Topics

Degree(s) Earned
M.S. ’13


Current Employer: CDM Smith

Hometown/Country: Farmington Hills, MI

Current City/Country: Denver, CO

/ Alumni / Master of Science in Architecture Design and Research,

Andrea Springer

Vice President, Digital Engineering Solutions, CDM Smith

“Taubman College provides a foundation of interdisciplinary thinking and a perfect setting for visual problem solving and exploration.”

Why did you choose Taubman College?

I was interested in the excellence of the University of Michigan as a school and in the Master of Science in Architecture Digital Technologies (MS-DT) program in particular as a second master’s degree. For me, this program brought together my experience in both the digital and physical realms and layered in research. I was also interested in becoming a part of the Michigan network.

Describe the work that you do.

I lead a global team of digital experts that focus on the digitalization of our architecture/engineering/science firm in terms of technology and innovation. The team is part of Stantec’s Innovation Office and helps keep Stantec on the cutting edge as we also evolve and transform how we operate in the A/E and earth sciences industries.

What are some of the projects that you have worked on recently?

Our team works on a wide variety of projects for Stantec — and there are a lot across our 25,000 employees. We bring digital expertise to our clients’ projects as needed, such as the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and also create custom solutions that we either monetize internally to work better/faster/smarter or commercialize by selling subscriptions to our clients alongside our consultative practice. We serve as a center of excellence for Stantec in terms of data analytics, development, design/delivery, project information management systems, geospatial, and visualization technologies. We also bring digital expertise to innovative ideas that are awarded internal grants for development. In my role as director, I’ve recently supported a few pursuits for the company by presenting on digital twins and additive manufacturing to clients.

How did Taubman College prepare you for your career?

Taubman College provides a foundation of interdisciplinary thinking and a perfect setting for visual problem-solving and exploration. That’s what attracted me to the school and the MS-DT degree in particular. I knew that I wanted to focus on technology and innovation in the A/E industry and Taubman College had the exact program of study I was looking for.

What is an important lesson that has stayed with you from your time at Taubman College?

An important lesson that stayed with me is to think about a problem as diversely as possible. This includes talking to others who have expertise in different areas than oneself. The broader perspective and knowledge base ties into your own thinking about a problem or area of research.

What did you like best about attending Taubman College?

My favorite part was the people, followed closely by the FabLAB!