KEYNOTE ADDRESS – Engineering for Inevitable Surprises: A Systems Perspective

ABSTRACT

Unexpected but inevitable surprises like a new bird flu or a category 5 typhoon can become too complex to be planned for using conventional techniques, even by the most informed and influential entities. To better engage with such complexity, more collaborative approaches are essential to reduce their detrimental consequences. This talk will provide some perspectives on how systems engineering can provide such capabilities, identify opportunities for systems thinking to guide foresight in shaping agile responses like resilient supply networks. It will review the US National Academy of Engineering’s programs—centered on people, systems, and culture—that are taking on this challenge, and how making engineering more inclusive empowers positive results.

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