TechCentury - Spring 2024

THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF DETROIT

Spring 2024

FEATURE

Harnessing Vast Data for EV Success

Anishnabe Academy from U.P. Wins Future City 15

The Roots and Realities of Artificial Intelligence 24

AI Technology in Sports, Arts and Newsrooms 30

Volunteer judges learned about middle schooler’s cities of the future at the Future City Competition in January. See page 15.

Technology Century

® SPRING 2024

THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF DETROIT

COVER FEATURE

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From Dots on a Map…to Guiding Short- and Long-Term EV Success: Urban Science Harnesses Unrivaled Data, Scientific Approach to Anticipate the Future and Ground High-Stakes Decisions in Confidence.

BY SUSAN THWING

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PUBLICATION NOTES PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ESD HAPPENINGS IN MEMORIAM MEMBERS IN THE NEWS ESD CORPORATE & SUSTAINING MEMBERS EVENTS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES UPCOMING DEADLINES ESD CORPORATE MEMBER: SAVILLS

V.29 | N.1

FEATURES 15 U.P. Team Wins Future City

BY MATT ROUSH

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The Roots and Realities of Artificial Intelligence

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ESD Writing Contest Winners Sports, Arts, and Newsrooms: AI Technology Brings Enhancements and New Challenges

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BY MICHAEL B. STEWART

BY SUSAN THWING

Book Review—The Man Who Saw Tomorrow: The Life and Inventions of Stanford R. Ovshinsky by Lillian Hoddeson and Peter Garrett

BY JANICE MEANS

Building a Successful, Ethical Career: The Integration of Professionalism and Ethics

BY MUMTAZ USMEN

The Rise of Smart Homes: A Q&A with Sanad Affara, CEO of Detroit Smart Home

BY OLIVIA RACETTE

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techcentury V.29 I N.1 Spring 2024

20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450 • Southfield, MI 48076 248–353–0735 • 248–353–0736 fax • esd@esd.org • esd.org

Pub Notes Karyn Stickel Associate, Hubbell, Roth & Clark

TECHNOLOGY CENTURY® EDITORIAL BOARD CHAIR: Karyn Stickel, Hubbell, Roth & Clark Utpal Dutta, PhD, FESD, University of Detroit Mercy

Linda Gerhardt, PhD, FESD Richard, Hill, PhD, University of Detroit Mercy Dana Marie LeFevre, Student, Michigan State University William A. Moylan, Jr., PhD, PMP, FESD,

Retired, Eastern Michigan University

Janice K. Means, PE, LEED AP, FESD, FASHRAE,

Retired, Lawrence Technological University

Olivia Racette, Student, Oakland University Matt Roush, Yellow Flag Productions

Rajiv Shah, PE, ACSCM Michael Stewart, Fishman Stewart Intellectual Property Cyrill Weems, Burns & McDonnell Yang Zhao, PhD, Wayne State University

ESD BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert A. Richard, DTE Gas Marc Hudson, Hum Internet Alex F. Ivanikiw, AIA, LEED AP, FESD, OAC Advisers, LLC Robert Magee, The Engineering Society of Detroit Kirk T. Steudle, PE, FESD, Steudle Executive Group Paul C. Ajegba, PE, Infrastructure Engineering, Inc.

Carla Bailo, ECOS Consulting, LLC Katherine M. Banicki, FESD, Testing Engineers and Consultants Michael Bassier, Stellantis Jeffrey L. Baxa, Barton Malow Company Mike Boss, Dürr Systems, Inc. Steven L. Ceccio, PhD, University of Michigan Louay Chamra, PhD, Oakland University Sean P. Conway, LIFT Ronald R. Henry, AIA, NCARB, Sachse Construction Leo C. Kempel, PhD, FESD, Michigan State University Dan Milot, ZF Group Claude Molinari, Visit Detroit

Scott Penrod, Walbridge

Sergio Pujols, DENSO International America, Inc.

Trevor Sherts, Ford Motor Company

Kristen M. Siemen, General Motors

Jasmine L. Sisson, PE, FESD, WSP USA Inc. Terry J. Woychowski, FESD, Caresoft Global PRESIDENT: VICE PRESIDENT: TREASURER: SECRETARY: PAST PRESIDENT:

TECHNOLOGY CENTURY STAFF PUBLISHER: MANAGING EDITOR: EDITOR:

Robert Magee, ESD Executive Director Nick Mason, ESD Director of Operations Susan Thwing

Postmaster, please send changes to: ESD, 20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450, Southfield, MI 48076. Technology Century®, also known as TechCentury, is published by The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD). The authors, editors, and publisher will not accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made in this publication.

The publisher makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Advertisements in TechCentury for products, services, courses, and symposia are published with a caveat emptor (buyer beware) understanding. The authors, editors, and publisher do not imply endorsement of products, nor quality, validity or approval of the educational material offered by such advertisements. ©2024 The Engineering Society of Detroit.

Hello to all of our TechCentury readers! Happy New Year, and welcome to 2024. This issue’s spotlight is on Urban Science and how it harnesses vast data to inform big decisions guiding the electric vehicle revolution. We hope you enjoy the article on page 8.

This issue also focuses on one of the biggest tech topics of 2023, Artificial Intelligence. Our featured stories include AI in sports, arts and the newsroom, as well as an article on smart homes, which many people are moving towards. We also have a piece on the roots and realities of AI

by Michael Stewart.

This issue includes our Student Essay Contest winners. We received many great submittals, and voting was tough, but we have narrowed it down to three. The winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by Fishman Stewart.

Our book discussion, which we started several issues ago, continues in the issue with Janice Means, reviewing a book about the life and inventions of ESD Member Stanford R. Ovshinsky. We are also pleased to present an ethics column

by Dr. Mumtaz Usmen on the subject of integrating professionalism and ethics.

We hope you find this issue informative and helpful. It’s truly a group effort to make it happen, with many volunteers coming together to share their talents.

If you’d like to support TechCentury—while taking advantage of the industry and business exposure you will receive—please consider advertising in future editions. By doing so you can connect with our 22,000 engineers and technical leaders in Michigan.

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2024

P RES IDENT’S MESSAGE

A New Year Full of Opportunities!

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appy 2024 to all of our Engineering Society of Detroit members. I hope you are as optimistic as I am about opportunities the new year will bring This issue’s theme is the potential for artificial intelligence to revolutionize our work and our lives.

The advancements in computational power for statistics and analysis is truly staggering. A few decades ago, computers allowed us to perform predictive modeling with a half dozen variables to estimate impact on just a few different objects at once. Today’s latest tools can model how a thousand factors will simultaneously impact more than a hundred objects. The awesome analytical speed of AI is truly a game changer for all forms of engineering.

At DTE, AI is helping us at the intersection of our people, our products and our customers. In our natural gas business, it’s helping us schedule service calls by predetermining available crews, past calls at an address, and special circumstances to deliver service to customers more efficiently than ever before. In our electric business, we’re exploring how we could utilize AI in our response to outages and to boost the efficiency of power delivery.

I genuinely believe the opportunities for engineers in the world of AI will be vast. Fields like data science are exploding, and entirely new businesses and markets are forming to leverage the potential of AI. These companies need talented engineers, and the ESD and its members are rising to this challenge. The problem-solving mindset of an engineer is the same approach needed to harness AI’s potential to apply new innovations to transportation, health care, information technology and other fields.

To anyone concerned about AI’s impact on their work or careers, I say that revolutionary technologies always bring more opportunities, not less. We as an industry will harness AI to help engineers and those in other disciplines serve their customers more efficiently and at a higher level.

The future of AI isn’t just exciting, it’s already here. I encourage you to embrace it for the benefit of our companies, customers and communities.

Bob Richard

Bob Richard President, The Engineering Society of Detroit President and Chief Operating Officer, DTE Gas

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ES D HA P P E NI NGS

Girls in ESD’s Girls in Engineering Academy build a solar-powered robot at ESD’s offices.

ESD GIRLS IN ENGINEERING ACADEMY Students in the ESD Girls in Engineering Academy (GEA) spent Saturday, October 14, 2023, with women engineers from Walmart, who were in Detroit from around the world for a conference. Jenice Harris, Market People Partner at Walmart, initiated the event as a way for the volunteers from the company’s Global Tech Team to support the community and support girls in STEM. They led a hands-on activity showing the first-year Academy students how to design, assemble and run a solar-powered robotic device.

The GEA program begins with a month-long intensive summer experience that is followed by a school-year component where girls gather on Saturdays to do active-

learning projects. There are seven cohorts of students, one for each grade from sixth to twelfth, and the Walmart experience was just one of many happening that Saturday.

Applications for rising sixth graders are due on May 1, 2024. This year will also mark the first year for a Boys in Engineering Academy. For more information on either program, contact director Dr. Gerald Thompkins at gthompkins@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 139., or program manager Alexandra Lofton at alofton@esd.org or 248‑353‑0735, ext. 161. More information on the program for girls can be found at esd.org/gea, while more on the program for boys can be found at esd.org/bea.

Sixth graders in the 2023 Cohort of ESD’s Girls in Engineering Academy with members of Walmart’s global tech team at ESD.

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ESD Tours Gordie Howe International Bridge On November 17, ESD members gained special access to the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. The sold-out tour was hosted by Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and also included an in-depth technical tour of MDOT’s Detroit Transportation Service Center.

The bridge project is the largest and most ambitious infrastructure project along the Canada-United States border. With four main components including the bridge, ports of entry in Canada and the US and the Michigan Interchange (I-75), the complex project required a high degree of planning, attention to detail and innovative design and building techniques. Participants heard from professionals working on the project before taking a perimeter tour of the Michigan I-75 Interchange, the U.S. Port of Entry, and the stayed-cable bridge deck adjacent to the construction site.

Gifts to The Engineering Society of Detroit support outreach activities like the ESD Girls in Engineering Academy, University Student Chapters and the Michigan Future City Competition.

Make a Lasting Gift:

JOIN THE ESD LEGACY SOCIETY

To join ESD’s Legacy Society, simply include the Society in your estate planning and let us know. To talk more about legacy gifts, please call 248-353-0735, ext. 127, or email nmason@esd.org.

To make a one-time gift online, visit esd.org/give.

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From Dots on a Map… to Guiding Short- and Long-Term EV Success Urban Science harnesses unrivaled data, scientific approach to anticipate the future and ground high-stakes decisions in confidence.

BY SUSAN THWING

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ata. It is everywhere, and it can be overwhelming—particularly in the fastmoving automotive industry, which is evolving more rapidly than ever. But when data is meshed with proven scientific processes and methodologies, and industry expertise gained over more than 40 years—as it is at Detroit-based Urban Science—it can be transformative.

Urban Science is a leading automotive consultancy and technology firm that serves automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealers—and the advertising technology companies that support them. Headquartered in Detroit and operating in 21 office locations worldwide, the company taps the power of science—and its unrivaled data, solution offerings, and industry expertise—to provide clients the tools to make decisions with confidence in even the most chaotic market conditions. It’s the only company with industry sales data that’s updated daily to help its clients achieve confident, quick, decisive decision-making.

It All Began with Dots on a Map

In 1977, Urban Science founder and CEO Jim Anderson was determined to solve a mission-critical challenge for Cadillac Automotive Company. The company’s leadership wanted to identify 37,000 car buyers in Chicago on a map.

Right: CEO Jim Anderson, who founded Urban Science in 1977.

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URBAN SC IENCE

“A fact in itself is nothing. It is valuable only for the idea attached to it, or for the proof which it furnishes.” — Claude Bernard At the time, it could only be done manually with push pins.

Anderson instead pioneered a science-driven process, which started with the invention of computer-generated dot mapping. With that invention, he founded Urban Science to deliver the solution to the car manufacturer, and a retail network planning revolution was born.

Urban Science grew from this innovative approach, which focuses on optimizing the number and location of retail outlets to drive efficiency and profitability across an automaker’s retail footprint. One man and one computer expanded to more than 800 employees in 21 offices spanning the globe, and an enterprise with deep long-term relationships with nearly every OEM globally. Anderson’s invention of computer dot mapping and modern network planning proved once again that science could solve previously unsolvable problems.

“What Jim managed to solve was a conundrum that absorbed a lot of OEMs’ time—working out a system to pinpoint where they were selling the most vehicles consistently, and making sure their dealers were where they were needed,” said Simon Bradley, Global Practice Director-Network, at Urban Science. “Until then, at OEMs, an employee painstakingly placed pins on a map one by Simon Bradley one to show where sales were occurring. Urban Science—located in the heart of Detroit— was one of the first companies, if not the first, to put dots— and data—on a map electronically.”

