Engineering systems is an emerging field that is transforming the ways engineers are educated and work and the way research is conducted.

Engineering systems involve large complex systems whose properties are determined not only by technology, but also by people’s behavior, plus the laws of physics and other natural sciences. These elements combine to produce a key component of engineering systems: its socio-technical nature. Examples of the socio-technical engineering systems include:

• Distance-learning systems that deliver quality educational content to remote communities in developing countries;
• A preparedness and response system for a possible influenza pandemic, as well as for hurricanes and other natural disasters;
• A technology-enabled system for casting votes in national and local elections; and
• Dynamic pricing systems for use of critical infrastructures, such as electric power, intra- and inter-city transportation and telecommunications.

Often the “physics’ of these systems are poorly understood because the dynamic equations are determined by a wide range of diverse factors. Many of these factors are cultural, psychological, and otherwise behavioral. Moreover, even the natural science of these socio-technical systems may not be understood because they may exhibit “emergent behavior,” as when a virulent strain of influenza virus suddenly and unpredictably mutates into an even more powerful and deadly variation.

CESF researchers seek to understand these systems at the fundamental level. They do this not by postulating interesting theorems at the blackboard, but by hands-on work with real socio-technical systems that, independently of CESF, need deep engineering analysis to assist their planners and managers in moving forward in desired directions. Researchers in the related disciplines of Operations Research and Systems Control have developed most of these fields’ fundamental tenets by working with real systems having important problems requiring analysis, and then generalizing the solutions found to higher levels of abstraction. CESF researchers will also use this approach.

CESF embraces problems operating at the Venn diagram intersection of ‘traditional engineering,’ management (broadly interpreted) and social science. This is a recurring theme throughout ESD. Once these systems are better understood, we are interested in developing systems designs that improve certain system properties such as robustness, resilience, reliability and operational transparency.