Systems Engineering for Microscale and Nanoscale Technologies

To realize the full potential of micro- and nanoscale devices in system building, it is critical to develop systems engineering methodologies that successfully integrate stand-alone, small-scale technologies that can effectively interface with the macro world.

So how do we accomplish this?

Systems Engineering for Microscale and Nanoscale Technologies is perhaps the first handbook to concentrate on the use of systems engineering at the micro and nano levels. One major roadblock to this process is a generally limited understanding of exactly how to apply systems engineering principles and management processes to the integration of newer, small-scale technologies.

Focusing on this problem of consolidating disciplines, contributors illustrate the interdependence between nanotechnology and systems engineering, making it easier for experts from these two distinct fields to understand and optimize their application of the other. To help readers from these different domains successfully combine heterogeneous, mixed-scale elements, contributors assess the evolution of micro- and nanoscale technology development and its impact on everything from laboratory concepts to actualized products in health, automotive, aerospace, communication, and many other fields. The book outlines new approaches to developing smart systems. It also clarifies the capabilities of micro- and nanotechnologies, including how they interface with each other and with macro systems.

Edited by highly regarded technologists, this introductory resource includes insightful contributions from leading minds in areas including nanotechnology, physics, systems engineering, materials science, chemistry, electrical engineering, and futurism, among others. The result is a masterfully designed, interrelated collection of multidisciplinary expertise to help readers optimize future technologies.

About the Editors:

M. Ann Garrison Darrin is managing executive of the Space Department at the Applied Physics Laboratory at The Johns Hopkins University.

Janet L. Barth is chief of the Electrical Engineering Division (EED) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

M. Ann Garrison Darrin is a member of the principal professional staff and the managing executive of the Space Department at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She has held several engineering management positions at the laboratory, including in the research center. She has more than 30 years experience in both government (NASA, U.S. Department of Defense) and private industry, particularly with technology development, application, transfer, and insertion into space flight missions. She holds an M.S. in technology management and has authored several papers on technology insertion in addition to coauthoring several patents. Ms. Darrin was the division chief at NASA's GSFC for Electronic Parts, Packaging and Material Sciences from 1993 to 1998. She has extensive background in aerospace engineering management, microelectronics and semiconductors, packaging, and advanced miniaturization. Ms. Darrin is a co-founder of the Mid Atlantic Micro Nano Alliance and the author/editor on two books related to aerospace engineering.

Janet L. Barth is the Chief of the Electrical Engineering Division (EED) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) where she is responsible for the delivery of spacecraft and instrument avionics to several of NASA's science missions. These include the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Thermal InfraRed Sensor instrument on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission. She also oversees development of microwave and communications systems and suborbital avionics systems for the GSFC's Wallops Flight Facility. Barth received her B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Maryland in 1978 and pursued graduate studies in computer science. She is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is an elected member of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Administrative Committee, and she is actively involved with the IEEE Nuclear and Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC).