Conference Session

Understanding Students: Recruiting, Retention, Enrichment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

comparative energy and pollution outputs associated with landfilling or waste-to-energy incineration of the non-recycled wastes. 7 Reflective Students discuss what they learned from the guest speakers and their Essay current impressions of EVEN, including if they plan to stay in the major and what topics they are particularly interested in.In assignments 1, 5, and 7 students typically indicate which sub-discipline area(s) of EVENinterest them. This evolves over the course of the semester, including students who indicate inassignment 7 that they don’t intend to major in EVEN. Assignments 2, 3, and 6 allowed thestudents to experience how energy

Conference Session

Service Learning Projects in Developing Countries

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jess Everett, Rowan University; Yusuf Mehta, Rowan University; Joshua R. Wyrick, Rowan University; Maria Perez-Colon, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, in Senegal, El Salvador, and The Gambia.IntroductionExperiential education involves educators teaching by engaging students directly in realexperiences and focused reflection. Experiential learning is a component of experientialeducation, i.e., learning through direct experience. Experiential education and learning can be avaluable component of engineering courses [1,2,3,4,5].Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated toimproving the quality of life for impoverished communities around the world. EWB connectsstudents and professional engineers with communities in developing countries and provides helpthrough the implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineeringprojects. In

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Murphy, University of Texas, Austin; David Allen, University of Texas, Austin; Cliff Davidson, Carnegie Mellon University; H Scott Matthews, Carnegie Mellon University; Braden Allenby, Arizona State University; Chris Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University; John Crittenden, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

potential to play a leadership role: “environment” is one of thethree “legs” of sustainability, while civil and architectural engineering represent significantanthropogenic flows of materials and energy and reflect the needs and desires of society. Page 14.897.2In the first of a two-step benchmarking process, the administrative heads of 1368 engineeringdepartments (or the equivalent) at 364 US universities and colleges were contacted and asked tocomplete a questionnaire about the extent to which sustainable engineering was being integratedinto their departments. More than 20% of those contacted responded. Within that 20%, morethan 80% of all

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

that these elements are included inrequired courses. Programs must produce documentation that students have actually learned thisinformation and acquired these skills; the result of an outcome based system. Russell et al.5 notethat the Civil Engineering BOK represents a long term direction for the profession, and over timemore of its requirements could be explicitly reflected in accreditation requirements. It isassumed, therefore, that similar expectations would hold true for the EnvE BOK.In January 2007 professors representing environmental engineering programs from across theU.S. met in Tempe, Arizona, to discuss whether a BOK for EnvE was needed and what it shouldcontain.6 At this NSF-sponsored workshop there was significant disagreement in

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Morton, University of Wyoming; M.P. Sharma, University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

in1016, the effects of the annual mass flow across the earth control surface can be consideredinsignificant.Significant energy fluxes do cross the boundaries of the defined earth thermodynamic system.Approximately 177,500 terawatts (terawatts = 1012 Watts) of short wave radiation,predominately solar radiation from a black body of about 6,000 degrees centigrade6, enters theupper atmosphere. About 50,000 terawatts is reflected back into space7 as described by Equation58. E& r ? aE& i (5)where E& r is the rate of reflected energy flux, a is the albedo or reflectivity of the earth, and E& i isthe rate of incident energy impinging on the earth. The average

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Aurandt, Kettering University; Terri Lynch-Caris, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

members from other institutions are members of the advisory board. Theywere asked the question: “I believe the topic of Green Chemistry should be integratedinto IME 540.” Four out of six respondents agreed or strongly agreed to this statement.One stated concern was “About Green Chemistry -> the topic is appropriate but if toomuch is put into one course, the course will have breadth but no depth. I think depth isimportant so this issue must be weighed.” Narratives that were provided by theadvisory board state, that “Green Chemistry is emerging to be one of the next bigissues.” The formative and summative assessment reflected that green chemistryshould be incorporated into the Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturingcourse as long as

Conference Session

Project-Based Service Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Czekanski, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

quantitative in nature and do notcontribute to the scope of this paper. The results of the survey questions are shown in Table 4and reflect results taken from villages centered around the larger population centers of Nebaj andSalquil, both of which are in the heart of the Ixil Triangle, as well as those villages in the vicinityof the much larger department capital of Santa Cruz. Table 4 – Survey addendum results pertaining to socio-economic issues in Quiché 3 Average Highest Level of Families with Region of Location # of

Conference Session

Project-Based Service Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Ethan LaRochelle, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

concept that EWB is modeled on is the ability to work with acommunity to identify, formulate, and solve problems within –and sometimes beyond– theengineering domain. Typical EWB field challenges require brainstorming outside our ownsocietal norms and are further served by reflection on implemented projects. This requirementfor ingenuity has the potential to offer students lateral and complex problem skill development.This can be more demanding and challenging in comparison to participation in the customaryprojects offered by the current standard engineering coursework or local fieldwork. Page 14.597.13 Photo 7: EWB