“This sounds so simple but it was revolutionary in introducing spatial (mapping) analysis to the automotive industry and the broader retail space,” he said.

What They Do with the “Dots”…

Fast forward to 2024, and Urban Science is still a leader in utilizing science-driven insights to help companies enhance their performance and efficiency and identify new challenges and opportunities they may not have seen otherwise. This includes working with each of the major OEMs across the globe to enhance an OEM’s retail network planning and competitiveness, and dealership performance; helping dealers sell more vehicles and eliminate waste in their processes; and empowering

automotive marketers to optimize their media spends, to name a few.

Urban Science excels in harnessing the power of its unrivaled data and scientific approach to uncover valuable insights, but that’s only part of what makes this firm unique. It combines these elements—unique in their own respects—with deep industry expertise to solve complex business challenges now and in the future.

Bradley explained that Urban Science validates and analyzes all data gathered to deeply understand consumer sales and service behavior and create corrective network actions. “We want to ensure customers stay brand loyal, leading to aftersales opportunities and repeat purchases,” he said. “One way of delivering this is to ensure convenience is not a barrier or an obstacle to achieving that goal.”

That loyalty can also be achieved in terms of automotive repair. Service departments are a primary source of dealership profit and drive customer loyalty—leading to improved vehicle sales and higher dealer performance levels. Urban Science delivers solutions that identify and analyze key service metrics to build an accurate picture of performance across the aftersales network and empower dealers to win more opportunities in their regions.

Driving Success, Long Term

In addition to Urban Science’s data and technology solutions, the company delivers consultancy services through its team of automotive business scientists to guide clients to enhanced operations across their enterprises.

The company’s experts collaborate with each client to help them develop tailored strategies that ensure the seamless integration of data analytics and science-driven insights and consulting into the client’s operations.

Urban Science’s approach is proving to be as valuable as ever as OEMs evaluate high-stakes decisions in a quickly evolving global marketplace.

“As the world continues to become smaller and global and domestic firms evaluate expansion opportunities, one of the most daunting prospects is entering a new country and accurately ascertaining the cost and potential success in that location,” Bradley said. “They have to ask, ‘how successful will we be if we build a retail network given the return on investment for entry into a country is measured in decades.’ We look at the scope of opportunity first. We ascertain which vehicles and segments they plan to sell and then assess the demand for those offerings at a granular level. This provides the critical blueprint for

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location priority, considering sales volume potential, unit allocation, and importantly, network growth, among other critical factors that can make or break a new venture.”

U.S. market forecasting is similar.

“Preferences vary so much across the United States— you’ve got metro and rural needs, East and West Coast, Midwest, you name it. It’s essential to use science—not speculation—to properly quantify market potential,” he said. “Once we’ve done that, we understand which markets are a priority and build action plans accordingly.”

The future is always at the forefront of planning.

“We don’t just look at the here and now. We say, ‘Today you are here; in five years, you will want to be here; in 10 years, you will want to expand to be in these locations.’ We leave the markets with enough space to grow the brand to expectations,” Bradley said.

Predicting the Future Amid the EV Revolution

It is difficult to look at the future of the automotive industry and not think about electric vehicles (EVs).

Staying ahead of the curve in the shift towards EVs is crucial for manufacturers and dealers.

The company’s commitment to innovation is evident in its continuous exploration of new technologies.

Urban Science embraces artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to stay ahead of industry trends like EV. This forward-thinking approach ensures clients are prepared—at the network and dealership levels—to address consumer preferences and needs, which continue to shift drastically as the EV future materializes.

In recent years, Bradley said, places like San Diego and the Seattle-Tacoma market have seen substantial increases in retail EV market share. But other hotbeds have emerged as well; while EV adoption surges in these areas may surprise many, Urban Science accurately forecasted these trends ahead of their electrification ascents.

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“Even states like North Carolina and Texas, where many wouldn’t expect steep adoption curves, are witnessing impressive growth, with markets like Charlotte, Dallas, and Houston showing the highest growth percentages, with over 50% EV share growth last year,” he explained. “This trend transcends regional boundaries and includes diverse demographics, indicating the widespread appeal of EVs. Urban Science can predict consumer trends, giving clients a crystal ball—with up to 98% accuracy— to find their current and future EV customers.”

“With electrification, that planning horizon of 10 years now becomes ever more important. Through our unrivaled industry sales data and proven science-driven approach, we understand where pay dirt is for OEMs and dealers, and we help them get—and stay— there.” Bradley said.

Thomas L. Kondrat, Advanced Analytics Global Lead, said current trends in EV adoption mirror those we’ve seen before. “ Te c h n o l o g y a d o p t i o n happens as a social process over time. Geographically, we see clearly formed patterns Thomas Kondrat in the geographic adoption of electric vehicles,” he said. “But this isn’t new. When you look at the auto industry’s past, for example, the Ford Model T, Ford started its production in 1908.

By the 1930s, about 50 percent of the country had adopted the automobile, but for about 20 years after that, adoption rates stagnated and it wasn’t until the 1950s we finally passed 60 percent adoption. When infrastructure investment came in, the convenience of the automobile increased, and we saw adoption progress.”

A similar process will likely happen with EV, Kondrat said, emphasizing the analysis of watching consumer interest grow, infrastructure establishment happen, and convenience and decreasing cost all meld together.

“We study these things—product availability, consumer awareness, and how technology can make people’s lives easier and more convenient,” he said.

Bradley said convenience to charging stations will be necessary for some—like people who live in apartments— who will need increased confidence that they will always have a place to charge their EV conveniently and securely.

“The dealerships should have an assessment of their local landscape to understand the unique charging needs of their customers,” he said.

“They may have to consider how, as a dealer, they make home installation easy or how they can work with the local municipality to install public charging that will benefit those customers who will depend on access to safe, reliable, affordable charging.”

Randall Tallerico, Chief Marketing Officer at Urban Science, said this type of longRandall Tallerico term forecasting and diligence solidifies the ongoing relationships the company has forged with clients over many years.

“Our clients have a sense of confidence knowing there’s a scientific process and proven approach behind our EV forecasting capabilities,” Tallerico said. “Jim (Anderson) knew early on that we needed a standardized scientific process to perform rigorous, accurate and repeatable market analysis. That’s what Urban Science created, and it continues to guide our clients to business certainty more than 40 years later.”

Future Outlook

As Urban Science continues to evolve—and help clients thrive—in the rapidly changing automotive landscape, its future outlook remains promising. The company’s emphasis on innovation, global collaboration, and social responsibility positions it as a leader in the dynamic field of automotive consulting and technology.

In addition to its well-established portfolios of OEM solutions, the company also offers direct-to-dealer solutions, including the capability to tap the power of the company’s unrivaled data to help dealers identify leads lost to sameand competitive-brand stores on a daily basis. The result: no more time spent pursuing leads that are no longer in the market. This offering is an industry first (and only) and a must-have in any dealership’s technology arsenal.

In the advertising technology space, Urban Science leverages the power of its data to help automotive marketers target vehicle shoppers more precisely and effectively by empowering them to better understand who’s in the market, and of those potential customers, which are predicted to buy the vehicle they’re selling.

Urban Science also empowers marketers to tie those campaign touchpoints back to the metric that matters most: vehicle sales—all in near real time.

“We’re proud to say we are a global company headquartered in Detroit. All our technology, which has led the auto industry through many evolutions and revolutions, has come from here—in Detroit,” said Tallerico. “This is becoming a tech town, and we’re competing with Silicon Valley. This all started in the late 70s with a single computer.

Since then, there have been maybe two or three companies in the world that even consider geographic information systems or mapping analysis as part of their repertoire. Urban Science is one of the pioneers and leaders in this space.”

Visit UrbanScience.com for more information about the company and its offerings to OEM, dealers and advertising technology clients.

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IN MEMORI A M

The contributions of these recently deceased members will not be forgotten: DON C. BRAMLETT, PE, SMIEEE, FESD, FM

Retired, Senior Project Engineer – Fossil Fuels, DTE Energy Member of the College of Fellows Distinguished Service Award Recipient ESD Affiliate Council Member, IEEE & American Nuclear Society Future City Judge Education & Professional Activities Board PE Advisory Committee ESD Speakers Bureau Award Committee Nominating Committee da Vinci Awards Committee & Judging Committee Member since 1990

GINO DiCLEMENTE

Retired/CEO, DiClemente Siegel Engineering, Inc. Member since 1983

ROBERT F. GUNOW President, VAC-MET Inc. Recruiters Committee Member since 1983

DR. JOSEPH F. LOUVAR Retired, Wayne State University, Professor Chemical Engineering Retired, BASF, Chemical Engineer ESD Board of Directors Strategic Planning Committee Member since 1985

HOWARD P. FREERS, FESD

Retired, Ford Motor Co., Chief Car Engineer Chrysler Corp.

Member of the College of Fellows ESDF Donor Committee Member since 1967

Remembering Don Bramlett

BY KIMBALL WILLIAMS It was with a heavy heart that we learned about the passing of Don Bramlett. Many know Don from all his years of service to both IEEE and ESD, as well as his keenness for the Future City Competition and Science Fair.

Don Bramlett received his BSEE and MBA from the University of Detroit. He was a registered Professional Engineer. Don spent his entire 40-year career in the energy industry, 6 years in the natural gas industry, and then 34 years in the power generation segment of the electric utility industry. He retired as a Senior Project Engineer from DTE Electric, a major subsidiary of DTE Energy, where he had overall engineering responsibility for large capital projects at various power plants.

For as long as I have known Don, he has been deeply involved in community activities, supporting Scouting, the Detroit Science Fair and the ESD Future City Competition each year. Don was the ‘Face of Southeastern Michigan IEEE’ and always taking time to give presentations to Student Branches and help train new officers after each Section wide election.

Don was an active volunteer with IEEE, ESD, and the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers (MSPE). He was a Fellow of ESD and MSPE. He was also involved as a leader at the troop and district level with the Boy Scouts of America, and a member of the Board of Trustees of his church. As a past Section Chair 1991-1992 and as IEEE’s Section Advisor Don gave us stability.

My last meeting with Don was on the evening of the ESD Annual Dinner. Don was unable to drive so I picked him up at his home and we both hobbled around the event, Don with a cane and me with a crutch. It was exciting to meet all the new students from many different universities and countries. We must have made quite a contrast among that young crowd, and I know we both enjoyed every minute.

Don passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 2, 2023, at 9:06 p.m.

Don Bramlett (far right) at the 2023 ESD Annual Dinner, at a table with other ESD Fellows.

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MEMBERS IN THE NEWS DETROIT MERCY RECEIVES GRANT TO HELP NONPROFITS INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY The University of Detroit Mercy won a $3.79-million award f r o m t h e D e p a r tm e n t o f E n e r g y ’s Office of State and Community Energy Program’s (SCEP) Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program to support energy efficiency in the country’s nonprofit sector. This program will enlist scores of students and faculty to help 13 nonprofits in southeast Michigan reduce their carbon footprint.

The Renew America’s Nonprofits grant aims to support nonprofits by reducing common barriers to implementing efficiency upgrades. The DOE selected grantees based on their proposed projects to help reduce energy consumption and expenses, which will free up a meaningful percentage of funds and lead to savings that can be redirected to mission-critical work.

The project will work to improve energy efficiency of 13 buildings in the Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park communities. The grant amount of $3.79 million will be supplemented by a match of $1.01 million, which will be shared among project partners in the form of in-kind resources. This brings the total investment in the project to $4.8 million.

RUBY+ASSOCIATES FOUNDER NAMED TO HALL OF FAME Ruby+Associates’s chairman and founding principal David I. Ruby, PE, SE, was inducted into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame in October 2023 at Ferris State University. He also received a Distinguished Constructor Award.

Selection for the Hall of Fame is based on a nominee’s technical, managerial, and leadership achievements within the construction and related David I. Ruby industries, as well as service to the profession and community. The Distinguished Constructor Award recognizes significant achievements made by individuals in the Michigan construction industry. The selection of a Distinguished Constructor is based on the nominee’s contribution over time.

Ruby’s career spans over 60 years and he has made constructability his passion. He is respected with an impressive resume of high-profile projects, articles, and presentations, and he is the author of the AISC Design Guide #23, “Constructability of Structural Steel Buildings.”

Lisa Tolbert

Mindy Schultz

Mario Garza

BARTON MALOW PROMOTES THREE TO VICE PRESIDENT Barton Malow promoted Lisa Tolbert, Mindy Schultz, and Mario Garza to vice president in their respective entities throughout the Barton Malow Enterprise.

