Jon Wade

The development of aircraft systems relies on the structured analysis and reuse of extensive technical documentation. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) offers new opportunities to support this process by synthesizing distributed knowledge into coherent engineering representations. This paper introduces the SAGE methodology (System Architecture through Generative Engineering), which combines retrieval-augmented reasoning with structured synthesis to generate traceable system documentation and consistent conceptual architectures. The proposed workflow integrates four sequential phases: (1) data preprocessing of heterogeneous literature, (2) recursive retrieval to build a traceable network of question-answer pairs, (3) structured knowledge synthesis aligned with typical SE documentation logic, and (4) generative exploration of alternative architectures under modified constraints. The SAGE methodology is applied to the Environmental Control System (ECS), which is a key aircraft subsystem for pressurization, temperature, and cabin air-quality control, which has undergone a well-documented transition from engine bleed-air architectures to electrically driven, bleed-free systems, as implemented in the Boeing 787. By using a literature corpus on engine bleed-air ECS only, the study examines whether a retrieval-augmented generative process can reconstruct the logical and functional structure of the subsystem and, without exposure to electrical ECS sources, propose coherent bleed-free concepts. Results show that GenAI reliably accelerates documentation and knowledge consolidation up to the logical architecture level with full source traceability, while generated architectures should be interpreted as plausible starting points rather than final designs. The case study suggests a pragmatic division of labor: GenAI supports structured documentation and concept-level reasoning, engineers retain responsibility for quantitative validation and certification.

This work-in-progress research-to-practice paper describes the design, deployment, and evaluation of a systems engineering modeling and simulation course that leverages generative artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based tools to focus on problem formulation and foundational principles. The approach significantly elevates the scope of the course by radically reducing the need for detailed supporting instruction on tools, languages, and syntax. A class of professional students with little or no programming or modeling experience was enabled to utilize modeling and simulation to address a real-world systems engineering challenge. Results indicate that student performance far exceeded what was achievable in the past using standard engineering approaches, with dramatically increased willingness and capability to apply modeling and simulation in professional practice. The success of this approach and lessons learned will inform the redesign of other courses in the systems engineering master's program, with potential implications for engineering education more broadly.

Abstract The rise of generative AI large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has sparked legal and ethical debates over copyright infringement. Artists argue that these systems exploit their intellectual property (IP), while developers maintain their methods are non‐expressive, thus avoiding direct legal violations. However, the training of AI on human‐generated media patterns raises fundamental questions about the ownership of artistic algorithms and patterns – the cognitive frameworks – that define an artist's style and creative fingerprint. These patterns, the result of years of practice and innovation, are appropriated by AI systems without proper recognition or compensation. This paper employs a systems approach to investigate these issues, analyzing the interplay of sociotechnical factors—technological, legal, and social—underpinning the tension between generative AI and artist IP rights. By framing the problem as a system with interdependent components, this research explores the pathways through which artists can assert ownership, developers can adopt fair practices, and legal frameworks can evolve to protect artistic integrity.

Overview Venus is now very in-hospitable and its geological history remains shrouded by its hot, dense atmosphere. However, this may not have always been the case and Venus was once more Earthlike and perhaps even habitable1. Although there is little data on the planet’s surface and atmospheric compositions, what is available from the pioneering landers of the Venera (1970-81) and Vega (1985-85) missions and subsequent observations of the atmosphere pose many questions. One long-standing enigma is the fate of Venusian chlorine – on Earth, chlorine is concentrated in the Earth’s oceans which contain around 1.9% chlorine by weight. The concentration of Terrestrial chlorine in seawater is a consequence of efficient planetary outgassing, a mechanism supported by the nitrogen and noble gas composition of our atmosphere. This planetary scale outgassing of the mantle resulted in >90%2 earth’s entire chlorine budget being present on the terrestrial surface. The nitrogen composition of the Venusian atmosphere supports the hypothesis that Venus has also witnessed a similar degree of mantle outgassing to the Earth. However, unlike Earth, chlorine now appears to be almost entirely absent from the Venusian atmosphere. Did chlorine outgas from Venus in a similar fashion to Earth’s chlorine, and, if not, what implications does this have for planetary differentiation and composition? If, as the atmosphere composition suggests, chlorine did out-gas from the Venusian mantle, why is it absent from the present-day surface? One explanation for the latter suggestion is that chlorine has been efficiently sequestered back into the mantle, a consequence of the extreme climate change Venus has undergone. Our recent work has shown that, contrary to long-held beliefs, chlorine is highly soluble in silicate melts, which suggests its loss from the Venusian surface may be a consequence of the extensive volcanism seen on Venus. If so, what are the mineral hosts for chlorine and is volcanism responsible for the subsequent ‘in-gassing’ of the halogens? Importantly, these questions are all testable using a variety of newly developed experimental techniques. The project will explore the partitioning of Chlorine into a range of silicate components relevant to Venus and model the atmosphere-surface interface on Venus. The project is particularly timely since there are several recently announced missions to Venus that will allow verification of these hypotheses and will benefit from the data generated by this project.

Abstract The last few years have made it clear that the world is entering a new phase in which sustainability is of paramount importance to the survival and well‐being of our global societies. This paper describes the strategic plan for the Institute for Convergent Systems Engineering which is addressing the challenge of ethical sustainability in which social, environmental, and economic implications are carefully considered and balanced. Included is a discussion of the criticality of convergent systems engineering and its values and principles. The paper also presents a three part strategy for sustainability at the macro, meso, and micro levels entailing the consideration of end‐to‐end global value supply chains. The foundational pillars of research, education, and collaboration are also described.

