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DR. O'BRIEN AWARDED THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY INSTITUTE'S RICHARD L. TUCKER LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD
DR. O'BRIEN AWARDED THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY INSTITUTE'S RICHARD L. TUCKER LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD
Dr. William O’Brien was awarded the Construction Industry Institute’s Richard L. Tucker Leadership and Service Award, among the highest honors bestowed by the organization. The award recognized Dr. O’Brien’s leadership in the industry and for CII, describing him as “an industry leader who has led and served others as a civil engineer, a start-up innovator during the early years of the Internet, a researcher, an educator, a supply-chain expert, and the interim Director of Fiatech as it returned to being part of CII.” https://www.construction-institute.org/awards/leadership-awards/richard-l-tucker-leadership-service
MOVE TEAM WINS AWARDS
MOVE TEAM WINS AWARDS
Move Ph.D. Scholar Jojo France-Mensah received the Graduate Student Scholarship Award and the Board of Corporate Affiliates Scholarship from the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). The Graduate Student Award is given to 3 Graduate students conducting cutting-edge research in an engineering domain and have demonstrated high levels of service towards increasing minority inclusion in engineering programs.
Dr. O'Brien recieved the 2018 CII Celebrating Engineering and Technology Innovations Outstanding Researcher award, among the most prestigious given by the Institute. The award recognizes his significant body of research that advances capital projects, including evaluating the benefits and hindrances of IT implementation and demonstrating Advanced Work Packaging as a best practice. Dr. O'Brien noted the contributions of his 70+ graduate students and numerous academic and industrial collaborators that have joined his research journey.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TEAM MAKING PROGRESS
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TEAM MAKING PROGRESS
Dr. William O’Brien and a group of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin with expertise in materials (Drs. Maria Juenger and Raissa Ferron), structures (Drs. Patricia Clayton and Salvatore Salamone), additive manufacturing and design (Dr. Carolyn Seepersad), and robotics (Dr. Mitch Pryor) were given an equipment grant for a six-axis robotic arm and pumping equipment to explore applications of additive manufacturing for construction. The group plans to bring its range of expertise to accelerate the basic science behind large-scale 3D printing for construction applications. The group published a paper in the Automation in Construction entitled “Applications of additive manufacturing in the construction industry – A forward-looking review.” (Vol 89, 2018, pp. 110-119).
Research in additive manufacturing for construction is moving forward with printing of cement beams in large scale taking advantage of our six-axis robotic arm and pumping infrastructure. The team has also been awarded a grant to explore applications of structural plastics for large scale applications. This work is supported by ExxonMobil.
JOJO FRANCE-MENSAH IS A FINALIST IN THREE-MINUTE THESIS
JOJO FRANCE-MENSAH IS A FINALIST IN THREE-MINUTE THESIS
Jojo France-Mensah was a finalist in the 2019 Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Contest at UT. The 3MT competition, developed at the University of Queensland, is offered by Universities globally to cultivate students' academic, presentation, and research communication skills. Jojo was one of ten finalists of over 100 graduate students at UT. Contestants present their thesis to a lay audience in three minutes using just one static slide. His presentation and more information can be found here: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/three-minute-thesis.
JOINING THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION ON DETERIORATING INFRASTRUCTURE
JOINING THE NATIONAL DISCUSSION ON DETERIORATING INFRASTRUCTURE
Faculty member Bill O'Brien was featured in a national podcast discussing our regulations and our deteriorating infrastructure.
https://marketscale.com/industries/building-management/regulations-workplace
DANIEL DELGADO CAMACHO RECEIVED THE AMUG SCHOLARSHIP
DANIEL DELGADO CAMACHO RECEIVED THE AMUG SCHOLARSHIP
Daniel Delgado Camacho, MS student co-advised by Drs. Patricia Clayton and William O’Brien, was selected as the recipient of the AMUG Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship to attend the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference April 8-12, 2018, in St. Louis, MO.
O'BRIEN APPOINTED AS TRANSITION MANAGER OF FIATECH
O'BRIEN APPOINTED AS TRANSITION MANAGER OF FIATECH
Daniel Delgado Camacho, MS student co-advised by Drs. Patricia Clayton and William O’Brien, was selected as the recipient of the AMUG Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship to attend the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference April 8-12, 2018, in St. Louis, MO.
O'BRIEN APPOINTED AS TRANSITION MANAGER OF FIATECH
O'BRIEN APPOINTED AS TRANSITION MANAGER OF FIATECH
April 2017: The Construction Industry Institute (CII) and Fiatech are marking a new chapter in their organizations thanks to a recently launched collaboration effort between the two. Through the integration of these two organizations they hope to advance their research efforts in the area of R&D of technology for capital projects.
