Dr. Paul D. Nielsen, director and chief executive officer of Software Engineering Institute (SEI), Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, visited National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), southern Taiwan, and delivered a speech on “Systems of Software Engineering” on Oct. 5, sharing his experience in the field and expecting collaborative efforts between NCKU and SEI.

NCKU Executive Vice President Huey-Jen Jenny Su, on behalf of President Hwung-Hweng Hwung, welcomed Nielsen for making his first visit to the school.

With 28 years of experience in software engineering, SEI develops curriculum for software engineering around the world and recently more efforts have been spent on cyber security which is software-based for the most part, according to Nielsen.

“Since the personal privacy law has passed on Monday, it’s quite timely that we have your visit,” said Su, who added that “through initiatives there would be some concrete potential proposal that we can link with your institute, and then have a more active participation and presence in the area.”

Nielsen said, “SEI has two products serving around the world, one is CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) and the other is the whole concept of computer responsibility.” He noted that SEI collaborates with people around the world because software is a global enterprise.

NCKU has performed great potential in software engineering and information management research, which makes NCKU an ideal location for SEI to set up a research center for the Asian market, according to Nielson.

“We have several licensing offices here in Taiwan and people from America who are operating in Taiwan,” said Nielsen.

Nelson’s speech, at the Department of Engineering, NCKU, attracted a big crowd who enjoyed his talks on the increasing impact of software in our daily lives as it provides useful tools.

He also talked about the growing challenges faced by the software community since people are playing a crucial role in the use and sales of software.