AIAA SCI-TECH 2018, Jan 8-12, 2018, Kissimmee, FL (portions livestreamed)

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will hold its 2018 Science and Technology Forum and Exposition, SciTech2018, at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, FL from January 8-12, 2018.  Details are on the event’s website.

Some sessions will be livestreamed.   According to an AIAA email issued Sunday night (January 7) this is the list:

Monday, 8 January

Monday Plenary

0800 – 0900 hrs Digital Enterprise Business Models—Their Impact on the Aerospace Industry

• Naguib Attia, Vice President, Global University Programs, IBM

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Business is changing. The Digital Enterprise business model is being investigated and implemented around the world and across all industries. It is rapidly becoming the next stage of evolution for the business of making products, and possibly might be called the fourth industrial revolution. This industrial revolution is tied to the rapid growth in mobile devices, network systems, and software-enabled tools that open up new opportunities in the aerospace industry. Thus, the digital transformation has emerged as an enabler for many businesses, allowing for reduced costs and enhanced operations. But what does this mean for companies, and how does it affect those who make things?

Monday Morning Forum 360

0930 – 1130 hrs The Dawn of Digital Engineering

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Explore multiple perspectives toward realizing value through “Digital Engineering.” Panelists will tackle:

Opportunities and Disruption – How do we realize value through digital engineering?

Challenges and Barriers – What value comes from digital engineering?

Collaboration Opportunities – How is value realized through collaboration across the aerospace community at large?

• Philomena Zimmerman (Moderator), Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering
• Brenchley “Brench” Boden, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute and Senior Industrial Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory
• Michael W. Grieves,Executive Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design, Florida Institute of Technology
• Brunon (Dave) Kepczynski,Chief Information Officer, GE Global Research & Engineering Product Leader, GE Digital Technologies
• John H. Vickers, Principal Technologist, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
• Charles (Chuck) Ward, Chief, Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division, Materials & Manufacturing Technology Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory
• Caroline Gorski, Global Partnership Director – Digital, Rolls-Royce

Monday Afternoon Forum 360

1400 – 1600 hrs Digital Transformations Disrupting Aerospace Business Models

• Darryll J. Pines, Nariman Farvardin Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Dean of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland
• Andreas Bernhard, Chief Engineer, CH-53K, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (a Lockheed Martin Company)
• LaNetra Tate, Program Executive, Game Changing Development Program, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
• Jack O’Banion, Vice President, Strategy and Customer Requirements, Advanced Development Programs, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
• Brendan Iribe, Co-Founder and Vice President of PC VR, Oculus

Tuesday, 9 January

Tuesday Plenary

0800 – 0900 hrs Data, Data Everywhere…the Power & Potential

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

It is hard to remember a time when data, conjectures and opinions from around the world were not bombarding us from every direction, in both our personal and professional lives. Join us in learning about the power and potential of how we can turn ‘big data’ into knowledge to create bold, transformative opportunities and mitigate complex, systemic challenges for our aerospace science and technology community. Predictions for our data-enabled future will be shared in a series of Lightning Talks by visionaries from:

• Joseph Morrison (Moderator), Associate Project Manager, Transformational Tools and Technologies, NASA Langley Research Center / Aeronautics Research Directorate
• Jandria Alexander, Principal, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
• David Keyes, Director, Extreme Computing Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology
• Pamela Kobryn, Principal Aerospace Engineer, Structures Technology Branch, Aerospace Vehicles Division, Aerospace Systems Directorate, AFRL
• Dimitri Mavris, Director, Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Mark Valentine, DoD Strategic Initiatives Group, Microsoft

Tuesday Morning Forum 360

0930 – 1130 hrs Data, Data Everywhere…the Devil in the Details

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Challenge the ideas offered by the experts during the “Data, Data Everywhere… the Power & Potential” plenary discussion on how we can turn ‘big data’ into knowledge to create bold, transformative opportunities and mitigate complex, systemic challenges for our aerospace science and technology community. Plenary moderator Morrison and speakers Keyes, Kobryn, Mavris, and Valentine will expand upon the opening day’s discussion. Dive into a debate on the barriers and complexities of data and modsim proliferation that need to be overcome or considered in order to realize the power and potential of our data-enabled future.

• Joseph Morrison (Moderator), Associate Project Manager, Transformational Tools and Technologies, NASA Langley Research Center / Aeronautics Research Directorate
• David Keyes, Director, Extreme Computing Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology
• Pamela Kobryn, Principal Aerospace Engineer, Structures Technology Branch, Aerospace Vehicles Division, Aerospace Systems Directorate, AFRL
• Dimitri Mavris, Director, Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Mark Valentine, DoD Strategic Initiatives Group, Microsoft

Tuesday Afternoon Forum 360

1430 – 1630 hrs Prizes & Challenges—How Crowdsourcing Can Help Solve Technology Gaps

• Jenn Gustetic (Moderator), Program Executive, Small Business Innovation Research, NASA
• Jason Crusan, Director, Advanced Exploration Systems Division, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, NASA
• Monsi Roman, Program Manager, Centennial Challenges, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
• Zoe Szajnfarber, Associate Professor, Engineering Management and Systems Engineering and Space Policy, George Washington University
• Chris Frangione, Open Innovation Consultant
• Dustin Fraze, Program Manager, Information Innovation Office, DARPA

Wednesday, 10 January

Wednesday Plenary

0800 – 0900 hrs Dude, Where’s My Flying Car?

