The Bobby L. Lyle School of Engineering will serve as one of 18 collaborating universities in the Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC).

The universities participating come from all parts of the country and include the University of Southern California and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, N.J., is acting as the “principle collaborator” according to a SMU press release from Jan. 29.

The SERC has been established to perform systems research that will support a variety of complex defense systems and will also offer training to the Department of Defense and employees. This collaborative effort is the only one of its kind in this field. The SERC was established at the end of November 2008. The commencement ceremony included more than 80 members of the Departnent of Defense.

The press release describes systems engineering as the study of “how things are done and find[ing] ways to do them better.” This covers a wide range of topics from agriculture to advanced technology. The Lyle Schools Systems Engineering Program (SEP) has a long reputation of lending research and quality education to the aerospace and defense communities, both public and private.

Along with creating practical, physical results for the defense and intelligence sectors, the SERC hopes to spark interest in the vital arena systems engineering education. This includes the early and professional levels of education according to the SERC website.

Dr. Jerrell Stracener is the lead senior researcher for the SERC and the founding director of the SEP. The Lyle School’s SEP is growing, specifically the doctoral program, due to the needs of the aerospace and defense industries.