A Career that Evolves with the Nation's Aviation System
Dennis Rowe
February 2013
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MITRE's Dennis Rowe has always appreciated the diversity of his project work. |
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Dennis Rowe's 30-year history at MITRE tells a story of project work focused on aviation tools, air traffic control planning, automated intelligence sharing, software development, and airspace security. "Each project had its own set of challenges," he says, "but the diversity of my work has always kept things interesting. Plus, I get a lot of satisfaction in knowing my work has had a positive impact on everyone who flies."
Rowe works within the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development, the federally funded research and development center that MITRE manages for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Early Software Automation Tools
Shortly after coming to MITRE in 1983, Rowe began supporting the FAA's Advanced Automation System program. "Looking back, it was really the next generation of air traffic automation tools of its time," he explains. "We were helping the FAA deal with some of the challenges in the increasingly congested airspace. We focused on helping the FAA acquire new tools for air traffic control that allowed for increased efficiency."
Rowe hasn't stuck strictly to aviation work, however. He also did a five-year stint at MITRE's site in Brussels, Belgium, starting in 1987. In this assignment, he helped to develop the framework for the Battlefield Information and Collection and Exploitation Systems (BICES) program. "Essentially, we laid the foundation for a program to automate intelligence sharing among NATO nations in Europe. We developed the charter for a multi-national team and specified the capabilities for the automated system for intelligence sharing among the [then] 12 member nations. As a program, BICES still exists today, but with a greatly expanded mission."
(Video) Dennis Rowe Talks About Supporting the FAA at MITRE. |
With the multi-national BICES team up and running, Rowe returned to the United States in 1992. For the next several years, he and a handful of MITRE colleagues focused on working collaboratively with the Director of Air Traffic and his management team to develop an the Air Traffic Service Plan—a comprehensive plan for achieving air traffic improvements for all stakeholders in the aviation industry. In this role, he and the MITRE team visited air traffic installations across the country, compiled information from airlines, and met with aviation industry organizations.
During this time, Rowe also participated in MITRE's Accelerated Graduate Degree Program, earning a Doctor of Science degree in Computer Science from George Washington University.
Shortly after he completed his doctorate in 1999, he applied some of what he learned as part of his dissertation research to a related MITRE internal research project. The project involved monitoring air traffic controllers' performance while they performed air traffic control-specific tasks. "We examined the air traffic controllers' heart-rate variability data and used the results to determine the efficacy of automated decision support tools that were designed to improve controller effectiveness and efficiency on the job."
Reshaping Special Activity Airspace Scheduling
By 2000, Rowe's focus shifted to developing efficient techniques for scheduling and communicating the status of Special Activity Airspace. This is airspace set aside for military use or other special use that requires Temporary Flight Restrictions, such as Air Force One flights or space launches. Rowe led the team that built the prototype software for automating the scheduling of this airspace. "The Military Airspace Data Entry System really transformed how we schedule Special Activity Airspace. The MITRE team created the prototype before transferring it to a production contractor for national deployment."
He adds, "We're still moving forward with automated Special Activity Airspace scheduling and taking it to a whole new level with NextGen [the FAA's next-generation air transportation system]. As part of this project, we recently developed a concept of operations, functional requirements, and a comprehensive benefits assessment. It's a major effort that involves the FAA, the military, and the civil aviation community."
Much of his work now concentrates on airspace security. "I support the Air Traffic Organization—the operations arm of the FAA. We're working to develop automated capabilities to keep our nation's airspace secure. It's a constant challenge for our FAA sponsor to balance airspace security while also promoting the efficiency of airspace use and the advancement of commerce."
Mentoring Teens
During his tenure at MITRE, Rowe has also participated in several volunteer efforts within and outside the company. As a long-time coordinator for Reach for Tomorrow, he brings potentially "at promise" students to MITRE's McLean campus to increase students' exposure to a variety of engineering opportunities. (He received Black Engineer of the Year honors for his community service and technical contributions in 2005.)
In addition, he established a program with fellow West Point alumni that mentors high school juniors and seniors and helps them improve their SAT and ACT scores. "We have about 20 volunteers who have worked with students in 44 states over the past seven years," he says.
"It's been gratifying to see a measurable improvement in the scores of the students we've been helping. We know if their test scores improve, they have a better chance of attending a top tier college, whether it's a West Point or somewhere else."
—by Kay M. Upham
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