B7 - Group C - Sean Coffey - Course Reflection

The course was awesome...

The true and not so short answer is that I really enjoyed the course. As person that sees the value in using technology to automate and organize my life a little more than most the course was insightful. The variety of technology that is becoming available and applicable to the ACE industry makes now seem like a fantastic time to be in. But if the course has actually taught me anything, whether it be that I should expect unexpected changes in the way I live and work in the future, that promising technologies will only become mainstream if someone takes the risk to prove that the technology is viable and applicable, that just like any tool new technologies can be applied to any number of things but are often only best applicable to a few tasks, or that when I use a program and feel that I am proficient in fact I have only scratched the surface of what it can do, I really only needed to learn that I don't need to that as the next generation of engineer I should be an advocate for technology. I don't necessarily need to learn every program and become a technology wiz or come away from the course and push myself to learn each topic that was covered, I just need to not be ignorant of technology and become an advocate for its greater application. I may have never come to this realization if it weren't for another professor who teaches the BIM in Construction course essentially admitted that it was his reason for being a teacher, to give students a view of how the greater use of technology is where the industry is headed, but is often impeded for reasons that are not well founded.

B9 - Eduardo Borja - Group E - Reflection

             From the beginning, even before starting to attend class I was interested in Intelligent Buildings, but I had a different idea of what intelligent buildings meant. Before I believed Intelligent Buildings were characterized as smart automated buildings. Through this course I understood that intelligent buildings are much more involved than the technological aspects of the final structure. Intelligent buildings take into consideration the design and the time efficiency of building a certain structure.

            I can definitely state that this class has had a great effect on my profession because it has fed my interest in aspects such as the creation of databases and BIM, which are becoming more and more important in the construction industry. Through AE 510 specifically, I have been introduced the creation of databases, as well as further deepening my knowledge about Revit. Through our assignment on databases I learned that planning before executing is quite essential in any aspect of design. If you didn’t plan the database before creating it, then this could have created a lot of problems once you tried to execute it. Also, databases prove to be quite effective once you want to find a specific set of points within a large amount of data. In regards to Revit, I have only scratched to surface on the program capabilities but from what I have learned in this class and from different tutorial videos, I have seen that Revit can become quite powerful. I can say that this class has affected my profession because it has showed me that the industry is changing and that this new technology regarding BIM will certainly be something I will need to fully understand.

            Regarding my future, this class has provided an introduction to an industry that is going to continue to grow and offer a lot of job opportunities. Understanding even a broad aspect of intelligent buildings and be able to discuss different aspects of intelligent buildings can certainly help me in my future job searches.

            Regarding actual class time, I personally would have enjoyed more small projects in order to learn a greater variety of BIM software. On the other hand, the lecture speakers in class gave an interesting perspective on how intelligent building techniques are applied and used outside the classroom. Similarly, the lectures provided by Dr. Mitchell were certainly useful and gave us as well a professional perspective on intelligent buildings and their applications.

Comments:

Alqallaf: From the beginning of your post I could identify with you. I joined this class even though I was taking another professional elective because the name caught my attention. Also, I can relate to the fact that the database project was quite instructive. I enjoyed how you related the project you did for your concentration.

Laura Hill: I enjoyed your post because it made me think of something really important in this class that i took for granted. The blog posts as you stated were quite helpful because it was an opportunity to reflect upon different new topics. The posts actually helped me understand and actually focus on the reading which ultimately helped me fully understand the different topics at hand.