Lisa Tolbert will serve as the Vice President of People Experience for Barton Malow Holdings, the core services entity of the Barton Malow Enterprise.

Mindy Schultz will serve as Vice President of Safety and Mario Garza as Vice President of Project Delivery (Automotive).

Tolbert joined Barton Malow in 1998 and has been instrumental in creating programs that impact team members across the enterprise. Schultz joined Barton Malow Company as safety director in 2021 and has significantly impacted its safety culture since. Garza joined Barton Malow as a layout engineer in 1999 and has held several different roles in project delivery throughout his 25-year tenure.

PIGNOTTI PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT AT KOLENE CORPORATION Louis R. Pignotti, PhD, was promoted to Vice President of Research and Development and to an officer at Kolene Corporation. Pignotti joined Kolene in September 2012 as a Senior Research Chemist and progressed through the lab to Chief Chemist in January 2016, where he remained until his current role as VP of R&D. At Kolene, Pignotti has worked in various capacities, including new Louis R. Pignotti product development. He is a named inventor on the Kolene patent for Oxigen-X®.

Pignotti earned his undergraduate degree, a BS in Chemistry with an Environmental Concentration (2006), and a PhD (2011) in Inorganic Chemistry, both from Michigan Technological University.

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MEMB ERS I N T H E N EWS

wer

DTE GREEN ENERGY PROGRAM GETS NATIONAL HONOR

HRC’S VILLALOBOS NAMED TO ITE’S 2023 CLASS OF YOUNG LEADERS TO FOLLOW

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recognized DTE’s MIGreenPower program as the top utility green tariff program in the United States. NREL is a research organization within the U.S. Department of Energy that has compiled data on utility green pricing programs since 2000 and releases annual “Top 10” lists to recognize outstanding programs.

DTE’s MIGreenPower program has been listed among the top 10 utility green pricing programs for the past three years and has now reached number one in the utility green tariff category – this distinction recognizes renewable energy sales to customers through a contractual agreement.

MIGreenPower participation is accelerating the development of new wind and solar projects in Michigan.

By 2026, DTE will add more than 1,000 megawatts of new clean energy projects to meet program demand. These renewable energy investments are helping combat climate change while also strengthening Michigan’s economy by providing additional tax revenue for local communities, supporting thousands of local jobs, and supplying extra income for participating landowners. MIGreenPower is a key component of DTE’s broader plan for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

T h e I n st i t u t e o f Tra n s p o r t a t i o n Engineers (ITE) has named Cole G. Villalobos, PE, a transportation engineer at Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc., to its 2023 class of Young Leaders to Follow. The 2023 Young Leaders to Follow class is composed of 20 transportation professionals under 35 years old who have demonstrated leadership and innovation within the transportation industry and ITE. Recipients Cole G. Villalobos were chosen from a competitive pool of young professionals based on their experience, professional successes, and recommendations.

MIGreenPower

GHAFARI NAMED A TOP THREE MANUFACTURING FACILITY DESIGNER Ghafari is the number three firm on Engineering News-Record’s 2023 list of the top manufacturing facility designers in the U.S., moving up one spot from last year. The annual report ranks the largest U.S.-based architecture and engineering firms across different sectors and project types.

CONSUMERS ENERGY OPERATING HEARTLAND FARMS WIND H e a r t l a n d Fa r m s Wind, located in Gratiot County—the fifth wind project for Consumers Energy— now is producing clean energy for Michigan homes and businesses. Heartland Farms Wind features 72 turbines that provide 201 megawatts of energy—enough to power about 80,000 households. The Chicago-based power generation development and operations company Invenergy built the project, and Consumers Energy took ownership upon its completion.

Consumers Energy’s newest wind project represents a $358 million investment in Michigan’s clean energy infrastructure. It joins Lake Winds Energy Park (Mason County), Cross Winds Energy Park (Tuscola County), Gratiot Farms Wind (Gratiot County), and Crescent Wind (Hillsdale County). Combined, the five Consumers Energy wind projects can produce enough clean energy to power about 330,000 households.

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ESD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HONORED FOR STUDENT CHAPTER Lake Superior State University awarded ESD Executive Director Robert Magee (above, third from the left) the 2023 Engineering Above and Beyond Service Award. The award is given by the university provost and the dean of the School of Engineering and Technology. LSSU is one of the 14 universities in Michigan with ESD Student Chapters. Members of the chapter at LSSU live together in a house at the university.

The winning team presenters from JKL Bahweting Anishnabe Academy in Sault Ste. Marie

Anishnabe Academy from U.P. Wins Future City

BY MATT ROUSH

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team from the Upper Peninsula will represent Michigan in the national Future City Competition, winning the ESD Michigan Regional Competition held January 23 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

The winners from the Joseph K. Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy of Sault Ste. Marie will represent Michigan at the Future City Finals, to be held in Washington, D.C. from February 17-20, during National Engineers Week. They will return Washington, D.C. in midApril to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s first-ever National STEM Festival. The Festival will include a public exposition of the approximately 200 top science and engineering projects submitted by students in grades 6-12 from all 50 states and U.S. territories. This event aims to highlight innovative student-led solutions addressing critical global challenges.

Future City is a project-based learning program where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades imagine, research, design, and build cities set at least 100 years in the future.

The competition’s theme changes every year to keep the competition fresh. This year’s theme was “Electrify Your Future,” and teams were challenged to design a city that is fully electric and powered by energy sources designed to keep its citizens and the environment healthy and safe.

The program’s requirements see teams develop a project plan, write an essay about their city, build a physical model of their city built with recycled materials, develop a sevenminute presentation on their city, and respond to judges’

questions after the presentation. Volunteer engineers, scientists, and business professionals serve as judges. Teams are coached by educators and engineer mentors.

Across the nation, 60,000 middle school students from 1,800 teams compete for the national championship. In Michigan, nine schools participated, some with several teams, for a total of 16 teams.

The JKL Academy’s winning city, NeoOrleans, was a futuristic New Orleans built on part of the existing city that used a wide variety of renewable energy sources to power their city while improving its climate. As an added twist, the city reached out to extraterrestrials to emigrate to Earth, and the city’s population was visualized as being 15% extraterrestrials.

Second place in the competition went to St. John Lutheran School of Rochester. Third place went to AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School of Southfield.

Fourth place went to Pierce Middle School of Grosse Pointe Park. Fifth place went to Tappan Middle School of Ann Arbor.

Presenting sponsors of Future City were Constellation, the DTE Foundation, and TC Energy. The Skillman Foundation was a major sponsor. A complete list of both event sponsors and sponsors of special awards given to the students is on the following pages.

For information on how to become part of building a Future City, or to volunteer as a mentor or judge, visit esd.org/futurecity, or contact program manager Allison Marrs at amarrs@esd.org or (248) 353-0735, ext. 121.

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FU TU RE C ITY CO M PE T I T I O N

The winning team presenting their model city of the future Above: Final-round judges evaluated the top three teams. They were: Cedric Flowers, Vice President, Gas Operations, DTE Energy Gas; Marc Hudson, Co-Founder & CEO, Hum; Danny Milot, Senior Vice President Brake Engineering, ZF Group; Michael Ryan, Senior Vice President, Ghafari; Jasmine Sisson, PE, FESD; Vice President, WSP; and Jennifer Schafer, Director of Company Relations, Energy Sciences.

Left: Thank you to Matt Roush, Managing Editor, Yellow Flag Productions, for volunteering to be emcee for the event.

The winning team with ESD President Bob Richard (far left) and ESD Executive Director Robert Magee (far right).

THANK YOU TO THE 2024 FUTURE CITY SPONSORS

Detroit Chapter

Detroit

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Detroit Region Green Schools Committee

FUTURE C ITY COMP ETITIO N

FUTURE CITY SPECIAL AWARD SPONSORS AND WINNERS BEST COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AWARD Society of Women Engineers, Detroit Professional Section Joseph K Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy, Sault Sainte Marie – Boise Boiz A-Z Team BEST ENGINEERED PROJECT AWARD NTH Consultants, Ltd. Joseph K Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy, Sault Sainte Marie – Boise Boiz A-Z Team BEST ESSAY The Engineering Society of Detroit Joseph K Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy, Sault Sainte Marie – Boise Boiz A-Z Team BEST INTEGRATED DESIGN AWARD Sidock Group, Inc. DeWitt Middle School, DeWitt – Save_Houston Team BEST LAND SURVEYING PRACTICES AWARD National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying DeWitt Middle School, DeWitt – Save_Houston Team BEST USE OF ALTERNATIVE OR RENEWABLE FUELS AWARD Dürr Systems, Inc. Pierce Middle School, Grosse Pointe Park BEST USE OF ENERGY AWARD DTE Energy Foundation Bryant Middle School, Dearborn BEST USE OF GREEN PRINCIPLES AWARD USGBC Detroit Region, Green Schools Committee Innocademy, Zeeland BEST USE OF MATERIALS AWARD ASM International, Detroit Chapter Light of the World Academy, Pinckney – Tectonic City Team BEST VISUALIZATION OF A SMART, SUSTAINABLE CITY American Society of Civil Engineers Dewitt Middle School, Dewitt – Rain Collectors BEST WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING AWARD East Michigan Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association and Waste Management, Inc. Detroit Merit Charter Academy, Detroit BUILDING WITH THE AMERICAN SPIRIT: PEOPLE, PROJECTS & COMMUNITIES AWARD Barton Malow Company St. John Lutheran School, Rochester

ENERGY PROBLEM SOLVERS TC Energy Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor – Pleasant Park Team ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD The Engineering Society of Detroit Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor – The Oasis Team HERBERT W. LINK VISIONARY AWARD Link Engineering Company Pierce Middle School, Grosse Pointe Park INCORPORATION OF PLASTIC MATERIALS AWARD Society of Plastics Engineers Detroit Section Joseph K Lumsden Bahweting Anishnabe Academy, Sault Sainte Marie – NeoOrleans Team INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD University of Detroit Mercy Light of the World Academy, Pinckney – Bionic City Team INTEGRATION AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IN BUILDING SYSTEMS Lawrence Technological University Pierce Middle School, Grosse Pointe Park MOST INNOVATIVE DESIGN FOR WATER CONSERVATION AND REUSE AWARD American Society of Plumbing Engineers, Eastern Michigan Chapter Detroit Merit Charter Academy, Detroit MOST TEAM SPIRIT AWARD The Engineering Society of Detroit Tappan Middle School, Ann Arbor – Nascer do Sol OUTSTANDING FUTURE CITY PROJECT PLAN AWARD Project Management Institute Educational Foundation AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School, Southfield PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD The Engineering Society of Detroit Light of the World Academy, Pinckney – Tectonic City Team ROOKIE TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD The Engineering Society of Detroit AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School, Southfield SAFEST CITY AWARD Hartland Insurance Group, Inc. Light of the World Academy, Pinckney – Santo Bulkan Team

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FU TU RE C ITY CO M PE T I T I O N

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The second place team from St. John Lutheran School in Rochester presenting their model city.

The third place team from AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School of Southfield, with judge Jasmine Sisson in the background.

The team from Detroit Merit Charter Academy presents to volunteer judge Keith Kowalkowski from LTU.

Pierce Middle School of Grosse Pointe Park placed fourth in the competition with their city Bord du Lac.

Fifth place at the went to Tappan Middle School of Ann Arbor with their city of the future named Pleasant Park.

Mad Science provided engaging activities for students who were not presenting to the judges.

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ESD SUSTAINING AND CORPORATE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

ACS, Michigan AECOM Hunt AKT Peerless Environmental Services Alberici Constructors, Inc. Albrecht Engineering, LLC American Society of Employers Aristeo Construction AUCH Construction AVL Mobility Technologies Barr Engineering The Bartech Group Barton Malow Family of Companies Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Blue Care Network Brightwing Center for Automotive Research Central Michigan University The Christman Company Christman Constructors, Inc. Chrysan Industries Citizens Insurance Clark Hill, PLC CleanEarth CMS Enterprises Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC CPCII Dale Prentice Company Dearborn Mid-West Company DENSO International America, Inc. Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau DTE Energy DTE Energy Gas Operations Dürr Systems, Inc. Eastern Michigan University Electro-Matic Products, Inc. Energy Sciences Experis Farbman Group FEV Financial One, Inc. Fishman Stewart PLLC

Fusion Welding Solutions Gala & Associates, Inc. GHD General Dynamics General Motors Company George W. Auch Company Ghafari Associates, LLC Global Auto Mobility Global Information Technology Golder Associates Inc. Gresham Smith GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Harley Ellis Devereaux Hartland Insurance Group, Inc. Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc. Huntington National Bank IBI Group Ideal Contracting JNA Partners, Inc. Innovative Engineered Solutions, Inc. JNE Consulting Kettering University Knovalent, Inc. Kolene Corporation Kostal North America Lake Superior State University Lansing Board of Water and Light Lawrence Technological University Limbach Company, Inc. Link Engineering Co. LTI Information Technology Macomb Community College Maner, Costerisan & Ellis, PC MEDA Engineering & Technical Services Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University Midwest Steel Inc. Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Inc. Neumann/Smith Architecture Newman Consulting Group, LLC Northern Industrial Manufacturing Corp.