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Panelists will discuss how many of the key Digital Transformation technologies will allow for seamless integration of door-to-door ground and air transportation, leading to vast improvements in travel time and fuel efficiency. Highly autonomous electric flight vehicles operating in a “democratized” open airspace can relieve congestion and reduce travel time. On demand ride sharing apps coupled with real-time traffic and weather models used by connected vehicles will provide transformational capabilities.

• Bruce J. Holmes (Moderator), Vice President, Digital Aviation, SmartSky Networks, LLC
• Carl Dietrich, CTO/Co-Founder, Terrafugia
• Mark Moore, Director of Engineering, Uber Elevate
• Mark Cousin, Senior Vice President, Flight Demonstrators, Airbus
• Brian Yutko, Vice President, Research and Development, Aurora Flight Sciences, A Boeing Company

Wednesday Morning Forum 360

0930 – 1130 hrs On-Demand Mobility – Enabling Technologies and Capabilities

• Michael Patterson (Moderator), Aerospace Technologist, NASA Langley Research Center
• Danette Allen, Senior Technologist, Intelligent Flight Systems, NASA Langley Research Systems
• Brian J. German, Langley Associate Professor, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Andrew R. Gibson, President, Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc.
• Ken Goodrich, Senior Research Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center
• Stephen Rizzi, Senior Researcher, Aeroacoustics, NASA Langley Research Center

Wednesday Afternoon Forum 360

1430 – 1630 hrs On-Demand Mobility – Regulatory and Operational Challenges

• Tom Gunnarson, Regulatory Affairs Lead, Zee Aero
• Gregory J. Bowles, Vice President, Global Innovation and Policy, General Aviation Manufacturers Association
• Carl Dietrich, CTO/Co-Founder, Terrafugia
• Eric Mueller, Aerospace Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center
• Sasha G. Rao, Chair, Intellectual Property Practice, Maynard Cooper & Gale
• Wes Ryan, Unmanned Systems Certification Lead, FAA

Thursday, 11 January

Thursday Plenary

800   – 0900 hrs Welcome to the Holodeck

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

A discussion of the latest capabilities in Immersive Technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality. What is the latest on these capabilities, and how are they being used in other fields. A fad, or here to stay? How will they change how engineering is performed? Explore both the tool sets of today and tomorrow, and how they are being applied in applications ranging from engineering design, mission visualization and design, and data visualization.

• Elizabeth Baron, Virtual Reality & Advanced Visualization Technology Specialist, Ford Motor Company

Thursday Morning Forum 360

0930 – 1130 hrs Digital Natives Leading the Digital Transformation in Design and Knowledge Environments

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Digital Natives learned to interact with computers before they learned the alphabet, and have an innate, organic approach to teaming with computers and digital interfaces in a way that prior generations have difficulty envisioning, let alone learning. This generation is already working on making “Tony Stark” inspired design environments a reality, along with a host of digital approaches for mining our world of rapidly expanding data into the knowledge we need to create the next generation of aerospace systems.

• David E. Bowles (Moderator), Director, NASA Langley Research Center
• Michael Bergin, Principal Research Scientist, Autodesk
• Adam Clark, Aerodynamics Engineer, Enabling Technology & Research, Boeing Commercial Aircraft
• Thomas Convard, Technical Product Manager, Epic Games
• Rodney Martin, Deputy Data Sciences Group Lead, NASA Ames Research Center
• Rachel Narciso, Immersive Technology Specialist, Ball Aerospace

Thursday Afternoon Forum 360

1400 – 1600 hrs Human-Machine Teaming

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Intelligence, and Deep Learning are changing our world.  However, the partnership between humans and smart machines will always be more effective than either human or machine alone. Panelists will discuss how growth in machine intelligence across multiple disciplines, such as Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Cognitive Architectures, Theory of Mind, User Experience Design, Human Behavior Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Explainable AI, will combine to create significant new capabilities in the area of human-machine teaming.

• Bill Casebeer (Moderator), Senior Research Area Manager, Human Systems and Autonomy, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
• Julia Badger, Robonaut Project Manager, Autonomous Spacecraft Management Projects, NASA Johnson Space Center
• Eileen Liu, Research Scientist, Human Systems and Autonomy, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
• Matthias Scheutz, Director, Human-Robot Interaction Lab, Tufts University
• Victoria Coleman, Chief Technology Officer, Wikimedia Foundation
• Michael Casale, Chief Science Officer, STRIVR

Friday, 12 January

Friday Plenary

0800 – 0900 hrs Serving Our Robot Overlords

SESSION DESCRIPTION:

Computing power that is approaching the power of the human brain, low cost sensors, dramatic improvements in autonomy, and revolutionary approaches to human machine teaming are leading to machines that are no longer relinquished to performing simple/mundane tasks. Complexity in tasking, processing, and even decision making is leading to a new class of robotics that was once only found in science fiction. From the depths of the sea, across the land and into the skies and space, robotics are now ever-present. What can we expect to see in the near future, and more importantly how will this change the way we work over the next 25 years.

• Scott Fouse (Moderator), Vice President, Advanced Technology Center, Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Kris Kearns, Senior Advisor, Autonomy Research, Air Force Research Laboratory
• ·      Gerhard Grunwald, Head of Orbital Robotics, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics
• Stefanie Tellex, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Assistant Professor of Engineering, Brown University