Update February 18, 2025: Due to school cancelations resulting from inclement weather, this event was unable to take place.
TOLEDO, Ohio, February 17, 2025 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is set to host a dozen students from Port Clinton and Van Buren high schools on Tuesday, February 18, as part of the nationwide Engineers Week. Focused on promoting entry into the engineering profession, Engineers Week takes place from February 16-22, 2025, and aims to inspire interest in engineering and technology careers and address the STEM talent shortage.
During their visit to SSOE’s world headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, students will engage in the “Engineer for a Day” program from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. The day begins with a luncheon at The University of Toledo College of Engineering, followed by hands-on activities at SSOE. Students will delve into various engineering disciplines, participate in team-building exercises, and discover the journey to becoming an engineer, all while envisioning a potential future with SSOE.
Vince DiPofi, PE, CEO of SSOE, will kick off the event with opening remarks. Next, John Colley, PE, Senior Electrical Engineer, will lead a session titled “Let’s Build a Motor,” demonstrating the principles of electromagnetism and the motor effect.
The program will then proceed with an overview of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), presented by Lauren Collier, Director of Project Technology, and Mark LaBell, VDC Practice Group Lead. Students will engage in a LEGO exercise to understand the benefits of VDC, comparing traditional 2D building methods with 3D models using virtual reality.
The day will conclude with the activity, “Construct a Building Frame,” led by Kevin Brisbin, BIM / CAD Technical Specialist, and José Arnal de la Peña, Structural Engineering. Students will work in groups to build structures using household items that will then be tested for stability in a faux seismic test.
Additionally, students will learn about SSOE’s Student Co-op / Internship Program, which offers college students valuable work experience, competitive wages, and college credits. Over the past five years, SSOE has transitioned hundreds of interns into full-time positions across the U.S.
SSOE is also a Platinum Sponsor of Engineers Week, supporting various program costs, including student lunches, administrative expenses, speaker fees, scholarships, and more.
https://www.ssoe.com/wp-content/uploads/ssoe_efad_286x286.jpg286286hitchhttps://www.ssoe.com/wp-content/uploads/SSOE-1805-Reg-2.svghitch2025-02-17 08:00:272025-02-18 09:36:02SSOE Group to Welcome a Dozen High School Students for Annual “Engineer for a Day” Event
About SSOE Group
As an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, SSOE is known for delivering unparalleled client value that advances the AEC industry. They have been named a “Great Workplace” (Great Place to Work®) and one of the “Best AEC Firms to Work For” (BD+C).
Over the company’s 77-year history, it has earned a reputation for providing quality project solutions to high-tech and general manufacturing clients in the semiconductor, automotive, battery, food, chemical, and glass industries. SSOE also provides forward-thinking design across healthcare and general building sectors such as corporate workplace, education, and judicial—with projects completed in 40 countries. Visit www.ssoe.com for additional information and career opportunities.
Media Contact:
Racheal Wallace
(419) 255.3830
(419) 350.0619 cell rlwallace@ssoe.com
A solution to one of the AEC industry’s toughest challenges
We found ourselves in need of a more robust tool to enhance resource forecasting and staff assignment capabilities. Instead of waiting for the perfect tool, we’re building it. SSOE’s in-house technology team has developed and piloted a tool that aims to forecast optimal staff mix and duration for new projects against existing workload to better understand capacity and manage resources efficiently. Additionally, the tool will allow teams to identify gaps to optimal staff mix.
AI Knowledge Retention
Lessons learned shouldn’t disappear when people move on
SSOE has developed a proof-of-concept to use an AI Agent to act as a Master Engineer and Architect trained in SSOE’s processes, best-known-methods, and trainings. Our data structure is being remodeled to enable better use of our proprietary knowledge to train the agent on the ‘SSOE way’.
Autodesk Forma
Early-stage design modeling in extreme climates
We helped our client visualize and optimize façade design for occupant comfort—long before breaking ground through the use of the Autodesk Forma tool. It allows the designer to rapidly experiment with the building’s geometry and façade design to promote sustainability, prioritizing quality of spaces and comfort for end uses, especially in extreme climates (daylighting and microclimate analysis tools) at the project’s exact geographic location, using location-specific environmental data.
Accelerating Project Clarity with AI-Driven Specification Search
Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) is SSOE’s enterprise-wide project delivery platform. We partner with the Autodesk Product team and have research access. Use of the AI Assistant allows our design teams, owners, and general contractors the ability to query the project specifications for quality, answers, and more rapid responses to RFIs, submittals, or issues.
Microsoft Copilot
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SSOE is utilizing Microsoft Copilot to significantly enhance work efficiency and accuracy across various departments. Copilot is accessible to all staff after training. Key areas of application include using it as a writing assistant, for idea generation, document summarization and generation, research assistant, excel assistant, programming code assistant, language translations, product comparison and data analysis. Use of Copilot has become part of the everyday life of SSOE employees who have identified key ways it can help them become more efficient with their daily tasks as well as more accurate in their deliverables.
Today, 75% of SSOE employees are have taken the training and have access to Copilot, with a goal of 100% of employees using Copilot by October 1, 2025.
Agentic Automation
Empowering Teams with AI-Driven Workflows
SSOE is actively piloting AI copilots that use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to streamline both design and development tasks, transforming how our teams interact with software and each other.
By integrating copilot engines into platforms like Revit and GitHub, we’re enabling users to prompt complex actions using simple, conversational commands. In Revit, this means automating tasks such as cleaning up parameter data, managing annotations and dimensions, and organizing sheets—without writing scripts. These automations can be shared across project teams, accelerating workflows and reducing manual effort.
Similarly, our internal Software Development Community is leveraging GitHub Copilot to expedite coding tasks. Developers can generate and refine code using NLP prompts, tapping into GitHub’s enterprise knowledge base to move faster from concept to implementation.
Together, these tools represent a shift from traditional, expert-driven scripting to intuitive, AI-assisted collaboration, unlocking new levels of efficiency and scalability across our projects.
