explains. “More clients are looking at not just first cost but the life cycle cost of systems taking into account operational, maintenance, and energy costs.” Technology, he says, helps with that efficiency. “When I started in the industry, we were just beginning to use 2-D CAD as a design tool. I was fortunate to catch the tail end of manual drafting which has become a lost art. We are now using 3-D building information modeling to deliver projects. This allows us to coordinate space constraints and interferences in the design phase prior to construction. This technology will eventually bring automation to the design process using artificial intelligence,” he explains. What DiBerardine sees for the future of engineering includes a challenge but he also sees a solution, “In the areas of engineering and construction there is currently a shortage of experienced labor and people entering the field from the bottom up. We need to start thinking in terms of broadening the opportunities for entry level designers and apprentices, not just college graduates. There are different paths to take with opportunities at both ends.”
NANCY M.D. FAUGHT,
PE, Executive Vice President at HRC Consulting Engineers, has over 29 years of professional experience and has served as manager and technical director for state and federally funded road reconstruction projects with construction costs totaling more than $31 million in recent years. During those years, Faught says that communication improvements have been a plus and a minus. “Communication moves fast now,” she says. “The evolution of communication methods has changed the expectation levels of all stakeholders. Fortunately, engineering software has kept the pace and we are able to meet those expectations.” With a civil engineering degree from MSU, and a dedication to mentoring the next generation of engineers, Faught finds the “constant problem-solving to find the best solution” a satisfying aspect of her chosen profession. One of those challenges to civil engineering—infrastructure—requires a commitment to educating tomorrow’s engineers with fluid and creative problem-solving skills. “Tomorrow is here and it looks like this: our infrastructure is failing due to age. There is not widespread support for a financial solution at this time, so we must be innovative at all times and, therefore, our industry is very busy trying to do as much as we can with the funds available,” she says. But tomorrow’s minds may offer new, creative solutions. “I am heavily involved in mentoring and project management training,” she explains. “I believe that properly training young engineers will aid in developing the most effective and properly designed projects for our future—in all areas of engineering.”
World IP Day 2017 INSPIRING KIDS TO CREATE!
DATE: Saturday, May 6, 2017 TIME: 10 a.m.–12 p.m. LOCATION: The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation Do you know a young entrepreneur? Here’s how to help them find out what it takes to design a product, protect their idea, and take it to market. As part of Make Something Saturdays, the Henry Ford is celebrating World Intellectual Property Day with budding engineers. The event will include special presentations and guests from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and local IP specialists who will help kids decipher how to protect their great ideas. Activities will include hunts for great patents in the Museum and programming is well aligned for Boy and Girl Scout troops working on business and IP related badges.