Media Contact
Dana Hanzlik
Phone: 412-268-4793
E-mail: public-relations@sei.cmu.edu

Pittsburgh, Pa., March 19, 2012—The Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has announced the keynote speakers for the upcoming SEI Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) 2012 Conference to be held May 7-11, 2012, at the St. Petersburg Bayfront Hilton Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida. Three software engineering and software architecture thought leaders will keynote the SATURN 2012 Conference: Douglas C. Schmidt, professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University; Andy Hunt, co-founder of The Pragmatic Programmers; and Michael Stal, principal engineer at Siemens Corporate Research and Technologies.

In line with the SATURN 2012 conference theme “Architecture: Catalyst for Collaboration,” these keynote speakers will explore how practitioners can collaborate effectively across geographical, cultural, and technical boundaries to solve system problems.

• Andy Hunt has more than 30 years of programming experience and is a co-founder of The Pragmatic Programmers. A well-known founder of the Agile movement, Hunt was one of the 17 authors of the Agile Manifesto.  He co-authored the classic text The Pragmatic Programmer and Programming Ruby, and wrote the more recent Pragmatic Thinking & Learning. He will discuss what it means to be agile and how to progress from simply following Agile practices to becoming a true self-directed, self-correcting Agile practitioner by refactoring your wetware.

• Michael Stal is a principal engineer at Siemens Corporate Research and Technologies, where his research focuses primarily on software architecture and middleware. An experienced speaker and author, Stal co-authored the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture book series and has been recognized by Microsoft as most valuable professional (MVP)/solution architect. In his talk titled Win-Win with Agile Architecture, he will discuss how to create a good architecture using Agile to stay adaptable to change.

• Douglas C. Schmidt, former chief technology officer at the SEI, has an extensive and diverse background as a professor and associate department chair at Vanderbilt University, chief technology officer for Zircon Computing and Prism Technologies, and author of 10 books and more than 500 technical papers on a range of software-related topics. He will describe emerging software and systems engineering technologies that help to specify, analyze, optimize, synthesize, validate, and deploy product-lines and standards-compliant middleware platforms that can be customized for the needs of enterprise distributed real-time and embedded systems.
  

"All three of our keynote speakers are veterans in the field of software architecture who continue to make valuable contributions to the field and have strong roots in the practitioner community,” said George Fairbanks, SATURN 2012 technical program chair and consultant at Rhino Research. “Michael Stal is one of the authors of a seminal and influential book on software architecture and conducts research in platforms, software architecture, software product lines, functional programming, and decentralized distributed systems. Andy Hunt is one of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto and has written seven award-winning and best-selling books. Doug Schmidt has a deep background as a pioneer in middleware and open-source software for mission-critical systems. Their talks will be full of experiences and insights that address software architecture challenges and inspire more effective collaboration,” said Fairbanks.

In addition to the keynote presentations, the SATURN 2012 Conference includes an extensive program of technical sessions, eight practical tutorials, and two SEI courses, in addition to networking opportunities with international industry leaders in the field of software architecture.

Read more about SATURN 2012 keynotes, register for the conference with a special early bird discount, and view the preliminary technical program at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/saturn/2012.

About SATURN 2012
Each year, the SEI Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) Conference brings together experts from around the world to discuss architecture-centric practices for developing, acquiring, and maintaining software-reliant systems. Architects at all levels meet to share ideas, network, and learn about new and existing technologies. The SATURN 2012 Conference is being held in collaboration with IEEE Software magazine, which will publish selected papers derived from conference presentations. For more information, go to http://www.sei.cmu.edu/saturn/2012. 

About the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The SEI helps organizations make measurable improvements in their software engineering capabilities by providing technical leadership to advance the practice of software engineering. For more information, visit the SEI website at http://www.sei.cmu.edu.

About the IEEE Computer Society
With nearly 85,000 members, the IEEE Computer Society is the world’s leading organization of computing professionals. Founded in 1946, and the largest of the 39 societies of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Computer Society is dedicated to advancing the theory and application of computer and information-processing technology. The Society serves the information and career development needs of today’s computing researchers and practitioners with technical journals, magazines, conferences, books, conference publications, certifications, and online courses.

The authority on translating theory into practice, IEEE Software delivers reliable, leading-edge information to software developers and managers. Peer-reviewed articles and insightful columns by real-world experts cover all aspects of the industry, including development techniques and tools, process improvement, project management, web applications, testing, usability, and much more. For more information, visit the IEEE Software website at http://www.computer.org/software.