Conference Session

Project-Based Service Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Kurt Paterson, Michigan Technological University; Chris Swan, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

in both courses and extracurricular EWB andsimilar service projects and trips. The exercise can benefit the student by forcing them to reflecton the experience, serve as a “catharsis” to vent when negative experiences occur, etc. Mostservice-learning pedagogy explicitly indicates that student reflection is a necessary part of thelearning process. Without thoughtful reflection, the full value of the SL experience may not berealized.23 These same reflective essays can serve as an assessment instrument. They yield richqualitative information beyond the student learning of technical topics, and indicate changes inattitude and identity of the students. These essays can be coded to yield quantitative findingsfrom the qualitative student statements

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cliff Davidson, Carnegie Mellon University; Chris Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University; Scott Matthews, Carnegie Mellon University; Michael Bridges, Carnegie Mellon University; David Allen, University of Texas, Austin; Cynthia Murphy, University of Texas, Austin; Braden Allenby, Arizona State University; Yongsheng Chen, Arizona State University; Eric Williams, Arizona State University; John Crittenden, Georgia Tech; Sharon Austin, EPA

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Engineering collection.AcknowledgmentThe Center for Sustainable Engineering is funded by NSF Grant DUE-0442618, and by EPAGrant Agreement X3-83235101. Although work in the Center has been funded in part by the Page 14.1183.4EPA, this paper has not been subjected to the Agency’s peer and policy review and thereforedoes not necessarily reflect the views of the agency, and no official endorsement should beinferred.Literature Cited:1. C.I. Davidson; C.T. Hendrickson; H.S. Matthews; M.W. Bridges; B.R. Allenby; J.C. Crittenden; Y. Chen;E. Williams; D.T. Allen; C.F. Murphy, S. Austin, Adding Sustainability to the Engineer’s Toolbox: A Challenge

Conference Session

Service Learning Projects in Developing Countries

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Striebig, James Madison University; Susan Norwood, Gonzaga University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Millennium Development Goals set forth by the UN.7It is widely recognized that more than engineering and health care initiatives are needed toimprove the living conditions in Benin. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals setforth inter-related goals that address the foundation of a society’s needs.7 While these goals gowell beyond what one simple program can address. The goals do prescribe important connectionsin international development, in the hopes that development can be sustainable.Over a period of three years, a service learning-based project was developed to address some ofthe needs in Benin, while simultaneously meeting the needs of academic programs for studyabroad opportunities.Upon further reflection and discussion between

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jess Everett, Rowan University; Peter Mark Jansson, Rowan University; Krishan Bhatia, Rowan University; Chris Moore, Rowan University; William Riddell, Rowan University; Chris Baralus, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

typicalsemester.Experiential education involves educators teaching by engaging students directly in realexperiences and focused reflection. Experiential learning is a component of experientialeducation, i.e., learning through direct experience. Experiential education and learning can be a Page 14.533.3valuable component of engineering courses [2,3,4,5,6]. Conducting Energy Audits for realclients in Junior and Senior Engineering Clinic provides students with a quality experientiallearning experience. Students define project scope, communicate with clients, conduct fieldassessments, assess data, write engineering reports, make recommendations, and

Conference Session

Project-Based Service Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Swan, Tufts University; Mary McCormick, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

(16), Vygotsky (21, 22),Kohlberg (13), and Kolb (12).The benefits of PBSL are derived from its pedagogical basis. When properly performed, PBSL Page 14.150.3creates a problem-centered, educational environment that gives rise to cognitive processes;combinations of thought and action, reflection and internalization, experience and development.Active team engagement in PBSL projects provides opportunities for knowledge seeking,problem-solving, and collaborating to attain a common goal. While benefits of PBSL are widelyrecognized by universities across the nation, robust validation and corroboration of this claim arepresently lacking (4). The

Conference Session

Service Learning Projects in Developing Countries

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maya Trotz, University of South Florida; Amy Stuart, University of South Florida; Daniel Yeh, University of South Florida; Helen Muga, University of South Florida; Linda Phillips, University of South Florida; James Mihelcic, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

it integrated into undergraduate curriculum, longer times incountry, and the provision of similar type projects for Bolivian students in the US.The graduate student feedback implied that students 1) learned how to mentorundergraduate students in research projects, 2) better understood how to partner withscientists and engineers located outside the U.S. after participating in the program,and 3) saw how to integrate international experience into graduate level research afterparticipating in the program. Some reflections of the influence of the researchexperience on their professional goals after graduation are:“Before participating in this project, it was hard to imagine how this kind of researchcould be organized and conducted, given

Conference Session

Understanding Students: Recruiting, Retention, Enrichment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

found that the level of cognitive diversity on the teamscorrelated to improved performance on the project. In final reflective essays in 2008, 88% of thestudents discussed teamwork in some context; for example, they enjoy it, don’t like it, believe itis one of their strengths, etc. Recognizing differences in work styles may facilitate better teamexperiences, as the students may be willing to try to accommodate these differences. Projectcomplexity, student maturity, and other factors also appear to be important determinants of teamsuccess on these analysis-based environmental engineering projects. Continued research oncognitive modes is planned. In the future, a grouping algorithm more similar to that used byJensen24 based on the MBTI types will