While Fiatech will continue to focus their development in technology research and adoption, through more closely combining their organizations, both CII and Fiatech will be able to further advance their efforts in the process for the delivery and operation of capital facilities.
As a part of this integration, Dr. William O’Brien has assumed the position of Transition Manager of Fiatech. His role at Fiatech will be an indispensable component of the transition process in ensuring both the continuation of Fiatech’s processes and the future success of the organization.
His long-standing participation in both CII and Fiatech activities makes him an ideal candidate for this role in fostering and strengthening the collaborative activities of these organizations.
The continued vision of this re-organization encompasses focusing on the people, processes, and technologies needed to deliver business results that will deliver a successful future to both groups.
DR. O'BRIEN RECEIVED THE CII/FIATECH CETI AWARD
DR. O'BRIEN RECEIVED THE CII/FIATECH CETI AWARD
Dr. William O’Brien received the CII/Fiatech Celebrating Engineering and Technology Innovations (CETI) Award for Outstanding Researcher – Career. This award recognizes his multiple contributions to advancing technologies and work processes in the capital projects industry.
CII RECOGNIZES ADVANCED WORKING PACKAGING AS A BEST PRACTICE
CII RECOGNIZES ADVANCED WORKING PACKAGING AS A BEST PRACTICE
The Construction Industry Institute (CII) officially recognized Advanced Work Packaging as a Best Practice. A CII Best Practice is a process or method that, when executed effectively, leads to enhanced project performance. To be acknowledged as a CII Best Practice reflects extensive research, proven industry use, and validation. Advanced Work Packaging entails the overall process flow of all the detailed work packages (construction, engineering, and installation work packages). AWP is a planned, executable process that encompasses the work on an EPC project, beginning with initial planning and continuing through detailed design and construction execution. AWP provides the framework for productive and progressive construction, and presumes the existence of a construction execution plan. The research supporting AWP designation as a best practice validated benefits through case studies, surveys, and application of a maturity model related benefits in cost, schedule, safety, quality, predictability, and productivity to different stages of application.
MOVE-ING FIELD SUPERVISION FORWARD
MOVE-ING FIELD SUPERVISION FORWARD
October 2017: Dr. William O’Brien has led a new University of Texas at Austin research team to discover what should be required in field supervision to facilitate the implementation of better productivity enhancement practices. As a result, the team sought to answer the question, what are the cognitive and practical skillsets required of field supervision to implement productivity enhancement practices effectively?
They came to the conclusion that industrial frontline supervisors often lack the cognitive and practical competencies that are indispensable parts of guiding and managing their work teams. As a result, the team urges those who work in the capital projects industry to invest in the education and training that is necessary to best equip frontline supervisors. In doing so, both foremen and general foremen will be able to supply quality managerial supervision and guidance in any project that they take on, despite the transient nature of their positions.
The ten competencies that the team outlined in their research report will help frontline supervisors foster a more productive work environment for everyone on their team. By implementing a higher standard for general foremen, more time will likely be spent on productive project operations in turn, increasing field productivity.
The research team presented their findings at this year’s CII Annual Conference which took place in Orlando, Florida from July 31 – August 2. While there, Dr. William O’Brien presented the work that his team discovered over the two-year research period.
Gurpreet Kaur, a CEPM master’s graduate, aided in the research endeavor and contributed to it by facilitating meetings and aiding in research analysis.
To find out more about RT 330 and the work that they conducted for the project, please visit the following website.
CEPM PRESENTS AT 2017 FIATECH TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE
CEPM PRESENTS AT 2017 FIATECH TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE AND SHOWCASE
May 2017: This year’s Fiatech Technology Conference and Showcase, which took place in Orlando, Florida from April 10-12, was in full swing with members of the construction engineering industry from across the country coming together to explore “The Shape of Things to Come” in the industry.
Dr. William O’Brien, fellow professors, and students attended the conference to present a synthesized view of all of the research that CEPM has been taking part in at The University of Texas at Austin. The CEPM department had a booth at the conference, which allowed attendees from the department to interact with other industry professionals to discuss current research.
Doctoral student Thomas Czerniawski discussed a new strand of research that uses Pointcloud data and LIDAR technology to automatically update BIM models when building changes happen.
Jojo France-Mensah, also a doctoral student in CEPM, talked about research involving the integration of the technology and work processes of maintenance planning and capital planning groups. The research focused on the creation of a collaborative platform which would allow the two groups to work together more effectively.
