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When Seattle, Washington-based Director of Construction Technology Elizabeth Angel raised her hand to become a My Contribution Ambassador, she couldn’t have imagined that her journey with the program would take her across an ocean and nearly 5,000 miles away from home. But last month, Elizabeth was afforded the opportunity of a lifetime: participating in an artificial intelligence (AI)-themed My Contribution Hackathon with tech giant Microsoft in the heart of London’s West End.

The ‘Big AI Challenge,’ which included nearly 70 people from �ձ����� and Microsoft, was held at Microsoft’s flagship Experience Centre and spanned two days. Elizabeth was chosen to represent the U.S. because of her deep knowledge and leadership within My Contribution as well as her AI experience.

Participants were divided into six teams to test real-world applications for ideas generated in My Contribution in the UK. Armed with their knowledge, creativity and competitive spirit, the teams leveraged Microsoft’s AI software, Azure Open AI, Copilot, Copilot Studio and Fabric to help solve – or hack – the ideas.

Elizabeth’s Hackathon team encompassed 12 members, including a combination of the UK’s My Contribution team, IT and Microsoft support. Their idea focused on My Contribution itself – how to further tap into the power and value the program can offer our business globally. They explored how AI can help identify key themes for future idea prioritization and scaling. Elizabeth’s role was “decision-maker,” which required her to keep the team on track and focused on their three identified themes: prioritizing, leveraging and listening.

At the end of the Hackathon, each team presented their solutions to Elaine Allen, Microsoft industry lead for the Built Environment, and Jon Ozanne, �ձ����� Group chief information officer. The leaders selected two winning ideas for further development: highways repair clustering and auto generation of inspection and test plans (ITPs).

“The hackathon was so inspiring,” says Elizabeth, who was decked out for the event in her My Contribution polo and other signature purple swag. “It was an honor to represent the U.S., experience global collaboration and shine an even brighter light on what a game changer My Contribution is for every facet of our business.”

The ‘Big AI Challenge’ is just the beginning of a broader, global initiative to leverage AI and data analytics in conjunction with My Contribution to address critical business challenges and drive productivity.

“Elizabeth is a passionate champion for My Contribution and has been instrumental in the advances the program has made since its relaunch in 2022,” praises Leslee Mallinson, senior vice president. “She has brought back vital knowledge and ideas from this experience that will help My Contribution become an even more impactful program for our employees and business.”  

From BIM to Big Ben

Elizabeth’s trip also included a tour of , where she met with project leaders and discussed ways the team leverages My Contribution to enhance operational efficiencies. She also spent valuable time with VDC teammates, who prepared a presentation about their roles and the importance of BIM on highways projects. Together, they identified future opportunities for collaboration on 3D modeling and reality capture best practices.

As a passionate champion for diversity, equity and inclusion, Elizabeth’s experience wouldn’t have been complete without meeting UK affinity group leaders. Through these interactions, she learned about a role unique to the UK – social equity manager – whose job is to ensure their projects meet our equivalent of Minority and Women-Owned Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) participation goals. Elizabeth proudly shared a piece of our culture in the form of hard had stickers from the Somos employee affinity group which represents Latin@ teammates.

“I am grateful to the UK’s My Contribution team for their helpful planning and gracious hospitality and everyone who played a role in ensuring I had an impactful trip,” says Elizabeth.

In her free time, Elizabeth was able to partake in a traditional afternoon tea and pastries along with sightseeing London monuments such as Big Ben, coincidentally located in the Elizabeth Tower at the north end of The Houses of Parliament.

“I had a few emotional moments during the trip where I thought to myself, ‘You’re just this girl from South San Diego who was interested in drafting, math and engineering. Look at this life and career you’ve built and the opportunity you’ve been given’” she recalls.