NTH Consultants, Ltd. Oakland University Original Equipment Suppliers Association Project Performance International ROWE Professional Services Company Rumford Industrial Group Ruby+Associates, Inc. Saginaw Valley State University Savills Detroit SSI Stellantis Step Up Recruiting, LLC Talascend, LLC Testing Engineers & Consultants Tetra Tech Thermal-Netics Troy Chamber of Commerce Universal Weatherstrip & Bldg. Supply Universal Compressed Air University of Detroit Mercy University of Michigan University of Michigan-Dearborn Wade-Trim Walbridge Wayne State University Western Michigan University The Whiting Turner Contracting Company WS ZF Group

SUSTAINING MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNERS:

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EVE N TS & E DUCAT I O NA L OP P ORTUNITIES SOLID WASTE TECHNICAL CONFERENCE March 6, 2024

Sponsored by The Engineering Society of Detroit and the Michigan Waste and Recycling Association, the 33rd Annual Solid Waste Technical Conference focuses on cutting-edge technological innovations and solutions related to the solid waste industry. The conference brings together national experts to present on issues related to policy, new technologies, regulatory updates and what the future holds for the industry.

The conference offers educational sessions and an exhibit area and will be held at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing. For more information or to register to attend, visit esd.org, or contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

GOLD AWARD RECEPTION & RECOGNITION March 20, 2024

Join ESD’s Affiliated Technical Societies as we come together to honor and recognize our leaders—engineers, scientists and technical professionals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievement and service within their respective Societies.

Hosted by ESD and its Affiliate Council, the event features this year’s Gold Award winner, James Boileau, PhD, FASM, nominated by ASM International Detroit Chapter.

The event will take place at Tapestry in Southfield. For more information or to register, visit esd.org or contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

ESD AFFILIATE COUNCIL MEETINGS Third Wednesday of Each Month

ESD established the Affiliate Council to encourage cross-society cooperation and communication between engineering, scientific and allied professional societies. ESD members are invited to attend.

Meetings include a technical presentation, and the topics change every month. Continuing education certificates are available upon request.

Meetings are currently being held at ESD Headquarters along with an online option, from 6 – 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month.

For more information or to register, contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org or 248-3530735, ext. 119.

Dr. James Boileau

ENGINEERS GET HIRED JOB FAIR

April 29, 2024

Employers: Exhibit space is available for those looking to hire. Meet in person with engineering and tech professionals, college students and recent graduates eager to find their next opportunity.

Job Seekers: Whether you are a seasoned professional, a recent graduate, or an in-between careers job seeker, you’ll find your next position at ESD’s job fair. Employers will be recruiting for full and part-time positions, as well as internships and co-ops.

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The job fair will be held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. For more information on exhibi t i n g o r a t t e n d i n g, visit esd.org or contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at 248-353-0735, ext. 152, or lsmith@esd.org.

EV E NTS & EDUCATIONAL OP P ORTUNITIES FE/PE EXAM REVIEW COURSES: ELECTRICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, MECHANICAL & CIVIL

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS: MICHIGAN ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

Holding a PE license sets you apart. Adding PE initials after your name provides many benefits including a higher salary, faster career advancement and the ability to sign and seal contracts and drawings. For over 75 years, ESD has helped thousands of engineers pass the State licensing exam. ESD’s review courses will prepare you to pass the exam on your first try. Learn in a small online group setting from academic and industry professionals who have firsthand knowledge of the course material.

Visit esd.org for more information or contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org of 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

For 25 years, DTE Energy and ESD have hosted the Michigan Energy Efficiency Conference and Exhibition. The one-day conference is designed to educate small to large commercial and industrial businesses on technology, products, and services that will assist them in successful energy management.

This year’s conference will take place at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi and will include a special keynote presentation, educational tracks and dozens of exhibitors offering energy-related products and services.

For more information or to register online, visit esd.org or call 248-353-0735 to register by phone.

Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting? Contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

Courses Begin in July 2024

May 7, 2024

ESD ANNUAL GOLF OUTING June 3, 2024

PE INFORMATION SESSIONS Held Monthly

Discover the many benefits of becoming a PE. Attend a complimentary session and learn about the path to licensure. Sessions are held on the first Monday of the month in March and April and the second Tuesday of the month May–July, from 6–7 p.m. There is no cost to attend, but preregistration is required.

Check esd.org for dates and to register online. For more info, contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

ONLINE PE CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES Through April 2024

Michigan professional engineers who want to enhance their personal and professional growth, or who need continuing education hours, can check out ESD’s three and four-hour courses. Current PE’s can take ESD review course classes on an a la carte basis to satisfy state requirements. A broad range of topics are offered. The live, instructor-led, online classes are taught by academic and industry professionals.

For schedules and to register, visit esd.org or contact Elana Shelef at eshelef@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 119.

Looking forward to sunny skies and getting back on the greens? Mark your calendar and plan to join your colleagues and friends at Oak Point Country Club in Brighton for ESD’s 13th Annual Golf Outing. Enjoy a day of fun and networking in support of engineering. Outing proceeds help support ESD’s outreach and educational efforts.

Sponsorship are available. Visit esd.org or contact Heather Lilley at hlilley@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 120.

ESD BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN, ENGINEERING LAB April 12, 2024

University of Michigan-Dearborn engineering required a new, more modern building. They teamed up with SmithGroup and Granger Construction to design a facility that could evolve with rapidly changing technologies. Tour attendees will get an insider’s look at the new Engineering Lab Building that was completed in February 2021.

The $90M project consisted of 57,000 ft2 of renovation and 66,000 ft2 of new construction. It included three components: a high-bay building renovation, a three-story addition, and a large double height atrium to connect them.

To register online, visit esd.org or call 248-353-0735 to register by phone. Or for more information contact Elana Shelef at 248-353-0735, ext. 119 or eshelef@esd.org.

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UP COM IN G D E A D L I N ES

HONORS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS JOHN G. PETTY IMAGE AWARD Entry Deadline: February 29, 2024

The John G. Petty Image Award is intended to recognize individuals who have promoted, publicized, and enhanced the engineering and technical professions to the public-at-large through public engagement, mentoring, public speaking, authorizing articles, and other publicly visible activities.

No m i n e e s d o n o t h av e t o b e ESD members, but nominators must be. Nomination requirements and additional information can be found at esd.org or contact Susan Thwing at sthwing@esd.org.

ESD COLLEGE OF FELLOWS NOMINATIONS

Nomination Deadline: February 29, 2024 Help us recognize leaders by nominating a Fellow, one of the highest recognitions that ESD can bestow on its members. Candidates are selected based on outstanding professional accomplishments, leadership, and service. They must be members in good standing for at least five years at time of application deadline.

For full details and instructions visit esd.org. For more information, contact Heather Lilley at hlilley@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 120.

ESD HONOR AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Applications Due: February 20, 2024 Online applications for awards below are available at esd.org.

For more information, contact Sue Ruffner at sruffner@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 117.

ESD CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN AWARDS

Submission Deadline: February 29, 2024 ESD’s Construction and Design Awards are among the premier recognitions awarded to members of the construction industry and their projects. These awards are unique in that they honor the three primary members of the building team, owners, designers, and constructors, and recognize outstanding team achievement and innovative use of technology. The awards were conceived 50 years ago to encourage elevation of the standard of practice in the construction industry.

For eligibility requirements, submission criteria and entry procedures, visit esd.org. For more information, contact Leslie Smith, CMP, at lsmith@esd.org or 248-353-0735, ext. 152.

Outstanding Young Engineer of the Year Award

Awarded each year for outstanding contributions by an engineer under age 35 to the benefit of the engineering community. Candidates must be ESD members.

Recipients are recognized at the ESD Annual Dinner event, usually held in June.

Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year Scholarship

Awarded each year for outstanding achievement by an undergraduate student who has distinguished him or herself in the engineering and scientific community. The recipient(s) receives a $2,000 scholarship and a one-year complimentary student membership to ESD.

Outstanding High School Student of the Year Scholarship

Awarded annually to one or more students for outstanding academic and extracurricular achievement by a graduating high school senior pursuing a career in engineering or science. The recipient(s) receives a $2,000 scholarship and a one-year complimentary student membership to ESD. ESD Fellows, from left with the year they were inducted: Sue L. Littles (2005), Jasmine L. Sisson (2018), Frenae F. Smith (2017), and Monique A. Lake (2015).

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ES D CORP ORATE MEMBER

Savills Powers People and Growth in Commercial Real Estate

N

early 170 years after its founding, Savills is one of the largest real estate companies in the world. With over 700 global offices and nearly 39,000 people working across 70 countries, the company’s history spans world wars, decades of innovation and change, and expansive growth in its industry.

In North America, Savills has more than 45 offices and over 900 employees. The firm provides local and international clients with a comprehensive and cohesive suite of services and solutions that encompasses tenant representation, occupancy strategy and analytics, workplace strategy, capital markets, workforce and incentives strategy, labor analytics, project management, and additional areas of commercial real estate. The key to the global company’s success, however, is its ability to connect clients with the highly specified local market expertise they need.

Savills opened a Detroit office four years ago. “Our diverse client base spans from tier one automotive suppliers to tech and engineering firms, both industrial and office assets, multi-family, and hospitality companies—we’re across the board,” said Greg Bockart, Jr., SIOR, CCIM, Executive Managing Director at Savills. “We advise companies from startups to Fortune 50 companies on Greg Bockart, Jr. their real estate needs by applying effective strategies to grow and scale their business.”

The Savills team was recently named to Crain’s Detroit Business’ Big Deals list of the largest real estate transactions for both office and industrial categories. They finished with the second largest office lease and the second, ninth, and eleventh largest industrial leases.

Locally, a major project the firm is advising on is TI Fluid Systems’ expansion of its technology center. “TI Fluid Systems was our second-largest deal of the last year,” Bockart said. “This 48,400 square foot addition will allow TI to unite its research, development, and office departments into one comprehensive campus. The expansion will support the company’s E-Mobility Innovation Center (E-MIC).”

The plans were made possible owing to TIFS’ renewal of its lease at the Fieldstone Industrial Complex. The terms of the renewal enable TIFS to expand its presence to nearly 200,000 square feet, providing the space to build its next

Savills is advising on T1 Fluid Systems’ tech center expansion.

eMIC, as well as expand and modernize its existing corporate offices. The existing Auburn Hills Tech Center will be closed and its capabilities moved to the new space. Savills led the real estate strategy for the expansion to renew and grow TI’s corporate offices while bringing its local technology center onto the premises, Bockart said.

The plans were complex according to Matthew Jo h n st o n , G l o b a l Re a l E st a t e D i re c t o r, T I F l u i d Systems.“Greg and I originally drew this whole plan out on a cocktail napkin, so I am excited that we were able to take this very ambitious idea and make it a reality,” said Johnston “This project has a lot of pieces and took multiple parties to help put them together. It is really exciting to see it all coming collectively together as we are just a couple months away from completion.”

Bockart said the number one goal for Savills is “providing innovative services and solutions to solve our client’s real estate needs during one of the most pivotal times in history. As an integrated commercial real estate advisory firm, we bring people together and cut through the complexity of today’s markets, helping our clients unlock hidden value and drive results for their businesses. At the end of the day, real estate is simply about people.”

This can include unlocking new performance measures, delivering projects faster, developing capital strategies, or leveraging cutting-edge technology—all to maximize value.

In addition to assisting clients with real estate strategy, the Savills team is highly involved in philanthropic and local community activities. The Michigan office actively supports the Children’s Foundation of Michigan, The Engineering Society of Detroit, the Urban Land Institute Michigan, and the Detroit Athletic Club.

For more information about Savills, visit savills.us.

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AI H ISTORY

The Roots and Realities of Artificial Intelligence

BY MICHAEL B. STEWART

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CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED. . PHOTO BY JIUGUANG WANG. VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

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PUBLIC DOMAIN, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. BY THEODOR VON HOLST.

epresentations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as accomplished by man’s own hand, and not by magic, have existed in literature since at least the 1800s.

