In FY06 the Systems Engineering Department was funded to establish five laboratory complexes to support its courses, projects, and faculty research. Two labs (SE01 and SE02) will be operational by April 2006. The remaining three labs are scheduled to achieve a limited operational capability by the fall of 2006 and nominal full capability by early 2009. The five Systems Engineering laboratories are:
SE01 – Systems Engineering Demonstration Lab – This laboratory provides space & equipment for developing and housing a wide variety of demonstrations that enhance courses in the systems engineering curricula by permitting direct observation of the phenomena being discussed in class.
SE02 – Systems Engineering Computation Lab – This laboratory provides a capability for extensive and detailed computation associated with systems engineering projects. It houses the Lockheed Martin systems engineering software and the networked computers needed to run that software. This provides NPS with a capability to interact with distributed engineering design projects in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and it Government sponsors. It also provides a general-purpose computing facility that supports all systems engineering classes, thesis projects, and capstone projects.
SE03 – Systems Engineering Projects Lab – This laboratory provides a team-oriented environment in which student teams can work together in dedicated “war rooms” to pursue and complete their systems engineering projects. The laboratory spaces provided to teams also serve to provide spaces for individual study and activities associated with student thesis projects. Each team space will have at least one Networked computers in each space facilitate Internet searches, communications, and executing special-purpose computer programs required for project completion.
SE04 – Systems Engineering Foundations Lab – This laboratory provides direct exposure to the scientific concepts and techniques that underlie modern engineering disciplines. It provides facilities and equipment to perform basic experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, electronics, materials science, and earth sciences. This laboratory also provides basic equipment that will facilitate hardware-oriented thesis research programs and student capstone projects. Special equipment in this lab includes a variety of nuclear instruments and instruments for chemical analysis. Special facilities in this lab also permit the conduct of wet chemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology experiments.
SE05 – Systems Engineering Applications Lab – This laboratory augments lecture courses in the engineering applications tracks (including combat systems, ship systems, and network-centric systems, among others) in the systems engineering curriculum. It provides hands-on familiarity with important concepts and permits direct observation of critical phenomena associated with combat systems and sensor/weapon networks. It also provides basic and advanced equipment that can be used in student thesis projects and capstone design projects. Experiments cover the gamut from signal propagation to sensor fundamentals to specific sensor technologies to weapons operational concepts to sensor & weapon networks to technologies associated with the integration of sensors, weapons, and control technologies into modern military platforms of all types. This laboratory also provides space for the safe use of lasers in experiments of all types.
