| NSF Org: |
EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 22, 2019 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 22, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1936965 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Dana L. Denick
ddenick@nsf.gov (703)292-8866 EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $99,999.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $99,999.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3124 TAMU COLLEGE STATION TX US 77843-3124 (979)862-6777 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3126 TAMU College Station TX US 77845-3126 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ERC-Eng Research Centers |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research.
This Planning Grant award supports the development of a research roadmap for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry and the formation of a multi-institutional team working toward an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC). Construction is one of the largest global industries, employing 7% of the world's workforce and contributing more than $10T annually to the world economy. However, it has the lowest productivity of any manufacturing industry, labor-intensive jobs with significant safety risks, and ballooning costs. New AI technologies have the potential to address all these challenges, leading to massive, positive economic and social impact. AI is poised to revolutionize the construction industry similarly to how the assembly line revolutionized the automobile industry, leading to significant cost reductions, higher productivity, and safer, better paying jobs for the United States of America.
There are three primary activities. The first is an advisory board meeting. The 10-member advisory board will consist of leaders in AI, construction industry leaders, and government representatives connected with the construction industry. Its objectives are to (1) formally define the ERC planning grant advisory board, (2) refine and resolve the primary research themes of the ERC, and (3) identify a group of 15 individuals from US academic institutions to invite to the second activity. The second activity is a symposium on the topic of AI in Construction. Its objectives are to (1) develop a research roadmap to achieve the ERC vision, and (2) identify the academic partners for the ERC proposal. The third activity is the ERC preproposal writing workshop. Its objectives are to (1) produce an outline of a competitive ERC preproposal, (2) identify potential industry shareholders for the ERC, and (3) identify a diverse ERC leadership team that will include representatives from each partnering institution to carry out all four foundational components of an ERC: research, engineering workforce development, innovation ecosystem, and a culture of inclusion. Impacts of the ERC will include significant advancements in AI algorithms, human-machine interfacing, machine learning for generative design, and deep learning that will transform how construction projects operate in all aspects from conception to design to completion. Research on AI for construction will help usher in the 'third wave" of AI, which will signal an ascent toward human-level learning, thinking, inferencing, and problem solving. The new AI technologies - and advancements toward the third wave of AI - will largely be adaptable outside the construction industry to impact many other disciplines and various aspects of society.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This Planning Grant award supported the development of a research roadmap for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry and the formation of a multi-institutional team that would ultimately establish an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) to execute the roadmap. Construction is one of the largest global industries, employing 7% of the world’s workforce and contributing more than $10T annually to the world economy. However, it has the lowest productivity of any manufacturing industry, labor-intensive jobs with significant safety risks, and ballooning costs. New AI technologies have the potential to address all these challenges, leading to massive, positive economic and social impact. AI is poised to revolutionize the construction industry similarly to how the assembly line revolutionized the automobile industry, leading to significant cost reductions, higher productivity, and safer, better paying jobs for the United States of America.
Three primary activities were completed under this NSF support. The first was the summit on "AI for Construction" in January 2020 in Houston, Texas, with participants from the industry/academia to brainstorm and chart out research needs and gaps, key research themes, and the larger community of stakeholders. The second was the virtual workshop on "AI for Construction" with participants from several academic institutions to discuss the future vision, AI tools and products, and required skills and expertise. The third was the group meetings and smaller taskforce meetings to create a robust organizational chart, draft the pre-proposal, and identify and engage with contributors in areas related to workforce development, diversity and inclusion, and innovation ecosystem. As the result of these activities, the ERC pre-proposal was submitted in October 2020.
Last Modified: 10/01/2021
Modified by: Zachary Grasley
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