More Learning on Their Horizon

Written by Marty Kauchak

The U.S. Department of Defense’s use of modeling and simulation (M&S) is expanding at a frenetic pace. M&S enables service men and women to train at their home station or other venues with other sailors, soldiers, airmen and marines around the globe, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

M&S systems also allow the designers of weapons platforms and weapons systems to virtually put their envisioned projects through test and evaluation paces that closely replicate the actual operating environment—well before the initial product is delivered to the customer. Certificate programs at George Mason University and Georgia Tech Research Institute, and graduate degrees at Old Dominion University, Arizona State University and University of Central Florida, are among those in the United States that are unlocking the potential of M&S for defense applications, and for medical, engineering and other fields.

These programs are supplying a new generation of program managers, researchers and other professionals to meet the needs of the government and its supporting industry and academic team members.

MEETING ACQUISITION REQUIREMENTS

The DoD acquisition community provides oversight and management of M&S applications throughout the entire life cycle of a weapons platform and weapons systems. George Mason University’s (GMU) Office of Continuing Professional Education provided a boost for that community’s workforce when it established the Models, Simulations and DoD Acquisition Certificate program.

The non-credit certificate program is facilitated by Alion Science and Technology’s M&S Education Division. “This certificate is the only one of its kind, focusing on the use of modeling and simulation throughout the entire acquisition life cycle—from needs and capabilities development through system development,” explained Marcy Robey, program spokesperson.

Near-term opportunities to complete work on the certificate are two three-day courses scheduled for spring and summer 2007. The courses are titled Foundations of DoD Modeling and Simulation and Applications of Models and Simulations. Earning the certificate enables the acquisition work force to meet professional and personal growth standards. The program office recommends that the certificate awardee receives 42 continuous learning points for completing both courses. This milestone may be applied toward the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics’ requirement that members of its workforce obtain 80 continuous learning points every two years.

A certificate also enables a DoD civilian to meet performance metrics, including adding new skills, which are part of the recently-instituted National Security Personnel System. Students representing defense organizations and the defense industry have enrolled in the certificate program.

GTRI CERTIFICATE

Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) offers engineeringfocused, short courses leading to an M&S certificate. Three core and three elective courses must be completed to earn the certificate. The required courses are Fundamentals of Modeling, Modeling and Simulation for Systems Engineering, and one from the menu of domain courses. Two sample domain courses are Modeling and Simulation in Radar Systems, and Combat Modeling. Classified courses are part of the domain list. It is suggested that the prospective student carefully consult the institute’s course catalog for the latest list of classified offerings.

The target audience for the GTRI M&S certificate is engineers, scientists and technicians. 2007 venues for GTRI courses include Atlanta, Ga., and off-campus sites in Orlando, Fla., Las Vegas, Nev., Denver, Colo., Savannah, Ga., Dayton, Ohio, and Huntsville, Ala.

ODU

Norfolk-based Old Dominion University’s M&S program is supporting the expansion of the Tidewater region as a national M&S center of excellence. The strengths of ODU’s program include its awarding of a Ph.D. degree, strong ties to the U.S. Joint Forces Command’s (USJFCOM) M&S program, and performing USJFCOM M&S research on both the pure and applied side, said Dr. Catherine Banks, director of academic affairs, Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC), ODU.

The programs’ special competencies in pure research are in the areas of large-scale M&S system integration and human behavior representation.

The university’s graduate program is interdisciplinary. While ODU’s three graduate M&S degrees (Master of Engineering (M.E.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Ph.D. in Engineering) are administered through and awarded by the Batten College of Engineering, the program draws upon courses from 10 different academic departments across the university’s colleges. Both master’s degrees require 30 hours of graduate credit, but with a slight twist for each. The M.S. degree requires six hours of thesis credit and 24 hours of course credit, whereas the M.E. requires 30 hours of course credit.

Five common foundation courses are required for the two master’s degrees: Introduction to Modeling and Simulation, Introduction to Discrete Event Simulation, Engineering Systems Modeling, Visualization I and Analysis 1.

The remaining course credits for both programs are elective courses whose themes reflect the increasing value of M&S as a critical national technology: military M&S, medical M&S, homeland security and defense, serious gaming, human computer interfacing, distributed simulation, human behavior modeling, simulation interoperability or other themes.

The Ph.D. in engineering with a concentration in M&S is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching and research. The prospective doctoral candidate must complete a minimum of 72 hours of graduate credits and other requirements presented in the ODU-VMASC “Handbook for Modeling and Simulation Graduate Programs.”

COLLABORATION

The VMASC is a multi-disciplinary M&S and visualization research organization managed through ODU’s Office of Research. The center has approximately 50 industry members, and another 30 members from the government, military and other universities, reported Banks.

