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Preparing the Future Workforce of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction for Robotic Automation Processes

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Conference

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual On line

Publication Date

June 22, 2020

Start Date

June 22, 2020

End Date

June 26, 2021

Conference Session

NSF Grantees: RED 2 / Civil Eng

Tagged Topic

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--35082

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/35082

Download Count

571

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Paper Authors

biography

Mohamed ElZomor Florida International University

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Dr. Mohamed ElZomor is an Assistant Professor at Florida International University (FIU), College of Engineering and Computing and teaches at the Moss School of Construction, Infrastructure and Sustainability. Dr. ElZomor completed his doctorate at Arizona State University (ASU), Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Prior to attending ASU, Dr. ElZomor received a master’s of science degree in Architecture from University of Arizona, a master’s degree in Engineering and a bachelor of science in Construction Engineering from American University in Cairo. Dr. ElZomor moved to FIU from State University of New York, where he was an Assistant Professor at the college of Environmental Science and Forestry. Mohamed’s work focuses on Sustainability of the Built Environment, Engineering Education, Construction Engineering, Energy Efficiency Measures and Modeling, Project Management, and Infrastructure Resilience. Dr. ElZomor has extensive professional project management experience as well as a diverse cross-disciplinary academic knowledge. Mohamed, distinct expertise supports fostering interdisciplinary research in addition to embracing innovative pedagogical approaches in STEM education. Dr. ElZomor has been integrating innovative and novel educational paradigms in STEM education to support student engagement, retention, and diversity.

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Piyush Pradhananga Florida International University

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Piyush Pradhananga is a Ph.D. student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida International University (FIU). Piyush holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tribhuwan University (TU). Following his graduation in 2016, he joined a leading real estate corporation in Nepal as the site engineer working on a multi-million project. He later joined a research firm based in London where he worked as an Engineering Graduate Researcher. Piyush is currently a Graduate Research Assistant at the Moss School of Construction, Sustainability, and Infrastructure at FIU where he focuses on multidisciplinary research that harmonizes sustainability in construction. His other research interests include Sustainable Construction, Construction Safety, Engineering Education, Green Building, and Energy Efficiency Measures.

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biography

Gabriella Santi

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Gabriella Santi grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where she pursued her Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering at the Universidad Metropolitana. After graduating, she worked for two years in a construction company where she was involved in various residential and infrastructure projects. As her interests shifted towards construction management, she then moved to Miami, Florida to pursue a master's degree in the Construction Management program at Florida International University. During her Master's program, she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Moss School of Construction Management, researching various topics related to sustainability in third world countries, robotic implementation in the construction industry and aiding STEM majors to improve their professional skills.

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Shahin Vassigh Florida International University

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Shahin has a Master of Architecture, Master of Urban Planning and Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture at Florida International University. She has considerable professional experience through her work at various consulting engineering firms ranging from bridge design/analysis to large-scale building construction and design.

Vassigh teaches structures and building technology courses in the architecture curriculum. She has built a nationally recognized body of research work focused on improving structures and technology education by developing alternative teaching pedagogies that utilizes digital media. Her work has been characterized as setting new standards for new media educational materials and is published and distributed internationally. She is a recipient of two major federal grants for “Visualizing Structural Behavior” and “Building Literacy: the Integration of Building Technology and Design in Architectural Education”. Both projects develop Interactive learning environments using state of the art computing technology.

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Abstract

The evolution of robotics automation and artificial intelligence technologies is transforming the landscape of our future jobs, especially in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC). Despite the myth that these technologies may lead to job displacements, research data based on AEC workforce qualifications demonstrate the need to advance and alter skill profiles, thus, in turn, promise to support economic growth by producing new work skills without having to replace jobs. For example, tasks that previously could not be done because of several limitations, complexities, and/or required extended durations can now be pursued in a more efficient practice through automation and robotics. This on-going NSF funded research captures the opportunities offered by automation through planning, designing and developing a pilot Robotic Academy, a cloud-based set of training resources to cultivate a more talented workforce. To date, integrating robotics in AEC disciplines is perceived as a challenging and time-consuming task, yet training our future workforces through a Robotic Academy that deploys available technologies will be the first step to hedge against those challenges. In this planning phase of the study, the primary goal is to: (1) understand the reasons behind the lack of adopting robotics technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques in the construction industry within South Florida; (2) identify the need of robotic-operation training modules; (3) design and develop educational courses for a Robotic Academy and; (4) assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented pilot study while training the first cohort of students. To achieve this, the authors conducted interviews, and survey questionnaires distributed to leading construction firms in South Florida. Additionally, the study conducted surveys to evaluate the pilot training courses at the Robotic Academy to record students’ perspectives and learnings. The authors developed ordered probit regression model to determine the variables influencing the expected student enrollment in the designed courses. Results indicate that students with experience and knowledge in the field are more likely to enroll in the training, thus, in order to broaden the reach, the academy could incorporate entry-level courses tailored to prospective minority students, based on their needs and knowledge levels. Overall, the findings of the study show that a new pedagogy is urgent to meet the workforce demand of AI robotic driven construction industry. This on-going research initiative develops cutting-edge immersive cloud-based training modules for AEC stakeholders to improve their preparedness towards a more automated workplace.

ElZomor, M., & Pradhananga, P., & Santi, G., & Vassigh, S. (2020, June), Preparing the Future Workforce of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction for Robotic Automation Processes Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35082

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