By Deke Smith on 1/29/2007

There is a critical void in the education process for teaching and understanding BIM

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By Brian Seitz on 1/27/2007 9:43 AM

The signs that the engineering profession, like medicine, is in flux are all around.  As Engineering S/W becomes more "intelligent" design democratization become more possible and probable. Does this spell the end of engineering as a profession, a transition to a new model of work, or potentially a redefinition of engineering?

 

A long time ago Engineering was considered a highly qualified and respected profession. The profession and the disciplines under that profession (civil, mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Hydraulic, etc.) were, like medical professions, considered both a calling into a community of practice as well a requiring their own codes of honor.  A new engineering candidate was not simply tutored in the academic of the profession s/he was apprenticed and grown through experience into a master craftsman.

 

I use the work craftsman deliberately in that too many engineering projects now are no longer works of a craftsman engineer, they are becoming more spreadsheet optimizations...

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By Brad Holtz on 1/24/2007

The London Financial Times announced this afternoon that UGS is about to be acquired by Siemens. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/af89b41c-aba4-11db-a0ed-0000779e2340.html

The deal, which is out of Siemens' automation group,  is likely to be designed to leverage the factory automation tools from UGS, not unlike the relationship that Dassault Systemes has with Schneider Electric.

The price clearly reflects that this deal is strategic to Siemens -- the dollar value of their factory automation group dwarfs that of UGS and if the new relationship can bump that number up even a small percentage, the cost of Siemens purchase will seem quite reasonable.

This is one of those deals where everyone wins.

Siemens gets a strategic asset at a discounted price. UGS' financials have not been a strong as its competitors over the past few quarters, depressing its non-strategic valuation. I had predicted a valuation at the time of...

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By Brad Holtz on 1/18/2007

John Callen and I have had a number of very interesting conversations over the past few years.  John has this habit of actually reading the press releases we put out and then making cogent points on them.

On hearing of the theme for COFES 2007, John wrote:

I remember a couple of COFES' ago commenting on how it was accepted that it was hunky dory that domestic manufacturing move offshore.  And then the very next COFES, everyone was up in arms because REAL Engineering was also getting outsource offshore.  And now, COFES 2007's theme has us fully accepting the Globalization (AKA Outsourcing) of Engineering, by which I would expect, even the REAL Engineering.  Amazing. 

So what do we tell the kids in high school that are making choices for their future careers?  Try the service or entertainment industries???

I want to be clear that the Globalization of Engineering is NOT synonymous with Outsourcing.

Outsourcing is a related issue, but one does not require the other.

Globalization...

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By David Prawel on 1/13/2007

I look forward to your comments on 3D ubiquity and interoperability at COFES. It's been a busy year, which I expect to continue, so we'll have a lot to talk about in Scottsdale. Share your thoughts on topics we should cover.

By Rachael Dalton-Taggart on 1/10/2007 5:58 PM

The University of Colorado, at Colorado Springs, recently announced a new degree program - a Bachelor's of Innovation. Can Innovation really be taught?

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By Deke Smith on 1/7/2007

Just wanted to introduce myself to my fellow bloggers.  I am currently leading the efforts of many in development of the National BIM Standard.  I am also involved in the development of buildingSMART as I am on a task force with several IAI and NIBS BOD members working out a charter, business plan and funding strategy.  Our goal is to accelerate the implementation of building information models and building information modeling.  The focus of course is on information and we are lookng way beyond 3D visualization to essentially building a building virtually before physically.  Working out as many problems as possible electronically.  I am interested in hearing the stage everyone is at in implementing BIM and what we can do to help.  I know education is a huge issue both at the university level and continuing education for the practitioner.  Let me know what you are thinking about this subject.