B7: Group B - Schroeder

Based off of the course description, “An overview of the present and future role of Information Technology in the construction industry with emphasis on the computer tools used throughout the building life cycle by all stakeholders, primarily Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the role of networked-linked sensors and actuators” this class was not what I originally expected. I thought that AE 510 would only cover buildings that have integrated technologies such as autonomous lighting or the various sensors needed for IT.  Looking back, it is refreshing to see the variety of material covered that extends the broad range of IB in eight short weeks. The first half of AE510 was much more relevant to my intended profession, but I did appreciate learning about other aspects in related fields. Specifically, after learning about databases I now have a new respect for people in the field of Big Data and the reach of their profession. In addition, I was able to relate and leverage our discussions on AI/Robots in my Honors Class this term about how MIT is building robots that are able to mimic the human physiology of proprioception.

Like others in the class, one of my favorite parts of AE 510 were the guest lecturers. Although I don’t intend to become a BIM Manager or anything specifically in the building industry,  it was pleasant to hear from professionals in their field and what they are passionate about. Furthermore, it speaks measures about Dr.Mitchell to be able to get past students to take time out of their busy schedules to return to their roots to present at Drexel.

Of all the topics covered in class, the network section of last week's class was one of my favorites. Learning about the development of IPv6 which lacks backwards compatibility with the original internet communications protocol (IPv4) was interesting to me as I know the same frustration in terms of gaming consoles. I held out on buying a PlayStation 3 for so long because of the lack of backwards compatibility for most PS2 games. I can't imagine how providers dealt with IPv6 lacking the backwards compatibility of IPv4 as some devices were not able to be upgraded to IPv6.  Without this bridge between the two, it was not an easy transition for communications.

As a future transportation engineer that focuses on bridge rehabilitation and design, I will most likely not use Revit in my future profession but this class has exposed me to plenty of other topics that I will be using in my future career. In addition, I really enjoyed the topic of my group’s final project. As this is going to be our Senior Design project next year, I liked being able to see the current technologies in autonomous housing to based our initial design on.

Overall, as one of my only AE classes I’ve taken during my collegiate career, it has definitely been a worthwhile experience.

EDIT:
Comments
1. http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/03/course-reflection-yuyang-shi.html
2. http://ae-510-ay15-16.blogspot.com/2016/02/course-reflection-farnelli.html