COLLABORATION: The Key to Success in Engineering

In the pages of this publication, you’ll find a great article about collaborative problem solving within the engineering profession.

Author William Moylan discusses how engineers from all segments of the industry can collaborate to solve problems and create strong solutions. It’s a timely article because there is no more essential time in our history for engineers to make a concerted effort to work across all disciplines to solve problems, grow ideas, and create the foundation of our world.

We now have a level of technology to globally communicate in real time, we have information and programming at our fingertips, and we can access computer systems that allow us to create models— viewing them together while in separate offices, states or countries—in order to reach our design and engineering goals. We have everything we need to better our projects, our disciplines and, ultimately, our communities.

I recently lead a national effort for the National Academy of Science with state departments of transportation, DOT’s, to develop a National Vision for Transportation, that gathered input from experts and stakeholders from all 50 states. Our goal—over 100 years after cycling advocated for good roads and automobiles hit the streets—was to set the vision for the next era of transportation and to develop individual and collective actions that state departments of transportation can take to create and deploy a community-centered transportation program. It’s a huge project, and it requires deep, effective, continual collaboration with multiple groups who have never been invited to help develop a vision for how we effectively move people and good around the country and or communities.

This type of collaboration should become our go-to method of tackling projects from now on. And not just within the engineering communities. We need to work together across disciplines, departments, and industries to bring together the best ideas, the best methods, and the new ways of doing things. We cannot afford to stay within our individual silos or echo chambers. For every new project, adjacent groups need to be at the table. Whether it is, community members, advocates, public health professionals,emergency responders, utility providers, and the many disciplines of engineering—we need to look at each endeavor with fresh eyes and an attitude of collaboration.

I’ve witnessed this fact my entire career: no one individual, agency or discipline has a corner on knowledge. We need to bring everyone involved to the drawing table and respect their perspective, skills and abilities. Paraphrasing Nathan Doughtery’s ideas in the above quote—we need the scientists, the sociologists, the writers and the mathematicians to work in concert with engineers to solve tomorrow’s societal problems.

The most successful Future City teams take this approach quite often, why wouldn’t we take the same approach? Let’s work on this together!

Kettering University Names Dean Of College Of Engineering

Scott Grasman has been named dean of the College of Engineering at Kettering University following a sixmonth interim appointment. As dean of the College of Engineering, Grasman oversees Kettering’s engineering programs, focused on developing new opportunities for Kettering students so they can succeed in rapidly changing industries. Before joining Kettering, Grasman spent six years as professor and department head of industrial and systems engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 technical and academic papers.

LTU’S CENTREPOLIS ACCELERATOR RECEIVES GRANT FROM BREAKTHROUGH ENERGY PARTNERS

Lawrence Technological University’s Centrepolis Accelerator has received a $125,000 grant from the Kirkland, Washingtonbased Breakthrough Energy Foundation for general operating support. The Centrepolis Accelerator is unusual among business accelerators in that it concentrates on companies manufacturing physical products, rather than services or software. It works with both startups and established small businesses with efforts focused on growing cleantech, climatech, and circular-economy businesses. Since launching in August 2018, Centrepolis has supported the launch of several physical products made in Michigan as well as 366 client contracts with Michigan manufacturers valued at over $24 million.

DENSO REORGANIZES BUSINESS LINES, LEADERSHIP IN NORTH AMERICA

DENSO, the Japanese auto supplier with North American headquarters in Southfield, has announced updates to its business groups, organizational structure and leadership roles and responsibilities in North America. Business units will organize under two business groups aligned with Green and Peace of Mind. Andrew Clemence will lead the Green Business Group, which will oversee efficiency-enabling technologies like thermal, electrification and motor products. Chuntao Ye will lead the Peace of Mind Business Group, which will lead advanced mobility technology development, including safety and connected vehicle products. Shinichi Nakamizo will centralize responsibility for regional manufacturing operations in his continued role as Chief Manufacturing Officer. Other executives named include Pat Bassett as function head for quality engineering, Shinichiro Nakamura as function head for research and development, Chuntao Ye as president of Denso in Maryville, Tenn. and Peace of Mind business leader, Mitsuru Ban as business unit leader for engine injection components, Marty Deschenes as president of Denso in Athens, Tenn. and south sub-region leader, and Shuichi Kamakura as president of Denso’s thermal manufacturing plant in Battle Creek and leader of North America thermal manufacturing.

ALTAIR ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF SIMULATION 2022.2 SOFTWARE UPDATE

Altair, a global leader in computational science and artificial intelligence, announced the latest updates to its simulation portfolio, Simulation 2022.2. These updates improve Altair’s cloud elasticity and scalability, electrification, and product development capabilities. Simulation 2022.2 offers an enhanced Altair One, a turnkey marketplace that connects users—from any device at any time—to their solutions, data, teams, and compute infrastructure.

Construction Leader Walter Jones Joins Barton Malow

Barton Malow has hired Walter Jones as Senior Director and Healthcare Market Leader. In this role, he will leverage his broad background and successful track record of building relationships while improving the outcomes of projects for clients across the nation to further grow Barton Malow’s industry-leading healthcare portfolio. He will be based out of Barton Malow’s Nashville office but will support work acquisition, brand awareness, and the development of market strategies to create win-win results across the enterprise’s national footprint.

Wsu Research Team Awarded Nsf Grant To Help Solve Flooding In Detroit Homes

Wayne State University investigators were recently awarded a six-month, $50,000 planning grant from The National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of a Civic Innovation Challenge. The Civic Innovation Challenge is a competition that funds ready-to-implement, researched-based pilot projects that have the potential for scalable, sustainable, and transferable impact on community-driven projects. WSU is among just 56 U.S. teams that were awarded grants.

Investigators with expertise in Social Work, Anthropology, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Communication, and Environmental Science will collaborate with the Eastside Community Network, Jefferson East, Inc., and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to ensure that residents who have faced racial and economic discrimination have the information and resources needed to prepare for and respond to climate change induced flooding. The project “Recovering from Expected Flooding

Under Residential Buildings” (REFURB) will use technology to improve recovery from and preparation for persistent and increasing severe basement flooding that impacts homes in Eastside Detroit.

Goals of the project include 1) Using flood damage reports, environmental, and other data to develop maps to target adaptations of critical infrastructure to mitigate future flooding vulnerability; 2) Describe the attributes and supports needed for equitable disaster recovery and mitigation; and 3) Develop an understanding of social structures, systems, and community science literacy needed for earlywarning, response, and flood risk preparedness for residents who lack digital access.

JEROME J. CAMPERNEL

ESD Affiliate Council, American Society for Quality Member since 1982

STEPHEN R. DAVIS, P h D, FESD Professor Emeritus, Kettering University, Power Systems Engineering

ESD President, 1988-1989

ESD Board of Directors

ESD Council of Past Presidents

ESD College of Fellows

Gold Award Recipient, 1979

ESD Distinguished Service Award Member since 1967

JAMES H. FRYE

Retired, Mechanical Engineer, Chrysler Corporation Senior Engineers Council Member since 1977

HEINZ H. HILDERTS

Retired, President, Victory Re-Steel Inc. Member since 1976

HENRY B. HORLDT, PE

Consultant, Mechanical Engineer, Leader Associates Owner, Leader Machine Products Member since 1947

WILLIAM F. LORENZ

Retired, Civil Engineer, Wayne County Roads Member since 1973

RONALD W. WANGEROW

Intellectual Property Council/Patent Attorney, Harness, Dickey & Pierce, PLC Member since 1981

WILLIAM J. WITTENBERG

Retired, Mechanical Engineer, Saturn Corp./GMC Member since 1964