KONGSBERG, NORWAY — BID4R traveled to Kongsberg, Norway for the 21st Annual System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) Conference 2026, hosted at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). Representing the lab were Dr. Bryan Watson and Jonah Kohlmeyer, M.S. candidate in Systems Engineering.
Dr. Watson presented his paper, “Reframing Design-for-Ilities in Systems of Systems Engineering Under Hierarchical Emergence,” and chaired a session on System of Systems governance and policies. Jonah Kohlmeyer presented a case study on the development of the Swarm Test Arena for Resilient Systems (STARS), sharing insights from the lab’s ongoing robotic swarm research.
The conference brought together the global System of Systems (SoS) engineering community for a strong lineup of industry keynotes and technical sessions. Highlights included keynotes on ASML’s history in developing Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography, CorPower Ocean’s work generating grid-scale energy from ocean wave motion, and SAAB’s presentation on their systems engineering and discovery development process. Technical presentations spanned a wide range of topics, from SoS engineering frameworks to machine learning optimization of concrete 3D-printed structures — alongside BID4R’s own contributions.
Beyond the conference sessions, Kongsberg — and Norway more broadly — left a lasting impression, with stunning scenery and excellent food throughout the trip. A particular highlight was the conference dinner, hosted inside a preserved silver mine, offering a truly unique setting to close out the event.
(Credit: Jonah Kohlmeyer)
Special thanks to Dr. Bryan Watson for the opportunity to submit and travel to this event, and an extra special thanks to the conference organizers, for their hospitality.
BID4R Lab 