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about AI through the creation of an artificial life form using discarded body parts, who ultimately gets the better of his overconfident creator.1 Samuel Butler’s Erewhon: or, Over the Range, is a satirical utopian novel from 1872 where fear of the potential dangers from machinery led to their destruction to protect humanity—an idea that Butler explored even earlier in 1863 in an article entitled Darwin among the Machines. 2 Another early example can be found in a Frontispiece to 1831 edition of chapter from George Eliot’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

1879 Impressions of Theophrastus entitled “Shadows of the Coming Race,” in which he envisions a world where “’perfectly educated’ machines will serve needs that they have themselves determined, and will do so efficiently, unencumbered by ‘screeching’ consciousness,” rendering human judgment and ingenuity obsolete.3 Such early dystopian literature expounding on artificial sentience were culturally assimilated over Replica of the character Maria time and began to percolate from Metropolis. into popular culture including the “heartless” Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz and a humanoid robot that impersonated Maria in Metropolis.4

Based upon this backdrop, scientists, engineers, and philosophers began in earnest to consider the development of AI, taking a step back to a more basic definition, which is the ability of an artificial construct to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent human beings.

The first step in the process took place in 1949. It relied on a brand-new feature of computers, which was the ability to store commands. This meant that for the first-time computers could not only be told what to do but could now remember what they did.5 The Manchester Mark 1, developed at Victoria University of Manchester, England, executed a program to search for Mersenne primes, defined as a prime number that is one less than a power of two (Mn = 2n − 1 for some integer n). The machine’s successful operation was widely reported in the press, which used the phrase “electronic brain” to describe the system.6 Then in 1950, Claude Shannon demonstrated Theseus, a robotic mouse capable of navigating a maze. 7 Two significant writings were also published in 1950. In Computing Machinery and Intelligence, Alan Turing suggested that since humans use available information as well as reason to solve problems, why could not machines be created to do the same thing.8 Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, popularized the “Three Laws of Robotics”9 to protect humanity from a machine’s actions.

In 1951, Marvin Minsky demonstrated a Stochastic Neural Analog Reinforcement Calculator (SNARC).10 It was a randomly connected network of approximately 40 Hebb synapses. The synapses each had a memory that held the probability that when a signal comes in a particular input, then another signal will come out of a specific output.

Later, in 1955, the very first AI computer program was initialized through Allen Newell, Cliff Shaw, and Herbert Simon’s Logic Theorist.11 The Logic Theorist was a computer program that exceeded human mathematicians as it offered better and more detailed proofs of their theorems.

Progress abounded. Computers stored increased information while also becoming faster, less expensive, and more accessible. Machine learning algorithms were developed and improved. For example, Newell and Simon’s General Problem Solver was an AI system that could solve problems by searching through specific parameters for all possible solutions. 12 Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA was one of the world’s first “chat bots” that simulated

AI HISTORY conversation by using a pattern-matching and substitution methodology that gave users the illusion of understanding on the part of the program.13 In reality, however, it had no representation that could be considered really understanding what was being said by either party. Nevertheless, both examples showed promise towards the goals of problem solving and the interpretation of spoken language.

In 1968 as part of the collaboration between Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick that resulted in the implementation of the HAL 9000 sentient artificial character in 2001: Space Odyssey, the two predicted that such an intelligence would exist in the year the movie was set.14 Then in 1970 Life magazine published an article claiming that in “three to eight years we will have a machine with the general intelligence of an average human being.”15 Such optimism was misplaced. While the basic proof of concept had been demonstrated, it was still impossible to implement natural language processing, abstract reasoning, and self-recognition, hallmarks of General (or Generative) Artificial Intelligence (“GenAI”), that can generate new, original content such as text, images, music, and other media.16 Quite simply, then-existing computer hardware and software were inadequate. As a result, the goal of GenAI was shelved.

Over time, different players began to put in place the tools that would lead to GenAI. For instance, in 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue, a chess-playing computer program, defeated reigning Grand Master Gary Kasparov, while speechrecognition software, as developed by Dragon Systems, was implemented for use on personal computers.17 In the 2000s we entered the age of “big data,” where computer systems became sophisticated and powerful enough to both store and then manipulate huge sums of information, which was too cumbersome for an individual to process. 18 AI algorithms and protocols were refined to analyze and utilize this data to grow enterprise value.

Examples abound of big data AI systems in such industries as marketing, entertainment, and banking.

Simultaneously, advances in transformer-based deep neural networks enabled the development of systems notable for accepting natural language prompts as input.19 It is the very recent marriage of these foundational

tools that has led to an explosion of Large Language Model (“LLM”) chatbots such as CHatGPT, Copilot, Bard and LLaMA, and text-to -image AI art systems such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL -E in the past year or two.20 21 As in so many other areas of human endeavor over time, now that the technological tools have been mated to facilitate GenAI, social issues have begun to function as a brake. There are myths and misunderstandings surrounding AI, and it can be challenging to distinguish between fact and fiction.22 The ever-improving capabilities of AI are a double-edged sword. Harms may be intentional, like deepfake videos, or unintended, such as algorithms that reinforce racial and other biases.23 There are also significant legal issues. The New York Times recently filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, accusing them of copyright infringement and abusing the newspaper’s intellectual property. 24 The newspaper seeks to hold the companies to account for “billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages” it believes it is owed for “unlawful copying and use of the Time’s uniquely valuable works,” arguing that their AI systems “exploit and in many cases, retain large portions of the copyrightable expression contained in those works.”

Most experts believe that GenAI as explored in early dystopian literature where an artificial life form becomes sentient, does not yet exist and may not for quite some time, if ever. However, there are others who believe otherwise.25 Whether or not AI sentience ever comes to pass, the reality is that AI will continue to augment and assist people both professionally and personally including driving insights in drug discovery, help with decisionmaking such as identifying a menu of likely treatment options for patients, and providing assistance, such as lane keeping while driving as part of the ongoing transition to full autonomous driving. 26 Depending on the social and legal outcomes that are just now coming to the forefront, AI will drive enhanced individualized creativity and expression.

A fall 2023 McKinsey publication estimates that GenAI alone could add the equivalent of $2.6 to $4.4 trillion in annual economic benefits worldwide in the coming years.27 It promises to be quite the journey!

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2023

REFERENCES

1. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/84 2. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1906; https://www.gutenberg. org/cache/epub/3279/pg3279-images.html#page179 3. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10762 4. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55; https://www.kropserkel. com/robot.html 5. https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/history-artificial-intelligence/ 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Mark_1 7. https://historyof.ai/shannon/ 8. https://redirect.cs.umbc.edu/courses/471/papers/turing.pdf 9. https://www2.cs.sfu.ca/~vaughan/teaching/415/papers/I,%20 Robot%20Ch1-3.pdf; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_ of_Robotics 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_Neural_Analog_Reinforcement_Calculator 11. https://history-computer.com/logic-theorist/ 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Problem_Solver 13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA 14. https://directorsseries.tumblr.com/post/93805031522/stanleykubrick-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968 15. https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~kuipers/opinions/AI-progress.html 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence; https://huit.harvard.edu/ai; https://news.mit.edu/2023/ explained-generative-ai-1109; https://teaching.cornell.edu/generative-artificial-intelligence 17. https://www.chess.com/terms/deep-blue-chess-computer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=eV5qEPIG5is 18. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-big-data-is-empowering-ai-and-machine-learning-at-scale/ 19. https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~hinton/absps/overview13.pdf 20. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/ourinsights/the-data-dividend-fueling-generative-ai; https://hbr. org/2023/07/how-to-train-generative-ai-using-your-companys-data 21. https://openai.com/chatgpt; https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ microsoft-copilot; https:// bard.google.com/; https://ai.meta. com/llama/; https://stablediffusionweb.com/; https://www. midjourney.com/home?callbackUrl=%2Fexplore; https://openai. com/dall-e-2 22. https://seas.harvard.edu/news/2021/10/present-and-future-ai 23. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/04/22/ debunking-the-myths-and-reality- of-artificialintelligence/?sh=73416e443b52 24. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/27/new-york-times-sues-microsoft-chatgpt-maker-openai-over-copyright-infringement.html 25. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/ai-consciousness-howt o - r e c o g n i z e -1 . 6 4 9 8 0 6 8 ; h t t p s : // b l o g . h u b s p o t . c o m / marketing/sentient-ai#:~:text=Sentient%20AI%20Is%20Part%20 of%20the%20Not%2DSo%2DNear%20Future.&text=Out%20 of%20the%20four%20types,interactions%20based%20on%20this%20understanding.

26. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-artificial-intelligence/ 27. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/ourinsights/the-data-dividend-fueling-generative-ai

Michael Stewart, MSE, JD, is a founding member of Fishman Stewart. He has worked in a wide range of technical areas including information technology, e-commerce, telecommunications, and mechanical, aerospace, computer, and nuclear engineering.

Michael’s litigation experience includes both trials and oral arguments before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Michael is a frequent author and speaker on intellectual property protection and enforcement.

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ESD Writing Contest WINNERS

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he Engineering Society of Detroit is pleased to announce the winners of the sixth annual ESD Engineering Student Writing Contest.

To promote and engage student voices and ideas about the profession of engineering, the Society launched the contest in 2018. Open to all engineering students attending Michigan universities and studying within any of the engineering and related disciplines, the top three entries follow.

The students were asked to address one of three topics in an essay. The top award-winning essay, written by Margaret Van Antwerp will receive a $1,000 scholarship, sponsored

by Fishman Stewart, and recognition at the 2024 Gold Award Reception.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this competition, which was judged by members of the TechCentury Editorial Board.

Please enjoy reading the top three essays from these promising engineers!

The themes for next year’s competition will be announced in the summer and will have a fall deadline. For more information on the contest please visit esd.org or email Susan Thwing at sthwing@esd.org.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR:

ES D WRITING CONTEST

ESD WRITING CONTEST FIRST PLACE MARGARET J. VAN ANTWERP is a Civil and Environmental Engineering student in Calvin University’s Department of Engineering in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Margaret anticipates completing her degree in May 2025. She addressed the topic of climate change, answering the question “What do you envision engineering can do to assist with ‘engineering for net zero’ and how can you contribute to the solution?”

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t is an odd feeling to be sitting in a classroom in Michigan in the middle of November, learning about climate change, knowing that it is 70°F outside. It feels existential and apocalyptic, except that when you walk outside the classroom doors, everyone is behaving as normal. As we remain on track to have the warmest year on record, engineering solutions to combat climate change become more urgent than ever.

Addressing the American transportation problem is paramount to combatting the climate crisis. Around one-third of U.S. carbon emissions come from the transportation sector, and the largest contributor to those emissions is single-occupancy cars, which are massively energy-inefficient and carbon-intensive. Bringing 2000 pounds of metal around with you everywhere you go is excessive. Even electric vehicles, our current best second choice, are highly carbon intensive in the manufacturing phase and require large amounts of rare-earth metals.

Moreover, when impacts from the infrastructure required to support cars (roadways, parking lots, gas stations, etc.) are considered, it becomes clear that the current transportation setup is not sustainable.

As a civil engineering major, I would like to focus my career on addressing this problem of transportation in America. Expanding public transportation infrastructure is a massive undertaking, but also one that is important for a cleaner future. Researching and prioritizing transportation alternatives and coming up with creative solutions is vital to ensure that our engineered solutions serve rather than inhibit future generations.

In addition to expanding access to public transportation, ensuring that we have clean infrastructure to support our transportation is also important. This semester, I’ve also been taking some hydraulics classes, and it’s been interesting to start thinking about how water management and transportation go hand in hand to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. As we start to experience more extreme weather events, flood mitigation will become more important. Implementing technologies such as permeable pavements will not only alleviate flooding in urban areas, but they will also help to clean up waterways and recharge aquifers, which is another important step towards managing the adverse impacts of climate change.

Because the transition to different types of transportation systems will be so difficult, trying to clean up our current system is also important. Implementing real-time data analytics systems to better streamline traffic in cities and reduce emissions from idling is an important first step. I spent my summer internship working in intelligent transportation systems, and I saw first-hand how transformational these systems can be to traffic. Additionally, ensuring that materials used in projects are sustainably sourced and reworking designs to prioritize environmental sustainability is an important step for engineers to take in the design phase. Giving clients sustainable design alternatives can make it easier for them to make more sustainable choices.

