Conference Session

Curriculum for Green Materials

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Chen, California Polytechnic State University; Linda Vanasupa, California Polytechnic State University; Blair London, California Polytechnic State University; Richard Savage, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Materials

Society of Professional Engineer ethics creed5 isintroduced: “…I dedicate my professional knowledge and skill to the advancement andbetterment of human welfare.” Like many other professional society ethics statements, engineersidentify service to humankind as their greater purpose. If engineering students are trained to be“problem solvers,” why not present the world’s problems as challenges for our engineers totackle?One of the most effective ways used to raise the awareness of global issues for students is toassign reading articles from mainstream publications, such as Time magazine and TechnologyReview. Some special issues of Time address the environment (“How to Save the Earth”)6 andpoverty (“How to End Poverty”).7 Students welcome the

Conference Session

Materials Science and Engineering of 2020

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Vanasupa, California Polytechnic State University; Blair London, California Polytechnic State University; Katherine Chen, California Polytechnic State University; Richard Savage, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Materials

, manufacturability, and ethical). In short, our challenge is toeducate an engineering professional who is far more sophisticated than the engineer of the 20thcentury. Additionally, challenges brought on by the overuse of natural resources put a specialresponsibility on materials science and engineering (MSE) faculty, whose role it is to assist inshaping the MSE profession. How can faculty deliver relevant curricula for the MSEengineering professional in an already crowded curriculum? Certainly curricular content must beup-to-date. However, a number of the goals can be met through changing the way in which thecurriculum is delivered. In particular, we have emphasized mastery at the lower levels toincrease retention, and implemented a number of learning “best