  

B7 - Course Reflection - Hamad Al-Hajri

Overall, the course was very informative and very interesting (Concept's wise). Also, I enjoyed the majority of the lectures, especially the ones in line with my interests. The materials covered were mostly directly related to the field of engineering. Therefore, it was extremely beneficial to learn how "New Technological Concepts" can be incorporated with our current engineering knowledge. Although the materials covered were extremely informative, I feel a three hours long lecture could make the students lose interest. However, some classes needed to be three hours long, like when we had guest lecturers over. Perhaps the best aspect of the class, in my opinion, was when we had practitioners over to tell us about their personal perspectives and gave great insights! I will be reflecting on the course in terms of the following:


Weekly Blog Posts: This was a major advantage because it helped me further explore concepts discussed in class and, consequently communicate my findings with my classmates. Furthermore, reading other posts and commenting on them was, also, very advantageous because it exposed me to other interesting concepts and personal experiences.

Assignments: Overall, the assignments helped me enormously expand my understanding and knowledge of a number of software. Although a novice Revit user, I was able to understand how to use and explore it's many capabilities (Adding Families..etc). The database assignment was also very helpful. I realized how important it is (Database Software) for corporations and firms, because it helps them organize valuable information. Finally, the final paper was, in my opinion, the most enjoyable assignment. It gave me the opportunity to explore parts of me I didn't know about. It made me realize that engineering is a much broader concept and can be effectively deployed in humanitarian aid, as well as, in many vital aspects of our life.

Personal Experience: In my opinion, it is a must class, especially for CAEE students. It was a fun and valuable experience for me. Although I learned a lot from the lectures, I learned a lot more outside of class. How? The assignments made us independently search for answers, research particular concepts, and write on whatever we find interesting. Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the technologies discussed in class are effectively deployed in the near future. Finally, the class, in my opinion, accommodated, at one point, the majority's interests. As a civil engineering major, I would very much recommend this class.


In conclusion, the syllabus and the workload were very reasonable. The materials covered gave us an introduction to potential technologies to be implemented in the near future. However, as stated in the class and by a number of guest lecturers, these technologies might have negative social impacts. Although change sometimes is good, necessary, and important, it can also be complex, messy and scary.

Comments :

Yasmina Shields:

I absolutely agree with you. After this class, I realized the potential of intelligent buildings and its impact on the world and us (CAE engineers). Furthermore, like you stated, compared to other industries we are still behind in terms of advancements and such, however, it is changing right now as the class proved so. Finally, this class gave us the chance to further expand our knowledge on how to use Revit.


Al-Qallaf:

I remember signing up for the class for the exact same reason. I felt after repetitive engineering courses it's time to take something different and unique. Also, the vast amount of emerging technologies discussed in class, like you stated, is just fascinating. I would also agree with you that after taking this class, I more aware of so many concepts, and software due to the assignments given in this class.

B7 - Group D - Ayon

This course gave me insight not only on the newest technological advances in the construction and design industries, but also made me look at things differently. After looking at the key term Professor Mitchell introduced at the beginning of the course (BIM, database, sensors, 3D printing, etc.) you see there is much more there to an intelligent building. The importance of these key terms goes beyond simple definition understating, therefore we were required to do several class projects and write blogs to further enhance out knowledge.

Through the weekly blogs, we were given a specific topic and we had to analyze this topic in relation to BIM, always looking for limitations and advantages. Providing sources was an excellent way to go out of the box, in my opinion, since it made us look for current applications of that topic and compare it to the future. I personally felt curious after writing a blog about robotics, therefore I decided to do my research paper on that.

Also, we had larger projects to complete through the term allowing us to put into practice the definitions we had learned about the key terms. For instance, creating a database using Microsoft Access made me look at the importance of databases and more importantly, how they work. It was a challenging task for me since it was the first time I was creating a database, but it made realize and understand the importance of applying this in the real world. A construction project would run easier and smoother with this application, as not only material properties and specifics would be in the database, but also cost information, schedule, constriction plans, and even contractors information.

Taking these course made me realize there is more out there than simple sketched done through AutoCAD, that there is a whole intelligent world created with the intend to facilitate the job of the engineers, architects and designers. In the future, I hope to get further knowledge on these applications and put them into practice. Technology is something that will keep changing through the years, and us as Engineers need to be able to adapt to what is new out there and willing to implement these new technologies to our work.