The platform uses GIS, to bridge the gap in the planning stage between the maintenance planning and capital planning sides. GIS gives these groups a platform which allows them to see exactly what is happening on both sides at any given moment. This technology will prove to be incredibly beneficial because it can ultimately help eliminate potential flaws and redundancies in planning.The CMAA Capital Projects Symposium was a high level conference exploring the technology, project delivery and innovation in construction management practices. Dr. O’Brien, alongside Eric Crivella from Bentley Systems, presented on AWP. This Construction Industry Institute (CII) Best Practice, when implemented correctly and consistently, improves field productivity and the predictability of such key project metrics as schedule and cost. Teams implementing AWP processes can expect improved field safety and site cleanliness, better quality, and higher project team morale along with a number of other ancillary benefits. O'Brien and Crivella discussed lessons learned from implementation in an interactive session.
UT LED TEAM SETS THE STANDARD FOR STATE DOTS
UT LED TEAM SETS THE STANDARD FOR STATE DOTS
February 2017: A University of Texas at Austin research team led by Dr. William J. O’Brien, worked in conjunction with members of the University of Colorado Boulder to create a guidebook that sets a standard for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in Civil Integrated Management (CIM). This guidebook has gained national prominence for its innovation and has been funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) in cooperation with the Transportation Research Board.
DOTs deliver projects in a complex environment that involve the participation of many stakeholders with different objectives. The collection and utilization of digital information for project delivery has increased with advancements in computational capabilities, design technology, and field positioning systems. CIM encompasses the tools and practices that facilitate the process of digital project delivery and asset management. CIM, as a lifecycle process, caters to the data requirements of various project stakeholders.
This project scoped the principal CIM technologies for highway sector and modeled the workflow for digital project delivery and asset management. The study developed and validated a Guidebook that included a three-stage hierarchical framework for agencies to evaluate and implement CIM. The three stages include planning from current capabilities (using a maturity model), assessment of future capabilities (using benefit-cost analysis), and implementation considerations (compilation of best practices and lessons learned).
The Guidebook serves as both an information resource and an implementation guide for practitioners at various key positions in the highway agencies. The DOTs can tailor the recommendations presented here to develop detailed guidelines matching their organizational needs.
To find more information on the project or to access the guidebook itself, please visit the following website.
O’BRIEN PRESENTS ADVANCED WORK PACKAGING AT THE 2016 CMAA SYMPOSIUM
O’BRIEN PRESENTS ADVANCED WORK PACKAGING AT THE 2016 CMAA SYMPOSIUM
May 2016: The CMAA Capital Projects Symposium was a high level conference exploring the technology, project delivery and innovation in construction management practices. Dr. O’Brien, alongside Eric Crivella from Bentley Systems, presented on AWP. This Construction Industry Institute (CII) Best Practice, when implemented correctly and consistently, improves field productivity and the predictability of such key project metrics as schedule and cost. Teams implementing AWP processes can expect improved field safety and site cleanliness, better quality, and higher project team morale along with a number of other ancillary benefits. O'Brien and Crivella discussed lessons learned from implementation in an interactive session.
DR. O'BRIEN RECEIVED THE CII/FIATECH CETI AWARD
DR. O'BRIEN RECEIVED THE CII/FIATECH CETI AWARD
Dr. William O’Brien received the CII/Fiatech Celebrating Engineering and Technology Innovations (CETI) Award for Outstanding Researcher – Career. This award recognizes his multiple contributions to advancing technologies and work processes in the capital projects industry. Award video is posted at https://vimeo.com/261340229
MOVE TEAM PRESENTS AT CTR SYMPOSIUM
MOVE TEAM PRESENTS AT CTR SYMPOSIUM
April 2016: Dr. O’Brien was a featured speaker at the 2016 Center of Transportation Research (CTR) Symposium. He presented alongside Bill Hale (Chief Engineer for TxDOT) on a Project Delivery Method Selection Tool developed by the MOVE team. Students Bharathwaj Sankaran and Jojo France-Mensah presented the tool during the Symposium poster session.
Alternative project delivery methods have been adopted by several public and private agencies since the past few decades. Availability of multiple options for project delivery necessitates development of formal decision support systems to determine the appropriate choice. This study developed a transparent and flexible decision support system for TxDOT to analyze the suitability of Design-Bid-Build (D-B-B) vs. Design-Build (D-B) on Texas projects. The tool helps decision makers make an objective choice of project delivery method, driven by weighted project goals and applicable project characteristics. Using data from experts about the benefits and challenges of each project delivery method, the tool provides a quantitative rating of each method for a specific project. The tool helps decision makers make an informed and consistent choice across projects and has been used on several recent major TxDOT projects to guide delivery method selection.
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