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Sustainable Engineering: A Comparative Study of Freshman and Senior Perspectives

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Conference

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual On line

Publication Date

June 22, 2020

Start Date

June 22, 2020

End Date

June 26, 2021

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Learning Experiences

Tagged Division

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Page Count

11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--35260

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/35260

Download Count

432

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Paper Authors

author page

Lynal Albert Tarleton State University

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Abstract

Most engineering activities draw resources from nature and result in generating some form of end product, waste or emission that either becomes part of the environment or is released into the environment. In recent times, it has become increasingly important that students are taught sustainability principles and practices as part of their engineering curriculum. Sustainability entwined with engineering will prepare today’s students to approach problems and develop solutions with a wholesome approach including better management of resources and preventing the need for major future clean up activities. In order to facilitate the implementation of sustainability concepts as part of engineering design it is essential to create in the freshman mind an awareness of negative outcomes and environmental problems that can result from continued unsustainable practices. In this paper, we present a comparative study of freshman perspective and senior perspective of chief environmental concerns, ways to mitigate them and sustainable practices that can minimize future engineering impact. This study will identify the key areas of knowledge that current engineering education provides and identify differences in the stand point of sustainable engineering between the freshman and senior. The results of this study can aid in design and development of sophomore and upper level undergraduate courses to capture different aspects of sustainable engineering and expand freshman understanding of critical sustainability issues.

Albert, L. (2020, June), Sustainable Engineering: A Comparative Study of Freshman and Senior Perspectives Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35260

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