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If/When Jun 8, 2021

Additive Manufacturing: Building on Demand

Show Contributors: Dr. Patrick Suermann, Kurt Maldovan, Paul Thies

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Sometimes called 3D printing, additive manufacturing is on the cutting edge of technological advancements in building construction. To create a structure, builders start with digital designs, and then deploy largescale industrial 3D printers and locally sourced materials to create structures layer upon layer until the model is completed. In this episode of If/When, we explore additive manufacturing with Department Head and Associate Professor, Charles Dewey McMullan Chair in Construction Science at Texas A&M University Dr. Patrick C. Suermann, and Jacobs Global Director Digital Delivery Solutions, Kurt Maldovan.

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Episode notes

Dr. Patrick C. Suermann, PE, LEED AP, Lt Col, USAF, ret., is the Department Head of the largest Construction Science program in the nation at Texas A&M University. After retiring from the Air Force as the first ever Chief of Emergency Services & Engineering at the newly formed Headquarters Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center AFIMSC, Suermann’s last teaching position as Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) set him up for unique and far reaching partnerships inside academia and the federal government. He has experience in deployed and international construction, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Fire & Emergency Services, and Emergency Management. He was the 2016 AFIMSC STEM Outreach Award nominee to the Air Force Chief Scientist. Suermann is a leader in the BIM field as a listed author on all three NBIMS versions. Now, as the Department Head of construction he seeks for people to join him as he and the Texas A&M Space Alliance take America back to the moon – this time, to stay.  But the knowledge learned there will return and help seek the continuous improvement of one of the oldest businesses in the world, construction.

Kurt Maldovan serves as the Digital Delivery Global Solution Director for Jacobs. As the Digital Delivery Global Solutions Director, Kurt drives innovation by connecting, leading and growing Jacobs' internal capabilities and external market presence. He cultivates leaders supporting the company's Linear, Vertical and Plant Information Modeling as well as Robotic Process Automation, Automated Design and VR/AR initiatives. He has broad market experience spanning healthcare, mission-critical, federal, intelligence, higher education, aviation, water-treatment, transportation, energy, and power generation. Kurt has been responsible for enabling and equipping design, construction, planning and sales teams with the right technology, training and processes to effectively deliver on projects ranging to over $13B USD. He has presented at over 50 international conferences and is a recognized subject matter expert in BIM, Augmented  and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), and other emerging technologies. Additionally, Kurt finds time to be an instructor for the Associated General Contractors of America BIM Education Program and the Construction Management Association of America. Kurt currently holds leadership roles in the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Washington, DC Post and the Lean Construction Institute (LCI) DC Metro Community of Practice.