Dee Dee Strohl - Blog 7

Final Reflection

Like a lot of my classmates have said, AE 410 was like no other class I have taken at Drexel. It covered topics I was only briefly introduced to and allowed me to explore them further. The class was interesting and relevant to my major without being computation based. Though geared towards the digital building concentration, I still found it helpful as a mechanical concentration—especially with the discussion of sensors and BAS. Spending several weeks talking about topics allowed for a well-rounded discussion of them.  The class structure allowed you to learn a lot about the subjects, present what you’d learned, and discuss with your classmates. I liked that we had time to discuss with our groups and work with others for the final project. It’d made the class more interactive and expanded my knowledge by using my classmates as resources.

The discussion of robots and AI was something I had only briefly learned about. Though incredibly interesting, I also find it worrisome. Robots and AI are such a powerful tool and we need to be cautious with how we use it. Though I already used Revit and other BIM software in other classes and at co-op, I had no experience with databases. That portion of the class was entirely new to me and gave me a perspective as to how they work and where they would be useful. With both BIM and databases, the class gave everyone a basic understanding that could be transferred into our classroom and other future experiences.

Not only is Professor Mitchell a wealth of knowledge, bringing in guest presenters to show their experiences with the topics was also helpful. It was cool to hear how this software impacts their jobs and where they see the future of the technology going. One point that I saw as a theme in the class is that this technology is ever-changing and that we need to be prepared to learn with those changes. Keeping that idea in mind while finishing up at Drexel and moving on to a career will be critical. Though the powers of Revit and BIM in general are amazing, it’s only a quick stop in the timeline of the technology—it will continue to expand in capabilities and user understanding.

Overall, I learned a lot in the class and looked at topics I was not familiar with. I was able to connect with my classmates through discussions and use them as resources in understanding what we were learning about the technology and the application of them. I initially took the class to check off part of the professional elective requirement, but ended up seeing how relevant it is in the design and construction fields today.

COMMENTS:

Allison Abad:

I agree that this class was a nice break from the computation-based classes we usually see as engineers, it was a nice way to see a different aspect of the field and hear from people already in the industry. Like you, the database was a challenge for me but was practical for our majors. The class was geared towards digital building concentrations, but it was still interesting and insightful as a mechanical concentration.

Brad DiGiovanni:

I agree that the class schedule was nice—we were able to take a couple weeks to dive into each topic. Prof. Mitchell is very knowledgeable in these topics and did a great job of spreading that knowledge to us. I agree that the class did open our minds to the ever-changing technology of our society, though it worries me. We must embrace the changes or be left behind, but if technology goes too far, we could be in trouble.

Lauren Kujawa:

Like you, I’m unsure how often I will use the database knowledge we learned in this class, but all the topics we discussed were interesting and could become relevant to our jobs as time progresses. Andrew and I also wrote our paper on the differences between green and intelligent buildings. I also have learned about green buildings from other classes so seeing the intelligent building side was a positive change.