Software Engineering Institute

August 2, 2013 — Matt Gaston, director of the SEI's Emerging Technology Center (ETC), has been invited to participate in the 2013 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. The symposium, organized by the National Academy of Engineering, brings together 100 of the nation's top engineers under the age of 45 to discuss cutting-edge developments in four areas: designing and analyzing social networks; cognitive manufacturing; energy: reducing our dependence on fossil fuels; and flexible electronics. The symposium will take place September 19-21, 2013 in Wilmington, Delaware. 

Those nominated for participation must demonstrate accomplishment in engineering research and technical work with recognizable contributions to advancing the frontiers of engineering. According to the symposium organizers, the goal of Frontiers of Engineering is to facilitate a cross-disciplinary exchange and promote the transfer of new techniques and approaches to sustain and build U.S. innovative capacity.

"It is a great honor to have been selected to participate in the Frontiers of Engineering Symposium," said Gaston. "I am very excited to engage with such an esteemed and accomplished group of engineers to discuss cutting-edge technologies and ideas that are addressing some of the country's biggest challenges."

The ETC unit Gaston heads up helps the government stay on the edge of technology by identifying, demonstrating, extending and applying emerging software technologies to meet critical government mission needs. The ETC focuses on promoting government awareness and knowledge of emerging technologies and their application, and shaping and leveraging academic and industrial research.

Prior to joining the SEI, Gaston was the director of research at Viz, a business area of General Dynamics C4 Systems. At Viz, Gaston led the research activities for the Battle Management System Division, including a research portfolio that spanned command and control, intelligence analysis, information interaction and visualization, and cyber situational awareness. He also served as a member of the External Advisory Board for Sandia National Laboratory's Network Grand Challenge.

Gaston's tenure at Viz was preceded by a 10-year career at the National Security Agency (NSA), where he developed and applied mission-focused analytics. He served as the technical director of the Advanced Analysis Laboratory (AAL) at the NSA, leading numerous efforts to bring new technology and innovation to the process and practice of intelligence analysis. Among his numerous accomplishments at AAL, Gaston developed and applied advanced analytics, led the development of a massive-scale network analysis system, and cofounded the Institute for Analysis.

"We're proud Matt has been invited to join a very select group for this National Academy of Engineering symposium," said SEI Director and CEO Paul Nielsen. "Throughout his career, Matt has consistently contributed to the field of engineering, and he continues to do so in his role with the Emerging Technology Center."

For more information about the SEI's Emerging Technology Center, please visit www.sei.cmu.edu/about/organization/etc/.