Lovett - Final Reflection

The time spent in this course has been very diverse and very much individualized which is what more courses within this broad-spectrum degree should require.  It has helped mold an understanding of what I may desire to pursue further in the future and how relevant technologies may help me achieve that.  The concept behind my paper topic started as a simple exploration of intellectual buildings and how green technologies could be innovated into and improve this state.  The subject grew with time and transformed into something much more that lead me to discover basic concepts about energy capture for sustainability and how intelligent systems can easily augment these processes and ensure precision when and where it is most pertinent.  In fact, the database assignment concerning sensors is what led me to these additional thoughts on the matter.  The humidity and temperature sensors showed the level of precision possible and applying these to a renewable energy resource procurement system such as wind turbines allowed for an in-depth look at how such commodities can be used for two or three different purposes so as not to produce waste.  This is inherently what green building technology is truly about, and it came to be purely by coincidence in my findings.  The latter idea has shown me that these modern and hopefully futuristic ideals can occur easily enough if they are taken seriously by the construction world and the investors that stoke the fire of industry.

Furthermore, collaborating on certain topics and seeing how other students view said topics gives valuable insight on perspectives for how new technologies will affect our workforce of engineers.  Some are more accepting and others confused about the potential that certain technologies can bring to our field.  Of course certain types of engineering will be more exposed to these innovations, but it is a better future for all, regardless.

COMMENTS:

Luciana,

I agree that the course was a good start in terms of using multiple programs that are often utilized in the industry.  There was not nearly enough material or guidance to become even a novice user considering the depth of the programs.  Considering it is a course near the end of a degree, I feel as though there should've been more concentrated direction.


Sarina,

I enjoyed the ability to have an undergrad and graduate level course applied to intelligent buildings.  Group work is definitely a crucial factor in the field and the few in-class blog assignments were a useful tool that portrayed this.  At the same time, the individual posts did, as you mentioned, allow for us to explore personal interests as related to the field.


Tyler,

The weekly blog posts are what I'd say were most relevant to the core material of the course.  Not only did some allow for individuality, but they gave us an opportunity to stay current in the world of technology when we otherwise may not.  This provides incentive for us to expand our knowledge-base of not only the engineering world, but in adjacent fields.