I am currently considering graduate school because I want to research the feasibility of an expanded public transportation system in the United States. We’ve already dedicated the last 100 years to building a robust roadway network for cars, so expanding on that to integrate more environmentally conscious transportation options is important. As an example, driving the 65 miles from Grand Rapids to Lansing takes about an hour. According to Google Maps, using public transportation to get there would only take 6 hours and 58 minutes. For context, biking to East Lansing would take only 2 minutes longer.

Even within Grand Rapids, the public transportation system is highly ineffective. My job is 2.5 miles down the road from my house. I could drive to work in 5 minutes, bike in 15, or ride the bus in half an hour. Upgrading our public transportation is vital.

Civil engineers also need to start thinking more about the long-term costs of climate change when considering design alternatives. The more sustainable option is often cheaper long term even if it comes with a higher upfront cost. Designing durable and cost-efficient solutions is better for clients and society. Civil engineers need to think outside the box and start pushing more creative design alternatives that are better for the people and communities that we serve and the planet that we live on.

In less than a year and a half, I’ll be graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering and a sustainability designation.

While I don’t know exactly what my job will look like, I know that I want to dedicate my career to pursuing more sustainable options for our infrastructure problems.

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ES D W RITI NG CO N T EST

ESD WRITING CONTEST RUNNER UP MARIANNA OSENTOSKI is a recent graduate (December 2023) of Michigan State University’s College of Engineering. A resident of Marysville, she focused her studies on Mechanical Engineering. Marianna answered the question “What is the most important engineering feat of all time?”

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ow do you answer a question that asks what is the most important feat of all time?

This simple query encompasses so many accomplishments and achievements. That, in itself, is why it is such a great question. It necessitates the responder to consider the enormous amount of possibilities, reflect on their ramifications, and rank their order of importance and influence on our world.

After much contemplation, the same misleadingly simplistic answer always remains. The most important engineering feat of all time is the invention of the wheel.

No one is aware of where, when, who, why, or how it was initially invented, but it provides the basis for almost all the technology existing in our world.

Ancient civilizations were able to use the wheel to construct carts to transport more goods than they could manually carry, traveling greater distances than they could accomplish by walking. This enabled them to expand their settlements and explore beyond the limited world they had knowledge of.

Wheels led to the development of cylinders, rollers, cogs, and gears. Engineers of the past were able to employ these devices for a vast myriad of purposes. Watermills and windmills were built to generate the first forms of power. These renewable energy sources provided the means to cut lumber, grind grain, and much more. Belts were developed and attached to wheels powering a vast array of machinery that also functioned with the use of various forms of wheels, and the Industrial Revolution was born.

Human ingenuity was challenged to be creative and inventive. The possibilities were almost endless.

Engineers created winches, cranes, pulleys, and the like. These all had, at their basis, the humble wheel. They were used to create buildings, move materials, steer ships across the oceans, and more.

Artisans and craftsmen made use of pottery wheels to fashion assorted types of vessels for storage, dishes for meals, and containers for beverages. They now had the means to store and preserve food.

Development of mechanized printing presses utilizing cylinders and rollers ( different forms of wheels), replacing tedious, expensive handwritten manuscripts, and now making books available to the general public. This not only increased the literacy of the population but was also a

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means of spreading and sharing knowledge and ideas.

Concurrently, other inventors were discovering methods of incorporating the wheel into a multitude of devices to facilitate various tasks.

Clocks (and later wristwatches) were developed changing the way time was kept. Employees were now held accountable to every hour worked instead of simply the day. Meetings and events could be scheduled for specific times. No longer were individuals dependent on the availability of sun for sundials nor the approximation of grains of sand for hourglasses.

In addition, many time and labor-saving devices were developed. Some examples include machines to launder clothes rather than washing by hand, mixers to mix foods rather than manually stirring, spinning wheels to form yarns for cloth, sewing machines replacing hand sewing, and much, much more. People were creating mechanized ways to accomplish the same tasks at a faster rate with less manual labor employed.

The wheel is the mainstay of agriculture, farming, transportation, manufacturing, and science. It is a vital component in the development of assembly lines and mass production.

Without question, the use of various forms of the wheel enabled humans to change the world they lived in and explore to the ends of the earth… and later to the skies and the space beyond. After carts came wagons then bicycles, trains, automobiles, airplanes, and spaceships, all requiring the basic wheel to function.

Its simple invention thousands of years ago by some unknown human has made it the fundamental building block of society. We can espouse the glories and intricacies of major accomplishments such as computer innovations, space exploration, medical advancements, construction of dams, bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, and more, but if the truth be told, none would have been possible without the simple, unassuming, seemingly insignificant wheel. Its use has enabled us to move mountains, travel the world, drive on the moon, explore the universe, and make our everyday lives more convenient and less labor-intensive. The wheel is the force that drives the world onward.

Sometimes, the greatest and most useful engineering feats are not necessarily the most complex, but the simple that can be built upon.

ES D WRITING CONTEST

ESD WRITING CONTEST RUNNER UP CHARLES TIGERT, a China Township, Michigan resident, is attending Lawrence Technological University and studying Electrical Engineering. He anticipates graduation in December 2026. He addressed the question “How do you feel AI can be used effectively in engineering and what are the downsides?”

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oday, AI has started to take over the world in the sense that a significant number of younger engineers are using it. Approximately 35% of businesses have adopted AI and will contribute over $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030, according to Authority Hacker.

There are claims from both sides on whether or not AI can be effective in engineering. Some claims i n c l u d e t h a t A I i s g o i n g t o t a ke e n g i n e e r s ’ j o b s, increase efficiency in research, or engineers will become too dependent on AI. With all the debate on whether or not companies should move past their traditional ways of operating, personally, I believe t h a t A I c a n b e e f f e c t i ve a s l o n g a s i t i s u s e d t h e right way, a way that utilizes it for efficiency and cost-related ways, and not used as the only form of information.

One of the ways that AI can be used effectively, in engineering, is through its ability to analyze large datasets at speeds that humans could never compete with. Whether the problem given is complex or not, AI can accomplish these tasks at faster rates than engineers, even if they have been doing it for quite some time. As stated by Simplilearn, while it would take a human to five minutes for a mathematical problem, AI could do ten similar problems in just a minute.

While going through the dataset AI will also learn from the data it obtained and adapt to changing conditions. Overall, when it comes to speed, and accuracy at a fast pace, humans simply cannot compete with computers and AI. AI can be used effectively in engineering for manufacturing because it increases production in areas like ensuring consistent and high-quality outputs from the machine. The machine will learn algorithms and analyze real-time data from sensors and production lines from within the machines. AI’s consistency and accuracy would help with quick adjustments to get the most out of the machines and minimize errors.

When it comes to humans there is always the possibility of human error, however, with AI, its capabilities are built on a collection of guidelines that may be updated and allows it to deliver accurate results regularly” (Simlilearn). The fact that AI is programmed to

perform tasks in a specific manner, makes mistakes nearly impossible, however, it does present other issues such as dealing with adjustments, flexibility, and overall creativity.

While AI may be good at performing mathematical problems or any programming tasks, there are certain issues that when faced with AI just cannot do it. AI may be taking certain jobs but, due to a lack of creativity and ability to relate or feel, AI will never be able to complete jobs such as counseling work, artists, musicians, or social workers. This is directly due to the fact that AI cannot have empathy, be an active listener, have self-awareness, or do any work in customer service. Although there will always be a certain level of human error, humans have feelings that AI can never have, preventing a mere computer system from accomplishing jobs that require human connection. When it comes to engineering, AI might never actually replace a human engineer because their work has to do with high levels of creativity. Therefore, if engineers use AI simply to complete mathematical problems or other tasks where human error is high and creativity is not necessary, AI can be useful.

When it comes to jobs that include “analytical thinking, empathy and active listening, and leadership and social influence” (which are jobs that will be most in demand over the next five years) AI just cannot compete with humans (World Economic Forum).

In conclusion, AI can be used effectively in engineering even with the fact that AI has a lack of creativity and ability to relate or feel. It can be useful through its ability to analyze large datasets at quick speeds, production quality, and speeding up work in all different fields. With these qualities that increase speed, in our ever-increasing world, AI is sure to take some jobs that are now held by humans which come with human error. There will be some jobs, however, that AI will never be able to replace. Jobs that include human connection, ever-changing adjustments, flexibility, and empathy are projected to be in demand in the future and humans are the only acceptable options for jobs dealing with these traits. AI can be effective in certain engineering tasks, but will not be able to completely take over all these human jobs.

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Sports, Arts, and Newsrooms AI TECHNOLOGY BRINGS ENHANCEMENTS AND NEW CHALLENGES

BY SUSAN THWING

All illustrations in this article are AI-generated.

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rtificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Have you just watched a movie, read an article, or enjoyed a piece of music? AI may have had a role in it. Did your favorite NFL team draft a new player? AI may have had some input into

the decision.

AI has permeated our lives, revolutionizing industries and transforming how we approach problem-solving, decision-making, and creativity.

TEC HNOLOGY

The Game Changer: AI in Sports In recent years, the intersection of AI and sports has given rise to a new era of innovation and performance enhancement. From choosing the player to optimizing performance to revolutionizing fan engagement, AI is proving to be a game-changer in the world of sports.

According to a report by Allied Market Research, statistics show the AI segment in the sports industry will reach a value of 19.2 billion dollars by 2030.

Experts say AI technology can analyze game films and improve player performance to help teams make better decisions about player personnel and improve their scouting process. In 2003, Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (which later became a film) illustrated the early concept and coined the term “Moneyball” to describe the Oakland Athletics’ innovative approach to building competitive teams.

The idea was simple—use an analytical, evidence-based data approach to make a roster. It was a game changer from the traditional method of relying on baseball scouts’ traditional, often subjective, wisdom to judge player ability.

Instead, machine learning algorithms analyze player statistics, videos, and other data to identify promising talent.

The goal is to save scouting teams time and resources, all while improving the accuracy of their selections.

Fast forward to today’s advanced AI systems. “AI is everything now in baseball,” said Mark Meisner, MLBPA Certified Player Agent/Advisor at Troy-based Ball Players Agency. Meisner has been a sports agent since 2016.

“It used to be that a scout would look at the player on the field. The objective opinions of the scouts watching the player was key,” he said. “Now, teams are looking at a draft model using data incorporating everything from the player’s age to the circumference of his wrist. They use this model to determine who they’ll be selecting throughout the draft.”

Meisner said this can be a positive tool, but it also allows good players to slip through the cracks unnoticed.

It makes an agent’s job—to get the player in front of teams —more difficult. By focusing on data for recruiting players teams can bypass aspects of the player’s ability that only the human eye—the traditional scout—can see.

“When teams rely so heavily on the draft model, it is difficult for agents to compete against a sports model to present the benefits of a player—the aspects of talent that cannot be seen in data or numbers,” he said.

The draft model also affects a player’s compensation.

“It’s affecting sports salaries, which can range from $5,000 to multi-millions in baseball. This is life-changing money that is increasingly being based on data,” Meisner said, adding that sports agents are now developing similar customized data models to “bring these stats into the negotiation equation.”

Meisner said the compilation of data on sports figures isn’t new—think of the stats on the back of cherished, paper baseball cards—but AI brings it to a new level. “The data can be beneficial if used objectively to assess the players, the team training needs, etc. And we, as agents, can also work with this first-hand info effectively,” he said.

The good news is: AI plays a crucial role in minimizing risk and injuries in sports. Predictive analytics models can assess an athlete’s injury susceptibility based on various factors, including training load, biomechanics, and past injuries. This information helps design injury prevention programs and adjust training regimens to reduce the likelihood of injuries. “These programs can factor in the bat’s angle, how fast the bat moves, every detail,” Meisner said.

“These programs can help athletes stay healthy and reduce injuries throughout their career.”

In the event of an injury, AI contributes to more efficient rehabilitation. Physical therapy programs can be customized based on individual recovery patterns, and wearable devices can monitor rehabilitation progress, providing real-time feedback to athletes and medical professionals.

Other ways AI works to enhance sports include:  Player Performance—Analyzing vast amounts of sports data, ranging from player biometrics to game statistics, AI enables coaches and trainers to identify patterns, weaknesses, and areas for improvement with unprecedented accuracy. AI-powered systems can process and analyze performance data in real time, providing instant feedback to athletes. This allows for personalized training programs catering to individual players’ strengths and weaknesses.  Innovative Coaching—AI is also revolutionizing coaching methodologies. Coaches now have access to advanced analytics and predictive modeling tools that aid in strategic decision-making during games. Machine learning algorithms can analyze opposing team strategies, predict player behavior, and recommend optimal game plans.  Post-game analysis—AI helps teams evaluate their performance and identify areas for improvement.

