From pods mounted on the underside of propeller planes, to orbital sensor systems on the International Space Station, remote sensing technology is providing us with a host of amazing images and data points with applications ranging from precision agriculture efforts to disaster response aid. On this episode of If/When we’re joined by Scott Stetson, Division Vice President for Growth & Strategy, Jacobs and Andy Eichelberger, Remote Sensing Division Director, Jacobs to discuss remote sensing technology and how it can be applied to address a variety of challenges.

When disruptive moments arrive in life, it’s usually not the time to sit down and try to figure out what to do. You need to get in the habit of being ready to handle the extraordinary before the extraordinary happens to you, and few people understand this better than the men and women in the armed services. On this episode of If/When, we discuss leadership, fortitude and teamwork in the face of uncertainty with Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney, a senior fellow at the Mitchel Institute of Aerospace Studies, and Lt. General Bruce Crawford, senior vice president, chief of innovation and director of Jacobs’ Global Digital Center of Excellence.

Members of the armed forces are used to contending with stressful situations. However, making the move from deployment to employment as a civilian professional brings with it a different set of challenges. In this episode of If/When we discuss how service members can successfully embark on the next phase of their careers with Isaac Barnes, President of Eminent Future, and Cleophus Thomas, Vice President & Director of Operation for Jacobs' Global Digital Center of Excellence.

On this episode of If/When, we discussed the topic of precision medicine with Dr. David Fajgenbaum, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Translational Medicine & Human Genetics, University of Pennsylvania and author of the book, Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope Into Action, and Francesa McBride, Director, Regulatory Compliance at Jacobs.

The beauty of design automation is how it leverages computing power to bring an unbelievable combination of scale and efficiency to projects, while also managing repetitive tasks and freeing up professionals to focus on higher value, higher thinking responsibilities. Thanks to design automation technology, you can really shift thinking about your computer as a tool, and instead look upon it as a partner. On this episode of If/When, we’re discussing design automation with Anthony Hauck, co-Founder and COO, Hypar, and Jerry Dehn, Vice President, Design Delivery Transformation at Jacobs. Anthony and Jerry shared their insights on some of the amazing things that design automation can deliver, how it benefits clients and the professionals who depend on it, and what organizations should consider when investing in design automation, upskilling opportunities and removing barriers to adoption.

When it comes to cyber-based threats, few things are as critical to safety and success as the element of time. With the proliferation of bad actors, malicious activity and the exponential growth of technology, it is imperative that to survive, you need to be able to identify and respond to a cyber threat very, very quickly. Sometimes it’s not enough to go it alone. You need strategic alliances to develop innovative solutions to stay a step ahead of the dangers around you. On this episode of If/When we explored the topic of technological alliances with Shep Bostin, Enterprise Architect for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and Doug Wolfe, Vice President and General Manager for Jacobs.

When it comes to tackling big challenges, innovative partnerships can be the key to sourcing differentiated outcomes. Earlier this year, Jacobs put the idea of radical collaboration to the test when it partnered with not one, but two student teams from Virginia Tech’s Consulting Group for a three-month exercise on design thinking methodologies and processes. The students had access to Jacobs subject matter experts and professionals in the field, whereas Jacobs had access to a team of academic researchers who could augment the company’s projects with supplemental data and trends research. The project culminated with two proposals and supportive testing. On this episode of If/When we discussed the genesis and output of this fantastic program with its organizer, Timothy Berendt, Jacobs Director, Technology and Innovation. Joining us were the two student team leaders from the Consulting Group at Virginia Tech: project managers Dawson Racek and Shreya Mallamula, both of whom are Virginia Tech class of 2023 seniors.

According to a report published by National Geographic earlier this year, sea levels are expected to rise one foot by 2050, due to the effects of ocean heating, climate change and carbon emissions. This is especially problematic for coastal areas, which simultaneously are seeing an increase in their population densities. Add in the difficulty of aging infrastructure in many geographies, and you have a real recipe for disruption. On this episode of If/When we discuss the topic of sea level rise with Abby Crisostomo, Thames Estuary 2100 – Project Director, and Natalie McIldowie, Jacobs Environment Agency Client Account Manager. We talked about the efforts that London is undertaking via the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan to address sea level rise and what actions that industry and coastal cities might consider adopting to counter this burgeoning environmental challenge.

The ever-increasing pace and impact of technological change has been the subject of fascination for investors, educators, entrepreneurs, and pundits of varying stripes at least as far back as 1965, when Gordon Moore first postulated his now-famous law. As emerging technology continues to build upon itself, the trajectory of change is likely to continue accelerating, and tomorrow’s workforce needs to get a handle now on the critical technical disciplines necessary to thrive in the future. On this episode of If/When, we explored the topic of STEAM education – what it is, why it’s important and how to get more of today’s students involved in it – with three STEAM education advocates from Jacobs: Kara Connon, STEAM Lead for Europe; Lainie Harber, Communications Project Manager; and Samuel Stanford, Structural Engineer, Jacobs Electronics Team.

In the world of popular music and culture, in terms of longevity, breadth and diversity of projects, he has few peers. From being the front man for legendary new wave band and video pioneers, Devo (2022 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), to a prolific film and TV composer whose credits include Thor: Ragnarok, The Royal Tenenbaums, Pitch Perfect 2, Happy Gilmore and The Lego Movie, Mark Mothersbaugh has left his own unique imprint on the world of audio and video media. In this episode of If/When, Mark discusses the inspiration of ideas, and maintaining fidelity to a creative vision when pioneering something new.

When it comes to weaponized AI, you can forget Skynet, Ultron and Hal 9000 – the AI villains plaguing commercial operations these days come in the forms of poisoned data sets, hijacked AI models, and adversarial samples. The world of malevolent data is no longer just the stuff of science fiction, but a reality that cybersecurity experts, data scientists and supply chain managers all need to be cognizant of. In this episode of If/When, we explored the topic of adversarial artificial intelligence with Dr. Jennifer Blum, Senior Director Data Scientist for Jacobs CMS Cyber & Intelligence Business Unit; and Charles Ramsay, Director/Data Scientist, Jacobs CMS Cyber & Intelligence Business Unit.

With the goal of improving environmental stewardship and economic resilience, innovators are employing new solutions to address the challenges of municipal waste management. At the forefront of concepts being explored is the circular economy model, which focuses on reuse, repair and recycling. In this episode of If/When we explored how a circular economic model can be deployed to address waste management, with guests Eric Oddo, Environmental Engineering Program Manager, Western Placer Waste Management Authority, and Janet Goodrich, P.E, Waste Solutions Global Technology Leader, Jacobs.