Date: March 22, 2021
Time: 12:30pm-1:20pm
Location: Klaus (Bldg 153) Rm 1447
Speaker: C. Nils Smith
Speaker’s Title: Vice President
Speaker’s Affiliation: Southwest Research Institute
Speaker’s Work Address: P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510
Seminar Title: Life as an Engineer

Abstract of Talk:
We’ll summarize my engineering journey, but will focus on the opportunities that engineering (and an engineering degree from Georgia Tech) hold for you.
The most important aspect of this is not the presentation, but the interaction. Let’s talk.

Biographical Sketch of the Speaker:
Mr. Smith is the Vice President of the Defense & Intelligence Solutions Division at Southwest Research Institute. He has a M.S.E., Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.E.E. from The Georgia Institute of Technology.

Mr. Smith has accumulated significant experience in the design, development, and testing of shipboard, land-based, and airborne Electronic Support systems and in the management and development of related projects and programs.

Mr. Smith has had extensive experience with military, rugged commercial and commercial design requirements and in project, program, and administrative management. His main technical emphasis has been in the area of direction finding antennas, beam-forming networks, and RF system design and analysis.

Mr. Smith has promoted, developed, and managed programs for U.S. and foreign governments as well as U.S. and foreign commercial organizations. His experience includes management of multi-million-dollar programs and acting as the Principal Investigator for SwRI-sponsored Internal Research projects. He has managed programs involving analysis, research, development, production, testing, consulting, training, and field services. He also led numerous QRC efforts. He is experienced with cost/schedule status control systems and other modern project management techniques involving technical performance, fiscal, schedule, personnel, documentation, logistics, reliability, maintainability, and security. Mr. Smith has also served as an instructor and course administrator for courses in Signal Exploitation and Geolocation, Radio Direction Finding, and RF Systems Engineering.

Mr. Smith is also experienced with ISO-9001, AS9100, and CMMI for Development
quality management systems and NIST 800-171 and CMMC compliance.
Mr. Smith was selected as the Engineering Manager of the Year by the Engineering Management Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for 2006. He was also awarded the Dixie Crow Stanley B. Hall Executive Management Award in 2020.

He earned a Certificates in Executive Leadership, Managerial Leadership Certificate and a Marketing Certificate from the UT Austin McCombs School of Business.