Best of AU 2023 Awards: Top-Rated Classes and Speakers
- AEC Design
- Construction
- Design & Manufacturing
- Additional Industries & Audiences
- Additional Top-Rated Speakers
We live and work in a time of rapid transformation—and learning is how we adapt. The Best of AU 2023 Class Awards celebrate the power of professional learning for those in the Design and Make industries—and the presenters that make it possible.
Winners were selected based on class survey data and attendee comments. To keep data equal regardless of class size, they must meet a minimum survey response rate based on attendance. To be eligible, speakers had to submit all class materials required for their format (handout, presentation, video).
You’ll see that they’re grouped by industry and broken out by the AU class formats, with additional categories for first-time speakers and Autodesk-led classes. In addition to the winners in our First-Time Speaker category, 16 first-time presenters took top honors in the other categories this year.
Our winners represent ten countries. And it’s worth noting that many of our award-winners participated in the AU Speaker Mentor Program, matching presenters of all levels with experienced mentors who are experts in their field. We’d like to thank all our dedicated mentors for elevating our AU speakers this year. A list of other top-rated speakers from AU 2023 is at the bottom of the page.
Without further ado, put your hands together for the Best of AU 2023!
Top-Rated Sessions for AEC Design
A Time Traveler’s Suitcase: Building Future Readiness to Navigate the Unknown (Roundtable)
Speaker: Elliott Montgomery
Automated Linework from a Point Cloud Using Linear Feature Extraction (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: John Sayre
Co-Speaker: Ramesh Sridharan
BIM @ BIG: The Journey from Small to Big, and the Learnings Along the Way (Industry Talk)
Speaker: Jens Majdal Kaarsholm
BIMigration: Transforming AECO Through Immigration, Diversity, and Technology (Panel)
Moderator: Shir (Erlich) Rustici
Panelists: Nima Azad, Prateek Chitnis, Thesla Collier, Eve Lin
Climate-Efficient Design in Revit with the Free TallyCAT Carbon Action Tool (Panel)
Moderator: Marta Bouchard
Panelists: Phil Northcott, Moses Scott
End-to-end BIM Workflow for Rebar Detailing (Hands-on Lab)
Speaker: Ovidiu Paunescu
Co-Speaker: Tomasz Fudala
Lab Assistants: Dan Peticila, Mihaela Stan
GIS Essentials in CAD: Aerial Imagery, Terrain & Google Earth Visualization (Product Demo)
Speaker: Nick Chanakoulas
Grading Optimization: Making Choices that Benefit Automatic Grading (Product Demo)
Speaker: Russ Nicloy
Model Coordination: How Design Teams Have Moved Beyond the Light Table at PDX Airport (Case Study)
Speaker: Michael Adams
Co-Speaker: Chitt Kapadia
Practical Application of InfraWorks for Bridge Modelling and Design (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Vaclav Hirsch
Rhino vs. Forma? No, Rhino + Forma! (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Kevin Walsh
Co-Speaker: Krzysztof Jedrzejewski
Smart Infrastructure for a Better Future: The Digital Thread in Action (Panel)
Moderator: Marc Goldman
Panelists: Aaron Chamberlin, Mark Counts, Michael LaFontaine, Patrick Lane Jr., Guy Michael
The Unofficial CAD Manager (Roundtable)
Speaker: Derek Gauer
Co-Speaker: Ted Martin
Top-Rated Sessions for Construction
Being Transgender in the Construction Industry (Roundtable)
Speaker: Nicole Akin
Co-Speakers: Lilie Klar, Julianne Ratliff
BIG VDC, Small Projects: Adapt People, Process, and Tech for Small Projects (Industry Talk)
Speaker: Dustin Ridley
Co-Speaker: Ted Barnes
Building the Future: Global Trends and Opportunities in the Construction Industry (Industry Talk)
Speaker: Marcel Allweins
Co-Speaker: Mojtaba Navid
Connected Coordination (Hands-on Lab)
Speaker: Deepak Maini
Lab Assistants: Shashwat Bhardwaj, Snezhina Shukina, Filippo Vittori
From Zero to Hero: Streamlining Estimating with ProEst (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Ariel Castillo
Co-Speakers: Richard Antczak, Stuart Williams
INDOT: Autodesk Construction Cloud on Major Project I-69 Finish Line (Case Study)
Speaker: Andrew Pangallo
Speaker: Natasha Renwick-Curran
Co-Speaker: Shannon Brown
Top-Rated Sessions for Design & Manufacturing
A Factory Design Utilities Discussion with Peers on a Successful Deployment (Roundtable)
Speaker: Todd Schmoock
Co-Speaker: Kevin Smedley
Ask the Vault Team (Roundtable)
Speaker: Senthil Kumar
Co-Speaker: Jason Dai
Autodesk Fusion 360 for Furniture, Millwork, and Woodworkers (Case Study)
Speaker: Jeffrey McGrew
Five Autodesk Inventor iLogic productivity hacks for non-programmers! (Hands-on Lab)
Speaker: Paul Munford
Lab Assistants: Jim Byrne, Tiffany Hayden, Edwin Robledo, Gareth Spencer, Mike Thomas, Curtis Waguespack
How Turn/Mill Machines and Fusion 360 Help Rivian Increase Throughput (Industry Talk)
Speaker: Matthew Yates
Co-Speakers: Chris Cole, Josh Postell, Michael Grenier
The Fusion Digital Thread Through Autodesk Fusion 360, Upchain, Fusion 360 Manage, and Prodsmart (Product Demo)
Speaker: Michael Pares
Co-Speakers: Greg Lemons, Jason Dupree, Nick Narzinski, Ryan Johnson
Tips and Tricks: Get the Most Out of Configurations in Fusion 360 (Hands-on Lab)
Speaker: Sami Go
Co-Speaker: Victoria Studley
Lab Assistants: Shubham Ghorpade, Karina Harper, James Krenisky, James Mann
Up and Running with Inventor Nastran: Tops Tips and Workflows (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Wasim Younis
Vault Now and in the Future (Product Demo)
Speaker: Irvin Hayes
Co-Speaker: Yogeshwar Gandhe
Vault Shining on Clouded Days (Case Study)
Speaker: Joshua Wilson
Co-Speaker: Carlos Caminos
Top-Rated Sessions for Additional Industries and Audiences
Autodesk Construction Cloud: BIM 360 Template Development to ISO 19650 Standards and More (Industry Talk)
Speaker: Greg Smith
Co-Speaker: Richard Payne
Booleans: True or False? (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Stephen Gabriel
Easy and Fun Student Projects Using Fusion 360, Tinkercad, and More (Technical Instruction)
Speaker: Lydia Cline
Going Beyond Boundaries: How Allyship Fuels Inclusion (Panel)
Moderator: Cordero Davis
Panelists: Brandon Cramer, Elissa Flandro, Athena Moore, Kassidi Sorensen
How to Save Thousands of Grading Hours with Automation of Fusion 360 Learning and Assessment (Case Study)
Speaker: Jay Sahnan
Co-Speaker: Anirudh Vadiyampeta
Is Immersive Animation the Ultimate Interface for Content Creators? (Panel)
Moderator: Hilmar Koch
Panelists: Maximilian Lauter, Brian Pene, Varun Rajpurohit, Lance Thornton, Qian Zhou
Maker Girl Mania: Inspiring Future STEM Leaders (Case Study)
Speaker: Laura Kalinowski
Co-Speaker: Amy Porter
While the sessions above took top honors, many other speakers also received high ratings while meeting the criteria for eligibility, and we want to recognize their achievement:
