Due to the low number of registrations, we have had to cancel the in-person dinner. In-person lecture attendance is still welcome, as is virtual attendance.
In-Person Location: JHU/APL - Parsons Auditorium; 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723
Webcast Link will be sent to Registrants
Abstract:
The year 2020 brought trauma, anxiety, and an uncertain future. The coronavirus pandemic coupled with social and political upheavals made life miserable for those of us sitting on the sidelines. We watched the casualty numbers: how many cases, how many hospitalized, how many died based on demographics. Helpless, we waited for fact-based information to determine how we should live our lives. Could we safely go to the grocery store, go to our doctors, visit with our family and friends, or just borrow a book from the library? Did we have to wipe down our groceries, our counters, wear masks everywhere? More questions waited for answers.
As we endured social distancing, mask wearing, staying away from people as we exercised outdoors, we eagerly followed the progress of vaccines. When the FDA approved their emergency use here in the US and similar agencies approved them in other countries, we foresaw the end of the pandemic and the return to something close to a normal existence.
The vaccines represented medical miracles but the system to deliver them to people’s arms did not. We perceived the process and infrastructure to put the vaccine into arms appeared not designed through good systems engineering practice and seemed politically driven and not fact and logic driven.
We saw from media reports and our own experience that vaccine delivery to people’s arms, at least in the US, did not meet expectations. While the rate of production and distribution continued to increase, those eligible to receive the vaccine remained confused or uninformed about how they obtain an appointment to ensure they can get vaccinated on a specific date at specific time.
This project defines a system that permits any resident of a state (of the United States), no matter his/her place of residence or access to technology, to obtain a vaccine appointment for the initial vaccine dose, the second dose (if needed), and a booster dose and maintains the vaccine record for the resident. We present this definition in the form of operational needs, SysML artifacts (Use Cases with Use Case Narratives, Context Diagram, Requirements Diagram, and Activity Diagrams), Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs). Further we present an initial simulation to evaluate how the system might perform under a given scenario and assumptions. The definition doesn’t include a specific implementation but provides a reference model for any government entity wanting to improve its current system for delivering any vaccine, not just the COVID-19 vaccine, into arms.
The authors conduct this project under the auspices of the INCOSE Critical Infrastructure Protection and Recovery Working Group.
Speakers:
Douglas Bodner. Doug Bodner is a principal research engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he conducts research on systems engineering methods and analysis applied to supply chains, health delivery, infrastructure and other systems. He teaches in the Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering and the Professional Masters in Applied Systems Engineering program. He is a member of ASEE, IEEE, IISE, INCOSE and INFORMS, and he is also a registered professional engineer in Georgia.
Doug Bodner, Georgia Institute of Technology researcher
Stephen J. Sutton. Steve retired in 2011, directed the systems engineering education programs at the University of Maryland until 2014, and now provides pro bono systems engineering services to non-engineering problems. He holds degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and George Washington University. He is a Registered PE-Retired in Maryland and an INCOSE ESEP. Steve has 50+ years of experience in systems engineering and analysis applied to large, complex telecommunications, information, and intelligence systems. He held program management, lead systems engineering, and line management positions. Steve is INCOSE’s Liaison to ABET and a co-chair of the CIPR WG.
Stephen J. Sutton, ESEP
Co-Author of paper:
David Alldredge. David retired in 2020. He was Adjunct Professor of Systems Engineering at the University of Maryland from 2020-2021. For INCOSE, he served on the Board of the Chesapeake Chapter, as Faculty Advisor to the University of Maryland Student Division, and as a Certification Application Reviewer. He holds degrees from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), Purdue University and Michigan State University. He was a Registered PE in Michigan and is an INCOSE ESEP. David has 30+ years of experience in systems engineering and analysis, supporting contracts with US Government agencies and held program management, lead systems engineering, and line management positions.
Menu: Roost Crispy Chicken Sandwich [crispy fried chicken, pickles, roost sauce, brioche] Garlic Steak Fries; Vegan Plant-Based Tenders with sriracha ketchup; Spring Chopped Salad; Beverage: a variety of cans of soda and tea.
Dinner Cost: $20 early bird registration a week before the event, $25 afterward.
Presentation ONLY: FREE at 7 pm in Parsons Auditorium. Webcast Link will be sent to those registering for online access.
Door Prize: TBD
Agenda:
5:30 – 6:45 pm Dinner and Networking
6:45 – 7:00 pm Chapter Business Meeting
7:00 – 8:00 pm LECTURE