SEI Director Paul Nielsen Promotes the Work of the SEI and Heinz College in Australia
• Article
September 22, 2011— SEI Director Paul Nielsen recently completed a visit to Australia where he met with top Australian officials in higher education, government, finance, the Australian military, and the Australian defense industry. Accompanying Nielsen on the visit were Ramayya Krishnan, Dean, H. John Heinz III College, and Mark Kamlet, Provost, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The talks centered on ways to leverage CMU’s campus in Adelaide, which currently concentrates on the Heinz College Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) and Master of Science in Public Policy offerings.
“We’ve always worked closely with Heinz College here at CMU’s Pittsburgh campus,” said Nielsen. “We believe we can use the presence of Heinz College in Adelaide to introduce SEI coursework, consulting, and research to an Australian audience and do so in a way that supports the mission of CMU’s Heinz College.”
Among other officials, Nielsen met with Jim Hallion, chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Nielsen and Hallion discussed public sector participation in certification courses conducted by the SEI and the establishment of a conference in South Australia on smart technology. Nielsen also met with Chris Burns, CEO of the Defence Teaming Centre; Steve Ludlam, CEO and managing director of Australian Submarine Corporation (ACS); Andrew Fletcher, chief executive of Defence SA, Australia’s only stand-alone state defense organization; and Brian Gill and Sanjay Mazumdar of BAE Systems Australia. Nielsen also met with a delegation from The Commonwealth Bank, including Rowan Munchenberg, executive general manager.
“Our ideas were well received,” said Nielsen. “SEI Partner organizations, such as S3 Consulting in Varsity Lakes, Adler Consulting in Sydney, and the Systems and Software Quality Institute in West End, have long done an excellent job in promoting the use of CMMI in Australia. During these meetings, however, I learned there is new interest and excitement around our work in architecture and cyber.”
Nielsen noted that he’s looking forward to future interactions as the SEI explores building its presence in Australia. “Certainly, we would like to offer courses that are in demand, including those in the areas of process, architecture, and cybersecurity,” said Nielsen. “We’d also like to explore potential collaborations with other universities in the area.” Nielsen sees joint research projects with Australian colleagues as a way to build on the work of the SEI’s Australian partner organizations and to grow the SEI’s presence in the region.
In addition to his meetings with Australian officials, Nielsen also served as keynote speaker for the Improving Software and Systems Engineering Conference conducted in Sydney. His keynote address discussed the role of architecture in addressing the increasing complexity of systems.
For more information about Carnegie Mellon University Australia, visit http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/australia/index.aspx.
To read more about the SEI’s presence in Australia, and to listen to an interview with Paul Nielsen, visit http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/australia/homepage-flash/sei-launch/index.aspx.