Course Reflection

I originally registered for this class to meet graduation requirements, but over the past ten weeks, I've learned so much about future technology. The intelligent buildings course has opened my eyes to a lot of new technology that will revolutionize the AEC industry. My most favorite part of the class was our discussion on 3-D printing. I found 3D-printing to be the most interesting topic we learned about this term. Its my favorite because of the infinite capabilities that 3D-printing possesses. What really caught my eye were the future applications of this technology like space stations and colonies. In addition to 3D-printing, the topics of sensors and databases also peaked my interest. I will be dealing with various temperature and pressure sensors in my profession, so having more in-depth background knowledge about both topics was extremely beneficial.

I enjoyed the guest presentations prepared by professor Mitchell. All of the guest speakers were enlightening and a joy to listen too. My favorite guest speakers were the representatives of AutoCADD and Bentley. They gave us a lot of interesting information, which made me download the student versions of the software I did not already have installed on my Mac. The in class assignments at first seemed tedious and annoying, but I ended up enjoying working in the different groups from week to week.

In summary, I would totally recommend an underclassmen in our department to take this class. A lot can be learned in this class without even realizing it. Professor Mitchell has done an excellent job at orchestrating the class curriculum. The only thing I see that could be changed is the possibility of beginning the term project somewhat sooner.

Comments:

Ryan Taylor: I agree that professor Mitchell did an excellent job finding engineers from the industry to speak to us. I felt as though the AutoCADD, ArchiCAD and Bentley representatives were the best out of all the speakers that presented to us.

Phil Brubaker: I originally registered for Intelligent Buildings as an elective and ended up learning much more than I anticipated. I didn't know much about BIM, databases and 3D-printing, but I now feel a greater appreciation for this course. In hindsight, I wish I had registered for this class sooner rather than two weeks into the term.