B6: Course Reflection

One of the most important facets to remaining viable in a field driven by technology is the ability to react to changes in a dynamic field. Despite the fact that the AEC industry has typically been a slow-adopter of technology, it appears that these changes are coming and will drastically alter the way that design professionals approach their day to day work. Because of that, there is a pressing need for a prospective engineer to be aware of what could possibly be coming down the road in order to be well-equipped to take advantage of the opportunities that come with them.

This is where the AE 510 course stepped it. It had the ability of exposing me to new and old aspects of technology in the building industry, all the while projecting what the industry may look like in the future. Some of these technologies I was aware of, including BIM, the need interoperability in software and other aspects of design, and basic mechanism behind more novel methods of production such as 3D printing, sensor controls, and AI integration. Other aspects were new to me. The extent of robotics integration was especially jarring to see, as was the complexity of databases that controlled advanced BIM software. Admittedly, some topics felt at first glance as if they were overly ambitious and perhaps impractical. That said, knowing what research is currently focused on gives premontions for what may eventually become reality over the course of my career as cost and other hurdles are mitigated.

The benefit of this class was the variety that we saw, though there was a drawback in terms of the lack of depth in which we were able to explore certain topics. The variety was helpful in that it prepared us for the variety of careers that can come from an AE degree. Additionally, at this stage of my life I can not anticipate whether certain jobs or projects will require me to be conversational in some of these topics. It is useful to have a breadth of reference points for this purpose. The class also provided a springboard for looking at different research opportunities on your own. In my case, I was able to integrate faculty research into the topic of point cloud modeling to expedite modeling to structures using photogrammetry techniques. It fostered interest in different sensing technologies and the opportunities that exist with them. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it also reinforced the idea that each technology has with it limitations that must be accounted for in design and in the evaluation of any product. Such an idea will help to ground interactions with vendors and clients who may have separate agendas.

Sean,

I agree with your point about the guest lecturers. It was very enlightening to see how some of the concepts that we were learning about in class were actually being applied. I thought it was also interesting to note the pace of changes in certain areas, and how they differed across industries.

Christian,

I think your conclusion about the practicality of the course is a good one. I think the choice in not diving too deep into any subject left us in a spot where we knew enough to be aware of what was going on in terms of technology implementation in the construction industry, but not enough to apply it very well.

Matt,

Your mention of Kayleigh’s lecture was a common one throughout these blog responses. Her introduction to Dynamo was an eye opening one that left me thinking about how the traditional roles of engineers will be changing over the course of our careers. I think that equipping yourself with literacy in programming is a valuable tool that will help you be adaptable and able to take advantage of changes in the industry.