I joined Transcend to make engineering exciting again

Written by Lorenzo Slay, Project Lead

In the academic world, Engineering and Science are tightly coupled. Scientific truths form the basis of engineering knowledge and professors teach the scientific method to hone skills aimed at solving any problem – from ‘how to cook a juicier steak’ to ‘how to engineer reusable rockets for increasing the accessibility of space travel.’ Beyond the classroom things get dicey – there is some debate between scientists and engineers on “who is getting it right.” Scientists do seem to have more fun; tinkering and trial and error are part of the job description, but many of their greatest accomplishments fly under the radar of the general public. Engineers, on the other hand, are not celebrated for their failures and, typically, the expensive behavior of tinkering on an industrial scale is discouraged. In turn, Engineers have the benefit of building things the average person gets to see and smell and touch.

I have always loved the engineering charter to better the world, and I’ve spent the better part of my career teaming with others in completing engineering projects aimed at leaving subject system structures and components in better shape than we found them. To complement the tactical nature of my work I always found creative outlets in hobbies

My work with Transcend has been completely different. The possibilities seem endless. If you don’t know, Transcend Software has basically synthesized Tony Stark’s superpower into a tool that anybody can use to make engineering fun again. When you think about what makes Tony Stark powerful as a character it isn’t his ability to have a great idea or know the perfect solution to any problem intuitively; his superpower is his ability to use software (Gravis) to iterate through multiple possible solutions quickly and autonomously. The AI he uses frees his time and attention for solving truly difficult problems and doing the cool stuff. When I saw the TDG in action for the first time, I saw exactly that. Leaning on a largely academic understanding of wastewater engineering I was able to design an entire wastewater treatment facility in less than a day. While that’s incredible, what is really game-changing is the fact that I spent only 15 minutes actively conceptualizing the design. The rest of the day I spent on other core business while the TDG autonomously iterated through thousands of possible solutions until it found me a handful unique solutions to explore.

My new charter is to bring fun back to engineering by empowering engineers with the tools they need to explore new technologies, evaluate more options and tinker to influence the future like never before and I look forward to configuring the Transend Design Generator to tackle problems in dozens of industries from water and renewables, to construction and communications.

Clients

Technology Providers & OEMs Technology Providers & OEMs

TDG rapidly generates accurate budgetary proposals to help suppliers bid more, win more, and sell more.

Asset Owners and Utilities Asset Owners and Utilities

TDG streamlines the capital planning and conceptual design processes to accelerate project timelines and deliver better outcomes.

EPCs, AECs, and Consultants EPCs, AECs, and Consultants

TDG enables engineering firms to deliver more value to their clients & increase competitiveness.

Individuals Individuals

TDG works for individual engineers who want to grow their business and reduce their non-billable time.

Academic Academic

Transcend supports students and professors around the world to incorporate TDG into their curriculum.

Resources

Articles Articles

Read posts written by Transcend team members sharing their points of view on the company mission, vision, and products.

Webinars Webinars

Register for our upcoming webinars or watch on-demand webinars like Transcend’s popular ‘How To’ Series.

Case studies Case studies

Understand how Transcend’s customers are utilizing TDG to bring more value to their customers and grow their businesses.

FAQ FAQ

View a list of the questions we are most frequently asked about our company and our software

Transcend tools Transcend tools

Access a number of tools Transcend has developed to help engineers and industry professionals take back their time.

Security Security

Learn more about Transcend’s security practices

Industries

Water and Wastewater Water and Wastewater

TDG creates unique, optimized designs of water & wastewater treatment facilities by automatically combining decisions and calculations from each engineering field.

Power Power

TDG creates unique, optimized designs of T&D assets by automatically combining decisions and calculations from each engineering discipline.

Solutions

Utility Interconnection Hub Utility Interconnection Hub

For transmission providers and power utilities, simplify the interconnection process by integrating TDG into your website to ensure developers submit fully compliant collector substation designs from the start.

Transcend Proposal Generator Transcend Proposal Generator

Enables technology suppliers and OEMs to generate more proposals, faster, with more detail and less resources, so you can sell more of your technology and/or equipment

White Label Proposal Generator White Label Proposal Generator

Generate qualified leads, elevate your customer experience, and simplify your engineering and channel partner workflows in an intuitive, user-friendly interface integrated into your website.

PFAS Feasibility Study PFAS Feasibility Study

For drinking water utilities, automatically generate accurate CAPEX and OPEX estimates to calculate the cost of upgrading your facility to meet stringent PFAS regulations

Booster Station Design Booster Station Design

Automates and simplify the complex process of designing booster pumping stations

DC Battery Sizing DC Battery Sizing

Get precise battery sizing recommendations in minutes for renewable energy and other critical infrastructure projects

WWTP Design WWTP Design

TDG creates unique, optimized designs of water & wastewater treatment facilities by automatically combining decisions and calculations from each engineering field.

Substation Design Substation Design

TDG creates unique, optimized designs of T&D assets by automatically combining decisions and calculations from each engineering discipline.