This data-driven approach allows for more informed decision-making, enhancing overall team strategy and contributing to a higher level of competition.  Fan Engagement—Immersive experiences reshape how fans engage with and experience sports. AI-powered virtual and augmented reality technologies allow fans to feel more connected to the action as algorithms personalize content delivery, tailoring sports broadcasts and highlights to individual preferences. Social media platforms also leverage AI to analyze user behavior and preferences, delivering more relevant sports-related content to fans.

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AI in the Arts: Creativity and Artificial Intelligence AI in the arts has been under scrutiny, especially in the past year. In September 2023, after a 148-day strike, Hollywood screenwriters ended the five-month walkout with better safeguards against using artificial intelligence in script writing. Then, in November, after 118 days on the picket lines, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ended its strike, at the core of which was producers using actors’ scanned images— from performances in other productions—via AI to create background players in new television and movie programs without compensation to the actor.

Locally, this past October, the College for Creative Studies became the first AICAD (the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design) college in the United States to fully develop and implement an institution-wide artificial intelligence policy.

Tim Flattery, provost of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, said the move was made to ensure responsible usage of AI. “(Using AI-generated materials) is taking from other people’s work without their permission. Right now, it is a free-for-all,” Flattery said. “Artists and designers have no protection for their work. I would equate it to the days of Napster when we were all listening to artist’s music for free, and the artists weren’t getting paid. That had to be formalized so that we eventually paid a subscription to listen. We’re in the Napster days of Artificial Intelligence.”

The CCS AI policy is designed to adapt and implement guardrails for AI usage so that students and faculty can use

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AI as a process and research tool only. Final images or papers must be human generated, according to a CCS news release.

To create the policy, “CCS systematically researched, surveyed and crafted a robust plan for broad-scale AI usage.”

Working group members addressed AI use in the classroom, academic integrity, and AI integration into final work.

Paul Snyder, Chair of the Transportation Design department and AI working group member, said the new policy will enhance the student experience at CCS. “An AI policy offers guidance to faculty and students by establishing guidelines to stay within, ensuring students continue to get the most of their respective departmental programs while being aware of trends in technology they will have at their disposal after graduation.”

Furthermore, recognizing the challenges and benefits of AI systems and how they differ by discipline, the College looked to the program Chairs to develop program-specific AI utilization guidelines for their department’s curriculum.

Flattery said AI has many benefits and can be used as a Facilitator to enhance initial creative research. “The CCS written policy is that you can’t use a final image and claim it as yours by typing a prompt. But you can use it for your research process, so maybe it gives you a shape language you might not think of, a color palette you might not think of, or a writing system you might not otherwise think to use. It may inspire you to go in a new, untapped direction.

But you still have to execute (the final project) on your own,” he said. “It can help expand your scope and vision on how to approach design.”

TEC HNOLOGY

AI in the Newsroom Newsrooms have increasingly turned to AI to streamline various aspects of news production. Automated content creation tools can assist journalists by generating routine reports, analyzing data, and crafting outlines of news articles.

Natural language processing (NLP) algorithms enable computers to understand and interpret human language, quickly summarizing vast amounts of information. AI-driven tools can also identify patterns, detect trends, and provide insights, enhancing news reporting quality and speed.

But the merits of AI in the newsroom are up for debate.

One notable application of AI in the newsroom is using chatbots for audience engagement. These AI-driven conversational agents can interact with readers, answer queries, and provide personalized news updates, fostering a more dynamic and interactive relationship between news organizations and their audiences.

In 2023, the New York Times filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, alleging that millions of the news companies’ articles were unlawfully used to power these chatbots, such as ChatGPT, and questioning its fit with fair use.

In January 2024, the rise of artificial intelligence in journalism prompted a hearing in the United States Senate to examine and identifying the risks of AI, and to develop ways to mitigate these risks. Under discussion was whether ‘fair use’ applies to news under copyright law, such as with the New York Times articles.

Also debated was the practice of AI companies using journalistic works to train their large language models.

Legislative solutions, like the Journalism Competition

and Preservation Act (JCPA), were evaluated. This news media bargaining code-style bill would allow publishers to negotiate with major technology companies to use news on their platforms.

But the discussion is in its beginning stage.

Adopting AI in journalism also brings forth a host of ethical considerations. This includes issues such as bias in algorithms, misinformation, and the potential for AI to affect the industry’s commitment to objective reporting.

On the plus side, Sam Srauy, associate professor in communications at Oakland University, said generative AI could bring a demand for a more skilled journalist who, while freed from some of the more time-consuming aspects of their work, such as basic research, can focus on in-depth investigative reporting, analysis, and storytelling that require human intuition and contextual understanding. “AI has no understanding of racism, homophobia, or the uglier parts of humanity and cannot make judgments on context, so we need the journalist to take that information, analyze it, and put the human element in the story,” he said.

Other concerns about the integration of AI include job displacement in the industry. Journalists must adapt to the evolving landscape by acquiring new skills related to AI technologies and data analysis to remain relevant and effective.

Srauy said it’s a matter of evolution. “In the course of history, we’ve seen these changes. The printing press replaced scribes in the Middle Ages; the typewriter overtook someone’s job; we no longer have copyboys; digital replaced printing in many cases, but people still work,” he said. “As technology changes, we change how we work.”

Tomorrow and AI Tomorrow’s AI is poised to revolutionize the realms of arts, sports, and newsrooms, bringing unprecedented creativity, efficiency, and insight. In the arts, AI-generated content can blend with human expression, pushing the boundaries of imagination. In sports, advanced analytics and predictive modeling may enhance performance, strategy, and fan engagement. Meanwhile, newsrooms have the ability to leverage AI to streamline information gathering, factchecking, and content creation.

But experts say we must prioritize embracing the human factor to work alongside AI—to foster trust, address ethical concerns, and create AI technologies that complement human skills rather than replace them. Balancing technological progress with ethical considerations is essential for a beneficial usage of AI. THE ENGINEERING SOCIE T Y OF DE TROIT

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BO OK REVI EW

The Man Who Saw Tomorrow: The Life and Inventions of Stanford R. Ovshinsky

BY LILLIAN HODDESON AND PETER GARRETT Published by the MIT in 2018 Press

BY JANICE MEANS Many readers may have known ESD member and local autodidactic Stanford R. Ovshinsky, the subject of this book. Stan, as he liked to be called, was awarded the ESD Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and became an ESD Fellow in 2009.

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he Man Who Saw Tomorrow is about more than Stanford Ovshinsky’s life story; it is also a window into his motivation and his inventive mind. It contains details about his family—especially his second wife and partner, Iris Miroy Dibner Ovshinsky, his inventions, and the PhDs and others with whom he associated and worked.

It details his successes with—and trials of initial nonacceptance by—the scientific community since his formal education ended with high school. It also explains his successes and challenges with the business community with whom his views and goals often differed

Authors Lillian Hoddeson and Peter Garrett provide a window into how Ovshinsky worked. They note that he was constantly reading about diverse topic areas which aided him in making unlikely connections—connections that others with a formal education in a single discipline would have missed. They share that he also thought in pictures—often making sketches—and explained his inventions using analogies.

Although many had difficulty in understanding his explanations, several Nobel Laureates who served as his outside consultants appreciated his mind, “They visited because they recognized Ovshinsky as a peer and enjoyed their scientific exchanges with him, appreciating and profiting from his insights.” (Chapter 7, page 152).

This was consistent with what I personally knew. I once asked Stan how he was able to overcome disappointments when physicists and governmental funding bodies initially failed to recognize his work. He responded that his friends and colleagues, who respected his work, were indeed widely recognized, e.g., renowned Nobel prize winners physicists Edward Teller (yes, the one considered to be the father of the hydrogen bomb) and Sir Nevill Mott, and chemists Linus Pauling and Wiliam Lipscomb.

Readers wanting more details about Stan’s inventions will not be disappointed. Ovshinsky indeed had over 400 patented inventions and some of his ideas were further developed by the team of PhDs he had pulled together as his team. The inventions varied greatly in Janice K. Means with Stanford R. Ovshinsky (center) and James L. Newman. All range. The first ones related to his machine three are members of The Engineering Society of Detroit College of Fellows. lab background and included an improved

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Stanford R. Ovshinsky at the 2008 ESD Annual Dinner where he received the ESD Lifetime Achievement Award.

metal working lathe (the Benjamin lathe, named for his father) and an automated tractor.

He went on to work in energy conversion devices (also taken as the name of one of his companies, Energy Conversion Devices) and material sciences. As he thought about how electronic signals within the brain could be used as an analogy for developing automation devices, he developed the Ovitron switch. The authors noted that Willis Adcock, one of the co-inventors of the first Texas Instruments transistor, was particularly impressed with the Ovitron switch since it “could handle tremendous currents, and… AC.” (Chapter 4, p. 89) Later inventions included the use of amorphous and disordered materials to transmit electrical signals leading to his amorphous silicon photovoltaics and optical phasechange memory (described as his most important invention in the book) and the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery for electric cars.

Some credit for Stan’s achievements is also given to Iris Ovshinsky, his second wife and partner from around 1960 until her death in 2006. They were soulmates, and he acknowledged her as his true partner in both life and business. Part of what drew them together was a shared interest in the workings of the human brain. When they met, Iris already had degrees in zoology and biology. Stan, noting that the human brain was able to transmit electrical signals, surmised that amorphous (non-crystalline) materials should also be able to transmit electrical current. Iris went on to earn a doctorate in biochemistry and taught Stan how to write a professional paper. The authors go into great detail about Stan’s and Iris’s relationship and one of them, Lillian Hoddeson, happened to be visiting the Ovshinsky’s at the time of Iris’ death.

In the 1960s, Ovshinsky predicted we would have flat screen TVs and he saw hydrogen being used to power cars

and solve the energy crisis. He truly was a ‘man who saw tomorrow’ so the book is aptly named. Today, we are the beneficiaries of his genius with the technology we now take for granted in being able to read and write on electronic devices and so much more through his more than 400 patented inventions.

If you want to learn more about Stanford Ovshinsky and his inventions, I highly recommend reading this book.

Author’s note: I first met Stanford Ovshinsky in the 1980’s when on a tour of his and his wife’s (Iris’) company, Energy Conversion Devices. I then invited him to speak to my students at Lawrence Institute of Technology (now Lawrence Technological University) when I was an Adjunct Professor. Through the years, he never turned me down when I asked him to speak to students; the last time was when he was the keynote speaker for the 2010 Seminars on Sustainability Conference at Lawrence Tech. Prior to the conference, I visited him at his Ovonics Institute office adjacent to his home in Bloomfield Township. As he sat behind his desk in front of a gigantic periodic table, he shared the following with me, “We need to get solar down to the cost of coal…and I think I know how to do it.” Too bad that he didn’t live to see its fruition because today it is less expensive to build a utility-sized solar farm than to build a coal plant.

Janice K. Means, PE, LEED AP, FESD, FASHRAE, an experienced engineer and educator, has consulted internationally for analyzing blasting effects to pipelines and energy sustainability and taught environmental and alternative energy courses at university level. She is Professor Emerita at Lawrence Technological University. A 2021 Engineering Society of Detroit Gold Awardee, she is also a member of the TechCentury Editorial Board and past recipient of the John G. Petty Image Award.

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ET HICS IN E NGI N E E R I NG

Building a Successful, Ethical Career THE INTEGRATION OF PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS

BY MUMTAZ USMEN

I

n our daily lives we frequently hear terms like “profession”, “professional”, “professionalism”, and “ethics”. All these terms are related; however, they each have their distinct meaning which will be elaborated below. It is especially important to understand the difference between professionalism and ethics because these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. While ethics can be considered theoretical and abstract, and professionalism is practical and applied, both are critical for fostering a productive work environment and building a successful career.

Starting with the term profession, it can be defined as “the pursuit of a learned art in the spirit of public service.”

A profession is an occupation that requires the study and mastery of specialized knowledge along with extensive training. It usually has a professional society or association as well as a process for acquiring certification and licensure (e.g., PE). A few examples of well-known professions include medicine, law, engineering, architecture, science accounting, journalism, and project management. It is widely agreed that a profession must satisfy an indispensable and beneficial social need, and its work must require discretion and judgment. Further, the knowledge and skills comprising the work of a profession are distinctive, not commonly found in the general public. There exists a systematic body of theory in a profession, usually acquired through accredited academic training and credible experience. Finally, the practice of a profession is governed by rules of conduct (i.e., ethics codes) related to individual practitioners’ obligations to society and peers.

