use of SysML models in a MBSE to enable system design, analysis, and specification continues to grow across government and industry. Consequently, there is a high demand for engineers with the appropriate skills to manage MBSE projects and develop useful system models. This tutorial is intended to introduce fundamental concepts of MBSE and introduce participants to the Systems Modeling Language (SysML). Features of the SysML will be reinforced with hands-on exercises on examples in space mission systems. Participants will leave this tutorial with a general awareness of MBSE and SysML, and the ability to read, interpret, and build simple models with basic SysML notation.

 

Track 2 Afternoon

Model-Based Reviews – Fredda Lerner, Greg Mowles , Kevin Sanchez, The Aerospace Corporation

Many program offices in government, industry, and FFRDCs are moving away from traditional document-based systems engineering practices and integrating model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approaches throughout the system lifecycle.  Stakeholders now use descriptive models to communicate system definition characteristics such as requirements, V&V activities, architecture, interfaces, and ConOps.  Throughout the lifecycle, milestone reviews play an important role in assessing a program’s readiness to proceed to the next phase. The review process relies on experts to assess if the program is meeting established review criteria.  Review artifacts are now often captured in models expressed using standardized modeling techniques (such as SysML) rather than documents, so it is critical that reviewers know how to access, mine, read, understand, and evaluate these model products.  This tutorial will discuss what MBSE brings to the table in the review process, and what reviews can look like in an environment where systems attributes are captured in “living” descriptive models versus static documents.  The tutorial will also include perspectives on how to prepare for and conduct design reviews using MBSE practices.