Abstract As systems become increasingly global in nature, it is critical that those who are involved in conception, design, development, support, sustainment, and end of life of such systems have both a global perspective on the context in which these systems will be used, and an understanding of the global issues faced by the teams involved in their creation and support. In addition, it is critical that the foundations of these skills are instilled in engineering students early in their education, starting no later than their undergraduate education. This paper describes how societal needs combined with global trends produce the systems challenges that must be addressed by systems thinkers and engineers, and proposes what advancements must be made in supporting education based on multiple research efforts to date. The analysis begins a description of the future engineering capabilities, specifically in systems engineering, necessary to address our future societal needs, supported by findings from the report A World in Motion: Systems Engineering Vision 2025. The results are then coupled with ASEE's findings on "The Attributes of a Global Engineer", the most important attributes being identified as: • Communicates effectively in a variety of different ways, methods, and media • Possesses the ability to think both critically and creatively • Shows initiative and demonstrates a willingness to learn • Functions effectively on a team • Possesses the ability to think both individually and cooperatively • Demonstrates an understanding of engineering, science, and mathematics fundamentals • Demonstrates an understanding of information technology, digital competency, and information literacy • Maintains a positive self-image and possesses positive self-confidence These attributes are then compared with those of expert systems engineers as determined by the HELIX study, to explore the alignment between these capabilities. Finally, based on workshops focused on the integration of systems education for all engineers, delivered by the International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Academic Council with support from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), a proposal is presented that incorporates both the value proposition for and the identification of foundational systems engineering skills and how they can be instilled into undergraduate students within the constraints imposed by global undergraduate curricula standards.

While we have all experienced the increasing complexity in the systems in which we live, there are no physical laws that predict such behavior. In fact, the second law of thermodynamics is the only physical law with an “arrow” of time, and it points the way to increasing disorder. This paper discusses complexity, its definitions, and how they relate to systems engineering. It reviews two separate approaches to creating a natural law of self-organization evolutionary complexity: one that uses energy rate density as the state variable and the other that uses the notion of functionality information. The implications of these two approaches are discussed with respect to its impact on systems engineering. In particular, the impacts on the focus of systems engineering for adaptivity, evolvability, and sustainability are presented. Finally, a strategy for ethical sustainability is described along with some critical areas of research.

As system engineering (SE) attempts to address the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ever-increasing system complexity, it is clear that a transformation is necessary that is supported by the same digital technologies. This chapter describes the systems trends that necessitate a transformation in SE. A lifecycle framework for understanding the challenges faced by SE is then presented. This is followed by an analysis of the gaps in the existing SE methods, processes, and tools, and a description of the areas, which need transformation and support through digital engineering. A list of eight digital capability areas is described, which enable this SE transformation. Finally, a narrative is presented, which describes a day in the life of a systems engineer in a digitally transformed world of systems engineering 2.0.

Abstract A University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) is a highly valued engineering, research, and development resource to the federal government, largely within the US Department of Defense (DoD). Only 15 exist, all under special authority of the US Code. The Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC), established in 2008, was the first UARC established as a networked research center, gradually growing to include more than two dozen university members, each offering systems engineering research capabilities. This networked model for a UARC has found support within the DoD—exemplified by the newest UARC established recently by the US Air Force. A large diverse pool of faculty and student researchers arguably delivers the most consequential academic research in systems engineering anywhere in the world. In its first few years, the SERC had to overcome challenges that single‐university UARCs did not face in exchange for the advantages that such a sizable network of universities offers. This review paper explores those challenges, offering lessons for new network‐based UARCs and other network‐based university research centers. Systems engineering communities, globally, are exploring such constructs, and this reflective paper may offer useful insights.

Venus is now inhospitable, and its geological history remains shrouded by its hot, dense atmosphere.However, this may not have always been the case and Venus may have once been more Earth-like and perhaps even habitable 1 .Although there is little data on the planet's surface and atmospheric compositions, what is available from the pioneering landers of the Venera (1970-81) and Vega (1985-85) missions and subsequent observations of the atmosphere pose many questions.One long-standing enigma is the fate of Venusian chlorine.On Earth, chlorine is concentrated in the Earth's oceans, which contain around 1.9% chlorine by weight.The concentration of terrestrial chlorine in seawater is a consequence of efficient planetary outgassing, a mechanism supported by our atmosphere's nitrogen and noble gas composition.This planetary scale outgassing of the mantle resulted in >90% of Earth's entire chlorine budget being present on the terrestrial surface.The nitrogen composition of the Venusian atmosphere supports the hypothesis that Venus has also witnessed a similar degree of mantle outgassing to the Earth.However, unlike Earth, chlorine now appears to be almost entirely absent from the Venusian atmosphere.If, as the composition of the Venusian atmosphere suggests, chlorine did out-gas from the Venusian mantle, why is it absent from the present-day surface?Recent work has shown that, contrary to long-held beliefs, chlorine is highly soluble in silicate melts, which suggests its loss from the Venusian surface may be a consequence of the extensive volcanism seen on Venus and the production of low-degree, alkali-rich melts.Given the physical conditions of the Venusian atmosphere/surface interface, we show that the sequestration of chlorine into erupted silicate melts would be efficient.On cooling, such melts will crystalise halidebearing minerals (e.g.sodalite, apatite) with melt compositions consistent with in-situ Venera measurements, and suggestions of active rifting and a putative Venusian geotherm.