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Environmental Concepts Of Civil/Construction Engineering Students

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Conference

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Publication Date

June 22, 2008

Start Date

June 22, 2008

End Date

June 25, 2008

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Trends in Construction Engineering Education II

Tagged Division

Construction

Page Count

10

Page Numbers

13.564.1 - 13.564.10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--3886

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/3886

Download Count

307

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Paper Authors

biography

Enno Koehn Lamar University

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Enno “Ed” Koehn is Professor of Civil Engineering at Lamar University. Dr. Koehn has served as the principle investigator for several research and development projects dealing with various aspects of construction. He also has experience in the design, scheduling, and estimating of facilities. He has authored/co-authored over 200 papers in engineering education, as well as the general areas of civil and construction engineering. Dr. Koehn is a member of ASEE, AACE International, ASCE, NSPE, Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and is a registered Professional Engineer and Surveyor.

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biography

James Koehn Chadron State College

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James F. Koehn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business and Economics at Chadron State College, Nebraska, where he is also the Director of the Nebraska Business Development Center. Koehn currently serves on the Education Advisory Committee of the Nebraska Board of Public Accountancy. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Accounting degrees from Rice University and earned a Juris Doctor from Baylor University. Koehn has worked for an international accounting firm in both their Houston and New York City offices, and he practiced tax and corporate law in Austin, Texas. Dr. Koehn is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the State Bar of Texas.

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Phanindra Nagumantri Lamar University

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Phanindra Nagumantri was awarded a M.E. in Civil Engineering degree from Lamar University, Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Andhra University, India.

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Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Environmental Concepts of Engineering Students

Abstract

This paper deals with the Environmental Concepts held by Civil/Construction Engineering students and their concern towards the Environment. Based on a survey instrument adapted from The Environmental Resource Center (ERC), the mean and standard deviation of the responses were calculated. The average value was 224 which is considered in the “Earth Watchdog” category.

The survey instrument was completed by students enrolled in a Hazardous Waste Management course and may measure the level at which pollution has touched the respondents’ lives. Specifically, many believe the environment in which they live is good and haven’t been personally harmed by pollution. Others seemed convinced of the gravity of environmental problems, but also appear to realize the underlying cause may be human greed and selfishness. This paper discusses the findings of the investigation and suggests future actions which may be undertaken.

Introduction

In its fourth decade, the environmental movement has won enormous support among Americans, support that is likely to be put to the test as the nation addresses environmental problems global in scope. Most ''green'' issues are presented as choices between protecting the environment and growing the economy: You can have a logging industry or save the spotted owl. You can reduce greenhouse gases or have industrial growth. Most Americans, however, seem to be seeking a choice that includes and rather than just or. They tell pollsters they care about the environment and fear it will get worse, yet seem torn on how to respond and unready to accept the sacrifices that some environmentalists believe are necessary.

Twenty-five years ago, environmentalists could target ''point sources'' -- pollution that could be tied to a specific source, such as smokestack industries, toxic waste dumping, and ocean discharge pipes. It was a war against pollution that people could see and smell. That struggle, difficult as it was, at least had the advantage of clarity, both in the causes and the solutions. Now much environmental effort has shifted to more diffuse ''non-point'' pollution, caused by problems on a regional or even global scale. In the 1970s and 1980s, for example, the fight against ocean pollution concentrated on industrial outfall pipes, improved sewage treatment, and dumping garbage at sea. Now, environmental regulators in many areas are contending with problems like "runoff"; pollutants washed into the sea from farms, businesses and lawns. Global warming is perhaps the most prominent example of a potentially catastrophic problem that so far has few tangible manifestations. Despite mounting evidence that the climate is changing and global temperatures rising as a result of carbon emissions, deep differences exist about the urgency of climate change and who should bear the burden of addressing it.1, 2

The Public View

Koehn, E., & Koehn, J., & Nagumantri, P. (2008, June), Environmental Concepts Of Civil/Construction Engineering Students Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3886

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2008 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015