Wei Yan, assistant professor in the Department of Architecture, was elected in April to serve on the Steering Committee of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, the oldest academic organization focused on the research and education of computer-aided architectural design.

“Computer-aided architectural design has come a long way, from drafting to now modulation. We can now use it in all steps from conception to schematics to documentation to construction and operation.” Yan said.

Yan said he will serve a two-year term on the committee. His term will begin in October at the association’s annual peer-reviewed conference, which will be held this year in New York City. As well as assisting with the conference, the Steering Committee sets research and education agendas and provides guidance over the association’s policies and objectives, controls the budget, allocates resources and makes decisions regarding large expenditures. The committee is made up of nine to 10 experts from different universities across the U.S. in the field of computer-aided architectural design.

“I have been an active member of [the association] since 2004 and have frequently presented papers for [the association] and its affiliated organizations’ conferences.” Yan said. “I wish to help enhance the role of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture in assisting our profession to get prepared for new services and knowledge required by the adoption of new technologies and by supervising and coordinating the development of those technologies to better meet the needs of our profession, the clients and society.”

Although he is the only faculty member from Texas A&M this year, Yan is not the first Aggie to serve on the Steering Committee.

“A&M has long been a leader within [the association]. We have three past presidents on our faculty: Larry Degelman, Bob Johnson and myself,” said Mark Clayton, Yan’s mentor and associate professor in the architecture department. “We have great projects for the coming year too. Dr. Yan has been appointed coordinator of that program.”