Dear Reader,

Computational Modelling Masterclass

Before we head into the newsletter, I wanted to know if you would be interested in a Computational Modelling Masterclass that I will host over the next few months. I am gauging the interest of my audience for this. Please let me know.

Hi Reader, I have been away speaking at three conferences for the last two weeks and so was unable to write my usual editions of this newsletter.

Now Conference season is now over and I am winding down to my holiday. I will then be able to reflect more consistently and more importantly share some of my ideas in the future (second-half of the year).

For today here are my focus:

1. Technical Reflection: The 3DExperience: The Computational Multiverse
2. Behind the Scenes at CM Videos: Plans for the summer
3. Quote of the Week: Magic number for Greatness

Technical Reflections

The 3DExperience: The Computational Multiverse

A multiverse is an fictional assembly of different universes. In the context of computational modelling, such a multiverse can represent a platform that can accomplish a range of diverse computational modelling tasks. I recently participated in a presentation by the team at Dassault Systemes where they described the 3DExperience Platform. According to the developers:

In the context of computational modelling, the platform offers unified computational modelling environment which consists the following software portfolio

• 3D Modelling Application: Here we have SolidWorks, CATIA, GEOVIA and BIOVIA and these aim at developing products (virtual domains) to be used for next stage of the computational modelling cycle.
• Simulation Apps: Here, we have a multidisciplinary simulation engine which undertake numerical analysis of a problem. Here we have SIMULIA (where ABAQUS is developed and housed) , DELMIA (used for manufacturing and operations simulation) and 3DVIA (for 3D visualization and communication)
• Information Intelligence Apps: We have EXALEAD (for intelligent searcha nd data analytics capabilities) and NetVibes (for personalized dashboards for monitoring information)
• Social & Collaboration Apps: Namely, ENOVIA (for data management, collaboration and product lifecycle management) and 3DSW4M (which supports online internal and external communities and media version control).

The software that I use for videos posted on my CMVideos YouTube Channel is ABAQUS and it is hosted under the SIMULIA packages of the 3DExperience platform. Within SIMULIA we have other software like: Isight for process integration and design optimization; fe-safe for fatigue analysis and Tosca which is a topology optimization and shape optimization tool.

My Reflection: The further you dig into this multiverse, the more software programmes you find. I have built my whole computational modelling journey around ABAQUS which is a sub-set of SIMULIA package. There are a wide variety of software products within this multiverse. The team at Dassault Systemes prioritise acquisition of software packages from startups and integrate same within their ecosystem of software products. There is a challenge of integration of these software into a design and descovery/innovation hub which organizations can leverage for greater competitiveness. I have been excited by it and I look forward to what the 3DExperience will become in future. The Living Heart Model that I discusse d in my last newsletter (read it here) is taken from the SIMULIA package of the 3DExperience.

Behind the Scenes at CM Videos

Plans for the Summer

In a previous newsletter article, I highlighted the conferences I will be attending this summer. So, to add more depth to my plans for the summer, here are what I intend to do:

1. June-July: Attend and speak at 3 conferences (all about Pedagogical Research) - completed
2. July: Host a few educational training programmes where I educate attendees of how AI is impacting academia - completed
3. July 16th: Initiate some exploratory pedagogical research around impact of AI in assessment design in engineering education
4. July: Film two detailed step-by-step Getting Started with ABAQUS video
5. July-August: Publish 4 videos/shorts for the CM Videos Channel
6. August: Complete coding for one of my software products with a view to launching in September 2024.
7. August: Go on holiday for a few days with my family.
8. August: Work on two journal publications for publication at start of new academic year.

That is the plan, and we will see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Quote of the Week

The Magic Number of Greatness

So many people have referenced to the necessity of sticking with and practicing a new skill up to 10,000 hours for one to be truly proficient in it. This thought originated from Malcolm Gladwell and the quote goes thus:

Malcolm Gladwell is a Canadian journalist and author who, in the book The Outliers: The Story of Success, (published in 200) explores the idea that achieving mastery in any field requires approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This sort of consistent, focused effort over a long period is essential for exceptional performance.

The crux of the quote is that you must practice a craft for 10,000 hours to be considered elite and truly experienced in it. It is often not simply to be an expert but to be a phenom - which is being freakishly awesome to be a standout among your peers, become asily recognished when people hear your name.

One of the persons that readily come to mind is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is a Portugese footballer who is hugely known globally and has the largest instagram following on the planet. People who have worked with him speak of his deliberate practice of his craft, dedicating obscene amougt of time working on getting better. A stat about him stated that each post of his on Instagram generate a staggering $2.6 million of media value per post. In 2022, he was named the most powerful player on Instagram. He has a following of 634 million followers. Finally, his influence extends far beyond football field, making him a social media powerhouse.

Having said all that, what does this mean for you and I? The Gladwell magic number of greatness of 10,000 hours is really for not just any person but those who would be outliers in their field. It still portends that if you want to be good at anything, then you need to apply yourself to study. If you consider that an typical Engineering undergraduate programme in the UK lasts 3 years. Each year, there is a 30 week teaching week out of a possible 52 weeks. Students will typically spend 40 hours of contact and study time per week. This therefore leads to a yearly hour total of 1200 hours. Over the 3 year duration, the student has accummulated 3600 hours. You can see this is about one-third of the Gladwell number of greatness.

The implication of this is that your education or training simply positions you from the same start-off block as every other. Deploying yourself to more study and being deliberate in how you do this is what sets you apart from others - making you that outlier of greatness that Gladwell imagined.