The term professional can be used as a noun, as in the case of “Dr. Ward is a consummate professional”; or as an adjective, exemplified by “You are expected to adhere to rules of appropriate professional conduct in performing your work.” In the latter case, the mentioned “professional”

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conduct encompasses not only the expertise of a person but when combined with ethical behavior, results in a reputation in which they are trusted by society as highly competent in their field. Professional conduct is also typically exemplified by someone who possesses the highest integrity of character with unimpeachable ethics.

The Goals Institute lists five key attributes of a professional as competency, character, attitude, excellence, and conduct:  Competency involves technical, problem solving and communication skills, as well as personal effectiveness in performing one’s job.  Character is defined by who you are and what you stand for; its main features are diligence, honesty, truthfulness, and forthrightness. Professionals are expected to be responsible and accountable for their actions, delivering promised work on time, keeping their word, and admitting their mistakes while learning from them.  Attitude relates to taking responsibility for personal development, adopting a service mentality, having determination, and focusing on objectives.  Excellence involves embracing a continuous improvement philosophy, showing attention to detail, and being a team player. And finally,  Conduct relates to how one deals with others, which includes displaying professional maturity by accepting criticism, having good manners (i.e., polite, courteous), showing loyalty (to employer, clients, etc.), respecting authority, and honoring the confidentiality of information.

Professionals make independent decisions on numerous technical issues, and the public assumes that such decisions are taken with due diligence and integrity, especially if these individuals have built a strong reputation as being

trustworthy. From the legal viewpoint, if the work products turn out to be deficient or defective, they will come under legal scrutiny for negligence if they have not done their work by applying the “standard of care.” They then might be subject to sanctions, like suspension of license, and in egregious cases, even more severe penalties such as revocation of license, fines, and imprisonment. In addition, loss of credibility and reputation may in large part be unrecoverable. The situation will likely be exacerbated if any ethical principles and rules have been breached.

Another aspect associated with professionals is the professional image, which is much more than just one’s attire; it is about the person’s demeanor and disposition. Professional image underpins our reputation with respect to how well we communicate our ideas to others both verbally and in writing (including online) in terms of accuracy, relevance, clarity, sincerity, and modesty. Being a good listener is also a part of an individual’s professional image. Active listening and reflecting information back to the other parties’ signals to them that we remain engaged in the communications and value the exchange.

Professionalism, in plain words, is being and acting like a professional on the job and in social interactions. Fundamentally, professionalism means dedication to one’s work and commitment to doing the job fully and in the best possible manner. It is important to realize that professionalism is a way of thinking and living rather than an accumulation of learning. The size and nature of the job do not matter; it applies to all cases, businesses, and professions.

Information on what constitutes professional and unprofessional behavior is usually disseminated to the constituents and stakeholders of an organization through manuals, communications, training seminars, and online sources. Employees at all levels in public and private agencies are expected to abide by the rules of conduct.

Usually, unethical conduct is investigated and sanctioned by the organizations. Unprofessional behavior that may be frowned upon includes but is not limited to gossiping, constantly complaining, lying, missing deadlines, disrespecting privacy, withholding information, plagiarizing, and overstating qualifications. Aggressive and abrasive acts such as shouting, screaming, and insults are also deemed unprofessional.

Lastly, ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or how they conduct an activity, while the codes of ethics for various professions spell out acceptable and unacceptable conduct. The National Society of Professional Engineers’ Code of Ethics emphasizes that engineering is a learned profession, and the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity. The Code specifically highlights that protecting public health, safety, and welfare is paramount in delivering engineering services, which must be performed under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct. It is clear here that professional behavior and ethical conduct are strongly related.

In conclusion, professionalism and ethics are integrated as they go hand-in-hand, completing and complementing each other.

Mumtaz A. Usmen, PhD, PE, is Professor Emeritus of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Wayne State University. In addition to teaching and research, he has held several administrative positions at Wayne State including Chair of CEE, Associate Dean for Research, and Interim Dean of the College of Engineering. Dr. Usmen is very active professionally serving national, state and local committees of technical and professional societies including as chair of the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD) Awards Committee, as an ESD Fellow, a long-standing member and past chair of the ESD Construction and Design Committee, a past member of the ESD Board of Directors, and a past chair of the College of Fellows Executive Committee.

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At Detroit Smart Home, we specialize in cutting-edge security and technology solutions,

The Rise of Smart Homes

including security systems, camera surveillance, network solutions, and advanced audio/video services. Committed to collaboration, we provide comprehensive consulting, seamless installation, and meticulous maintenance for enhanced intelligence and security in your home or business—backed by state licensing and insurance.

A Q&A WITH SANAD AFFARA 877-337-SMART CEO of Detroit Smart Home

@detroitsmarthome.com

BY OLIVIA RACETTE

Editor’s note: We dedicated this issue of TechCentury to exploring the ways AI is changing and enhancing our lives. The issue wouldn’t be complete without exploring how AI is evolving in our homes. TechCentury Editorial Board member Olivia Racette interviewed Sanad Affara, CEO of Detroit Smart Home, to learn more about today’s Smart Homes.

S

anad Affara is the CEO of Detroit Smart Home, a company that installs commercial and residential smart technology throughout the metro Detroit area, neighboring states, and Canada, as well as providing consulting services to projects as far away as California. He received a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA Sanad Affara from Lawrence Technological University, graduating as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society.

How would you describe a smart home?

If you’ve ever watched the cartoon The Jetsons, that’s what a smart home is. But to give a technical definition, imagine living in a home where your daily tasks are simplified and automated by technology, giving you security, a more comfortable living environment, and a more energy-efficient space.

Can you elaborate on the benefits of having a smart home?

The first thing is energy efficiency: your smart home knows when you’re home and not home, so it can control

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the lights, thermostats, and shades. Your home stays more thermally insulated, and you don’t need to use as many resources. Then you have the wellbeing: when you enter your home, you can have a specific light set-up so that the color scheme in the house is something to set the mood.

You can have it smell a certain way or have audio playing in specific rooms.

When I come home at night, my lights will automatically turn on in my driveway and backyard, and when I enter the back of the house, Mozart will play on all the speakers and the thermostat will jump up three degrees because it’s been cold all day. Lastly, you have security: being able to secure your home when you’re not there is another key factor, so now we can watch cameras on our property and secure our homes from anywhere in the world.

What are the disadvantages?

With the increase of technology, I think a disadvantage is that it is easier for people to hack. With today’s technology, people can rob you when they’re not physically inside your house. They can go into your network, steal your credit cards, get access to your home, lock you out, or let themselves in. Is it prevalent? Not really, it doesn’t happen everywhere. But as this technology is growing, there’s so many protocols that are being introduced and it’s very hard to see where the susceptibility is. It’s going to take some

INTERVI EW years before these protocols all come under one umbrella and follow more secure and stringent protocols. Now the benefit on the flip side of that is, with technology, you can quickly upgrade your software on the hardware devices which can quickly protect. So if there’s a susceptibility found from one of these smart technologies, the company can quickly send updates and that can kind of help prevent.

How is smart home technology installed? What goes into making your home a smart home?

There are three aspects to it. First, there is the hardware which needs to be changed to smart devices. This includes your thermostats, doors, locks, light switches, and networking systems. All these used to just be installed as a regular mechanical thing and now they are becoming a device with a chipset inside of it that can communicate wirelessly through Internet Protocol or Bluetooth. So that’s the biggest difference in hardware. Then you have software. Your traditional lights from Edison were a filament that resists a coil and turns on brightness. Now the light bulb has a chipset inside of it which tells it not only how to use the power, but how to create the light. Phillips can offer millions of colors from one single light bulb compared to the traditional. And then the third is the human element. You as the consumer, as the homeowner, are there to let your hardware and software know how you want it to react. Do you like your house warm or cold?

What color do you want the lights to be and what time should they turn on?

What are the phases of creating a smart home?

Phase one would be the pre-wire; we go in and wire a residence or a building prior to the walls being closed. We would wire the infrastructure with CAT6 cable, fiber optic cable, any type of audio cable, any of that hard-wire infrastructure we want and need, like cameras outdoors and stuff.

We’ll go in, we’ll wire it, we’ll run it back to a specific area called the server room and then that right there will be phase one. When we’re done, they’ll close the walls, drywall, paint, and do floors. Once that’s complete, we’ll go back and we’ll pull all those wires into something called a rack.

And then phase two is bringing in hardware infrastructure, installing the hardware cameras, servers, monitors, and TVs. Phase three is testing and making sure everything is put together correctly and functions properly. Phase four is handoff - you can’t just install these smart-capable projects and walk away. You have to hand off records, manuals, blueprints, and show owners or IT departments how their new technology works.

Most of the projects also have a pre-phase before phase one, which is the design and implementation. We design the system, make a wire schematic, and have a whole blueprint laid out just like an electrical schematic for a home, but for smart homes.

What is the biggest project you’ve worked on and what are you working on now?

Right now, we’re working with a commercial building where the business owner started from scratch. They basically had a square building and they wanted to build everything from the ground up including floors and walls, and we’ve worked with them to install their camera and network system. They’re going to have multiple TVs in the location playing different things on the screens, their firewall protection, internet throughout the building to serve the internal services like their register machines, their phone systems, their security, their lighting and the sound that goes on.

Looking at residential projects, we’re in the current works right now with builders who are building 30+ homes in a development and want to offer their clients more than just the home, so they bring Detroit Smart Home in to offer the smart home aspect. So we’ll work with those individual home buyers to custom plan out what they want their smart home to look like. And then we’ll go in and do that and work together with the builder.

How do you think AI impacts smart home technology?

AI technology is moving so fast, it’s hard to incorporate it into the hardware and software. It takes time; it will take years before today’s AI gets into hardware and straight application for the clients. But that being said, the application’s moving faster. It’s no longer taking ten years to develop the hardware. It takes months to a year.

AI is going to allow us to wear something like a mood ring, which we’ve seen several companies make now that communicate with your phone. That mood ring will know what mood you’re in before you come home. You’re in a bad mood? Let’s put some blue lights on, make the house

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A technical diagram for components in a smart home.

smell like lavender, turn the heat on, and put your favorite music that puts you in a good mood.

Or when you come home and you’re in a good mood, it knows to keep the lights bright and cheery, have a different scent in your home, and a different type of air circulation.

So AI is going to know its consumer better, and it’s going to then recognize that pattern, that behavior, and turn it into operational efficiency and better decision-making to make your home more comfortable.

When we talk about commercial homes, it’s so interesting what they’re doing with this AI technology. We’ve been blessed to work with several brand names that are national and international, and we’ve seen some of their internal workings and how they’re leveraging AI, and what they’re doing is all about data. Data science is the big thing now and they’re taking data and learning it. We’re seeing installations of people counters. They want to know how many people are coming into their store. We are using special cameras that have thermal capabilities so they can see a heat map over the length of the time the store is open.

We know that 500 customers came in our store today. But where did they go? Did they spend time on the sale aisle?

Did they like this? Did they like that? So now we can tell our clients where the 500 customers spent the day, using that technology to then better their sales.

We’re also able to use cameras to leverage cheaper installations and better management for clients who have tangibles that they’re trying to keep an eye on. Instead of having 600 cameras in a large warehouse to oversee multiple blind eyes, we can use one powerful camera that can thermally image and see something as small as a rat and then tell another camera to point and zoom in on it. So now you have a better camera system that’s more cost efficient for your clients overall.

What are your expectations for smart home technology in the future? How do you think it’s going to change and develop and improve?

As engineers, we always love to build things that work for us.

When I was five years old, smart homes interested me, but it

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Sanad Affara at work.

was very rare and more for commercial projects. As I grew, I saw the different applications: thermostats, locks, talking, integration, and for the future, I think AI is going to lead the way in integrating smart homes. Like I said, our lights are no longer just the filament. They’re smart lights, they have a chipset in them. Our TVs have chipsets, our light switches have chipsets. Everything’s going to have a chipset. 15-20 years ago, smart homes weren’t a big thing, and people kind of shunned on them and thought it was funny when I would talk about it. Ten years ago, it was getting to be a little more serious. Five years ago, people understood it, and heard it, and saw it. Ten years from now, most houses are going to have it. Just like you need plumbing for water, electric for energy and wood to build your walls and installation, you are going to need smart home technology to be able to live in that home. It’s just heading in that direction, and I think as homes are being built new, they are definitely incorporating smart home technology, while homes that are already built are selling at a smaller rate. But 10-15 years from now, a smart home is going to be everything.

Olivia Racette, from Rochester, Michigan, is an Oakland University student studying bioengineering.

She plans to graduate with her degree in Spring 2024.

Olivia serves on the TechCentury Editorial Board as a student member.

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