VMASC is a resource that allows ODU’s faculty and students to complete state-of-the-art M&S research and development projects, and transfer the end-state technology to industry, government and other academic institutions.

“The majority of our work supports Department of Defense work,” pointed out Banks. “Efforts with the U.S. Joint Forces Command comprise approximately 75 percent of all funded research and development work,” she added.

USJFCOM, in its role as DoD’s joint forces provider, has a number of missions in its portfolio which require M&S support, including joint training and joint experimentation.

MORE ACCESSIBLE LEARNING

For its part, ODU is increasing access to its courses, which are offered Monday through Thursday from 4:20 to 7:00 p.m. and 7:10 to 10:00 p.m. “All courses are offered through distance learning on ODU’s Teletechnet. We are currently working on asynchronous delivery of our core courses that can be delivered web-based and CD-ROM,” revealed Banks.

ONLINE M&S DEGREE

Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Arizona have teamed up to offer a Master of Engineering degree program with an area of study in M&S at ASU.

“This track offers specialized courses founded on the fundamentals and principles of simulation modeling and software engineering,” said Dr. Bernie Zeigler, co-director, Arizona Center for Integrated Modeling and Simulation (ACIMS). “The applications of modeling and simulation incorporate state-ofthe- art engineering advances with a focus on systems of the future. The main academic emphasis includes defense applications, large-scale computer and supply chain networks, software factory, and intelligent systems. Students will learn about key technical barriers faced by government organizations that institutionalize M&S, and others in developing increasingly complex decision-making systems,” he added.

“The program’s far-reaching vision enables students to become skilled in M&S science, so that they may engineer novel solutions for multifaceted problems that the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, commercial industries, and private and non-profit agencies must contend with,” said Hessam Sarjoughian, co-director, ACIMS, and assistant professor, School of Computing and Informatics (ASU).

The most popular areas of study in the ASU program are system model analysis and design, and network system simulation. ACIMS is also offering a new three-day tutorial, Modeling and Simulation: Foundations, Infrastructure, and Technology. The course’s learning audience is managers and technical personnel.

ORLANDO CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Prospective candidates for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Master of Science in M&S may enroll in thesis or non-thesis programs of study. Both options require completion of 30 credit hours.

Of interest is the breadth of topics in the program’s seven focus areas across the M&S discipline: quantitative aspects of simulation, simulation infrastructure, simulation management, computer visualization in M&S, simulation modeling and analysis, interactive simulation and intelligent systems, and human systems in modeling and simulation.

The UCF Ph.D. in M&S consists of a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, and a minimum of 42 credit hours beyond the master’s degree—including a minimum of 15 dissertation hours.

UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training (IST) enhances the M&S graduate students’ academic experience by including them in defense- and non-defense-related research in M&S and training. IST’s applied research and technology labs support current research in team performance, computer-generated players, innovative input and output devices, and other areas.

BURGEONING ENROLLMENT

Increasing numbers of students are enrolling in M&S programs. Since 1998, Old Dominion University (ODU) has graduated 62 students—59 with masters’ degrees and three with Ph.D.s. Sixty-two students are presently enrolled—44 for the Master of Engineering and 18 for the Master of Science, along with 55 students in the doctoral program.

The university admitted 23 students for the 2006-2007 academic year—13 at the master’s level and 10 at the doctoral level. It expects to admit 30 students for the 2007-2008 academic year—20 in the master’s programs and 10 for the Ph.D.

ODU has generated interest in its programs from the Hampton Roads military-industrial community. Five active duty military members were enrolled in ODU master’s programs and four were enrolled in the Ph.D. program. “Many of our other students are retired military or are associated with the military and industrial complex,” pointed out Banks.

Twelve students enrolled in the ASU on-line master’s program during the 2006- 2007 academic year. Twenty-five students are expected to enroll in the 2007-2008 academic year. Eighty students enrolled in M&S courses in January 2007.

ONE CUSTOMER’S PERSPECTIVE

At the end of the day, M&S programs must gauge their success on how their graduates are performing as members of the community’s workforces.

One insight is provided by Daytona Beach-based Raydon, an international training systems company. The number of M&S graduates on the company’s payroll includes 37 with associate degrees, 62 with bachelors’ degrees, 13 with master’s degrees and one with a Ph.D.

“The most common attribute the M&S-educated employee possesses is creativity,” reflected Don Ariel, chief executive officer. “Whether artist or engineer, manager or developer, these employees bring a great deal of creativity to the table. Even in their management styles they find new and innovative ways to address problems. Instead of looking at tired institutional means of handling challenges they often [see] the issues from a new perspective and turn the problem on its ear—often resulting in a positive, rather than a negative outcome. These folks are highly motivated and well organized,” asserted Ariel. ♦