 |
Brian Sroka |
Delving into Software Systems Development
Brian Sroka
May 2008
So what do high performance computing, embedded software optimization,
and real-time software development have in common? They're just
a few of the many types of software engineering projects going on
at MITRE. At any given time, nearly 500 software engineers throughout
the corporation support a wide variety of sponsors, customers, and
projects. Brian Sroka is one of them.
Sroka, a lead software systems engineer based in our office in
Bedford, Massachusetts, first learned about MITRE as a Northeastern
University co-op student in 1994. "I was fortunate that my Northeastern
advisor encouraged me to come to MITRE. I did three co-ops at MITRE—working
in the same department each time—before coming back as full-time
technical staff after I graduated in 1997." Since then, Sroka feels
appreciative of the opportunities he has had to participate in a
number of interesting sponsor projects and internal software-related
research efforts.
Finding a Niche
Sroka's first major project at MITRE was an investigation of high
performance embedded computing software directed by Richard Games,
who is now a chief engineer in one of the company's operating centers.
"When I started on this project I was developing message passing,
parallel software. That's what led me to specialize in parallel
programming and other software development techniques that focus
on improving run-time performance and efficiency," he says. "A few
years later, I began working on customer programs, specifically
Air Force projects involving airborne radar. Many modern airborne
radar systems rely on multicomputer signal processors to meet real-time
operating requirements. These multicomputer signal processors require
parallel software development. As a result, I was able to leverage
much of the experience I had gained."
Another example of an Air Force program Sroka supported is the
Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP). "The
MP-RTIP is the radar upgrade that's going into the Global Hawk unmanned
aerial vehicle," he says. "I got a lot of hands-on experience and
exposure into the process and the systems engineering of building
real systems. I spent quite a bit of time working one-on-one with
the program's contractors and reviewing their operational software.
It was an excellent engineer-level collaboration that led to software
optimizations and the improved run-time performance and efficiency
of the MP-RTIP signal processor."
Now Sroka's focus has shifted to projects in the intelligence arena.
"I'm currently working on a MITRE-sponsored research project called
the ‘3 by 2 Fingerprint Challenge.' Since many different agencies
have their own fingerprint identification databases, including the
FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and DoD, there are plenty
of potential beneficiaries of this research," he explains. "The
project as a whole is looking at several different aspects of the
fingerprint processing chain including: minutia detectors, minutia
matchers, scorers, and quality assessments. We're also evaluating
many different hardware options for fingerprint matching, such as
multicore processors and graphic processing units. The primary goal
of this research is to increase the number of fingerprints that
can be processed by two orders of magnitude while decreasing the
cost of these fingerprint matching systems by three orders of magnitude."
Why MITRE?
The fact that he has had several research opportunities in software
and system development is something Sroka greatly appreciates about
MITRE. "There are so many different areas you can work in," he says.
"When you're first hired, someone else is looking out for you, bringing
work to you and directing your growth. After a few years, it is
more self-directed—you decide what type of work you want to
do, and the opportunities are very broad. There is enterprise work,
Air Force work, biometrics work, homeland security work, intelligence
work—and all of it requires software."
"I think MITRE makes it a priority to keep their employees happy,"
he adds. "The MITRE Institute classes, internal research program,
technical briefings, and guest speakers—they all clearly demonstrate
how much MITRE cares about its employees' growth."
Would he recommend MITRE to other software engineers? Sroka doesn't
hesitate to reply, "I think MITRE is an excellent place for software
engineers. The work is challenging and rewarding, and you have a
lot of freedom to conduct research in areas that interest you."
Sroka's enthusiasm for both his work and MITRE is clearly evident.
"The number of different technologies I can be involved in is great,"
he says. "Plus, the flexibility the company offers is fantastic.
It really helps you achieve a good balance between home and work
life." He particularly appreciates the fact that his work schedule
has allowed him time to ski, play golf, and join a local sailing
club.
—by Kay M. Upham
Related Information
Articles and News
Technical Papers and Presentations
Websites
|
