Course Reflection

As the term comes to a close, it is important to reflect on what was learned, what I got out of AE 510, and how I can apply the knowledge I gained to my future career. I think the experience I got from this course was through multiple avenues, but I should begin by saying that AE 510 was not exactly what I anticipated when I signed up for the course. At the beginning of the term, I assumed that with the title “Intelligent Buildings” the course would focus on what makes an intelligent building and the various components of an intelligent building that allow it to operate dynamically and intelligently, While perhaps more practical and applicable to my career, what we actually learned were various software packages and systems that are used within the AEC industry, in particular, BIM (Revit) and databases. This is not to say that I did not enjoy what was taught in the course, it just wasn’t necessarily what I anticipated based purely on the title.

With all of that being said I believe that AE 510 was extremely valuable as an aspiring structural engineer. In particular, I know for a fact that my upcoming co-op at EwingCole will require the use of Revit regularly. While not proficient by any stretch of the imagination, I certainly feel more comfortable with the software having used it a great deal throughout the term. Aside from the technical skills and experience, I feel as though the in class discussions regarding BIM, how it works, and how it can better be utilized in the future, will serve me greatly in the professional work environment, allowing me to pick up on new types of tasks and areas of Revit I would not necessarily know about if I didn’t take AE 510.

While I don’t anticipate regularly using a database in my immediate future, they are certainly a tool that is used within the AEC industry and beyond, one in which I now have a basic grasp on. Before taking this class, I believed a database to be no different than an excel spreadsheet--a place to put and organize data. I now recognize, through AE 510, that databases are powerful tools that allow the creation of extensive relationships between various types of data. And while I do not intend to focus on data manipulation in my career, I absolutely see the value in databases and can now talk about them intelligently, something I could not say before this class.

Overall, while not necessarily what I expected, I believe AE 510 is a class that introduced me to topics and provided me with exposure and practice in heavily utilized tools within the AEC industry. I hope to use the skills I learned on my upcoming co-op and beyond, as I begin my professional career path.

Comments:

Alec: I'm glad you went out on a limb and decided to take part in this course, even though it is outside your major. It seems as though you got a lot out of the class and that there may even be some layover with your interests in the automotive industry (sensors, specifically). Overall, I think it will definitely serve you well in the future, to know the basics of a fast moving industry that very well may have some overlap into your field as well.

Harvin: You bring up a good point about the guest lecturers, one which I forgot to even touch on. It was really great to hear from a wide range of industry experts and professionals about how what we're learning applies to the real world; that's not something you get in a lot of classes but it certainly makes what you're doing in class feel more "real".

Tyler: Similar to you, I also only had experience with AutoCAD before this class, so at first, BIM was very intimidating to me. That being said, going into this class, I knew that my co-op would utilize Revit so I was looking for a class that would help me gain experience, which is why I was happy to take part in this course. For that reason, I agree with you when you say that your favorite part of the term was the Revit project as it was nice to gain experience in such an important and powerful program.