Technology isn’t going to stop evolving.
Civil engineers have the opportunity to embrace what’s new, from artificial intelligence to materials that make sustainability even more achievable. And firms are exploring creative ways to implement these technologies effectively.
In a recent Thursdays@3 discussion on innovation in civil engineering, three experts highlighted several impactful technologies and shared ways in which they are beneficial.
Find out below what technologies are making waves in the field.
Fares Al-lahabi, S.M.ASCE
Co-founder and CEO of CarbonCLAIR; New York City
“Everyone says the same thing, but it's really AI.
“In the sense of what engineers do, there is a lot of trial and error and a lot of, ‘What is AI or machine learning good at?’ It is the process of continuous trials. We could see it implemented in a lot of areas, even structural design. There's software right now that does a million trials to find the most optimal efficient design. Or in other areas, like sensors in infrastructure projects or facilities that could measure data and predict what is the best way to operate.
“It's all over the place, but it is, I would say, a very strong tool that will change a lot of things.”
Pegah Farshadmanesh, Ph.D., EIT, M.ASCE
Assistant professor of teaching and director of the Securing Tomorrow through Engineering Education and Resilience, or STEER, Research Lab at the University of Memphis; Memphis, Tennessee
“I think all of them are critical, and they are interconnected. If we're talking about material science, we're thinking about how innovations such as self-healing material will affect what we build. So, we're providing more alternatives, increasing the decision-making space by having more options.
“When we're talking about sustainability, we're looking at why we build the way we do now and how we can improve. So, sustainability and looking beyond immediate functionality are changing the ‘why.’ Now, we're looking at the lifespan of the entire system.
“When you're talking about automated systems, you're talking about how we build. Although we need to pay attention to the trustworthiness and transparency of these systems.
“Ultimately, when you're talking about digital twins, they actually help us monitor built systems, providing a better understanding of what's going on.
“So, I think all of them are critical, they're all interconnected, and we need to look at them together and see how they work together.”
Chuck Hookham, P.E., M.ASCE
President of Arbor Consultants; Ann Arbor, Michigan
“There's no wrong answer here. I would say that one of the two that hit me the most is automation. The second one – and I see it every day – is workforce.
“We're in a time where we're seeing aging professionals fade out of the workforce with diminished resources remaining to build new and take care of existing infrastructure. So, we have to work smarter. When we had COVID, we still had the ability to work without having to be face to face, be very strategic, and productively get work done.
“The same scenario exists today with AI … It is a tool that can be used to help us overcome the workforce problems that are there but must be used with appropriate precaution as the source data and algorithms at this stage are immature and untested.”
