Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean D. MacRae, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

itself. The Earth is a planet of finiteresources, and its growing population currently consumes them at a rate that cannot besustained.”1, and the first five challenges: (1) make solar energy economical, (2) provide energyfrom fusion, (3) develop carbon sequestration methods, (4) manage the nitrogen cycle, and (5)provide access to clean water, are all related to sustainability. It is, however, possible to work onthese important issues without really contributing to overall sustainability by defining theproblem boundaries too narrowly rather than assessing potential solutions from a broad systemperspective.With this context in mind, one course was altered and another was developed to deal moredeliberately with sustainability issues. They are: CIE

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahbub Uddin, Trinity University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

affectthe health, survival, or activities of human or other living organisms in this planet2,3,4. Toachieve this objective we adopted the following strategies: 1. Develop Environmental Information Literacy: Students are required to read local/national newspapers, environmental journals, internet, etc. on a regular basis and identify issues that might have local or global environmental impact. Students share their reading with a short summary of the environmental news and literature citations with all the students in the class including the instructor. Students maintain a portfolio/journal of all the articles Page 22.902.3

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sirjana Dahal, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Richard H. Hall, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Glenn Morrison, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Seth Paul Lamble, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Ronaldo Luna, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. His research interests include: engineering education, geotechnical earthquake engi- neering, and hazard mitigation. Address: Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engi- neering, 130 Butler Carlton Hall, Missouri S&T, Rolla, MO, 65409; telephone: (+1) 573.341.4484 be- gin of the skype highlighting(+1) 573.341.4484end of the skype highlighting; e-mail: rluna@mst.edu Page 22.123.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 A Web-Based Learning Module for Teaching GIS within the Context of Environmental EngineeringAbstractThere is a growing need for

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brett Borup, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. Page 22.164.2The decision making process has been well studied. The specific approaches to the decisionmaking process are as varied as the decision situations; however, it is widely accepted that thefollowing are the important elements of the process1,2,3: 1) Definition of the problem 2) Listing alternatives 3) Definition of criterion, values, or objectives that will be used for evaluation 4) Quantification of the importance of each criterion, value, or objective 5) Evaluation of each alternative for each criterion, value, or objective 6) Choice of a course of action based on the evaluationTo make better decisions in the wastewater treatment plant design process it is necessary tounderstand the values held

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isaac W. Wait, Marshall University; Richard F. McCormick, Marshall University; Sydney M. Wait, Marshall University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

lab access inorder to take frequent measurements and make adjustments to growing conditions. Thus, it isclear that an alternative which eliminates these challenges would be an advancement towardsgiving students the opportunity to have hands-on experience with biological growth, and betterunderstand the factors that influence reaction kinetics.Kefir is a drink that originates from the Caucus region of Eurasia, and is similar in appearanceand taste to unsweetened, drinkable yogurt. The production of kefir depends on the presence ofkefir grains (see Figure 1), which are colonies of bacteria and yeast that live in jelly-like clustersand are placed into milk during kefir production1. The growth of kefir, wherein microorganismsconsume a substrate

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Philip J. Parker, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

screencasts was a completely new field of study for me at the beginning of theFall 2010 semester. However, the learning curve was not particularly steep, and spending lessthan 1 hour watching tutorials from the Camtasia website was sufficient training.My method for recording the screencasts evolved over time. The first method was in essence tocreate a PowerPoint presentation and record the delivery of this presentation. The PowerPointslides contained a number of equations, with various algebraic manipulations and inserting ofgiven values. The details of unit conversions and numeric calculations were not includedexplicitly. I set the custom animations in PowerPoint such that each equation appeared one at atime on a mouse click. I continuously recorded

Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Brandes, Lafayette College, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

project was three-fold: (1) to address an existing runoff problem that was degrading a high-quality stream in the local community, (2) to involve undergraduate students in an integral way in the design process, system maintenance, and in performance monitoring, and (3) to use the project as a practical illustration of how sustainability constraints are incorporated into water resources engineering. The importance of ongoing partnerships with the local municipality, regulatory agencies, and watershed advocacy organizations is emphasized as key to sustaining multiple-year off-campus projects. Qualitative assessment suggests the project was highly motivational to many students; however, a drawback is that a given class of students

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Problem Based Learning and Case Studies into an Environmental Engineering Lab Course Stephanie Luster-Teasley, PhD1 and Cynthia Waters, PhD2 North Carolina A&T State University 1 Department of Civil, Architectural and Agricultural Engineering 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering Greensboro, NC 27411Abstract An introductory Environmental Engineering course was re-designed to include newenvironmental laboratory modules based on Sustainability and Green Design. The goal of thecourse was to incorporate the skill sets taught in a traditional Environmental

Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Wiggins, University of Colorado, Boulder; Mary E. McCormick, Tufts University; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Christopher W. Swan, Tufts University; Kurt Paterson, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

systems to embrace sustainability gained worldwide attentionin 1987. As stated in the Brundtland Report: “[Sustainable Development] challenges cut acrossthe divides of national sovereignty, of limited strategies for economic gain, and of separateddisciplines of science . . . The changes in attitudes, in social values, and in aspirations that thereport urges [to achieve sustainable development] will depend on vast campaigns of education,debate and public participation”1. This report called for a change in the way we as humansinteract with each other and the planet. In the years since this report, campaigns for educationand public debate have occurred, albeit not to the vast extent envisioned by the BrundtlandCommission. Education is a deeply

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Powers, Clarkson University; Jan DeWaters, Clarkson University; Suresh Dhaniyala, Clarkson University; Mary Margaret Monica Small, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

orengineering that would contribute to solving global climate problems. Qualitative assessmentresults indicated that students felt more confident in their ability to contribute to climate changemitigation through both their personal knowledge and professional career options.IntroductionThe scientific community now recognizes with a very high level of confidence that recentindustrial and agricultural activities are having a profound impact on Earth’s climate. 1 Therelease of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from these activities is causing a discerniblewarming and general instability of our planet’s climate. It is now time to help the broadercommunity understand the science of climate change, its potential implications, and the actionsrequired to

Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melanie L. Sattler, University of Texas, Arlington; Yvette Pearson Weatherton, University of Texas, Arlington; Victoria Chen, University of Texas, Arlington; Stephen P. Mattingly, University of Texas, Arlington; K.J. Rogers, P.E., University of Texas, Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, University of Texas, ArlingtonDr. K.J. Rogers P.E., University of Texas, Arlington Page 22.604.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Engineering Sustainable Civil EngineersAbstractEngineering Sustainable Engineers (ESE) was designed to infuse curricula in the Departments ofCivil (CE), Industrial and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington withsustainability. The overarching aim is to improve student knowledge of and competency inaddressing sustainability issues in engineering design and problem solving. Three key programelements are (1

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Ross Pfluger, U.S. Military Academy; Weimin Wu, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. Methanotrophic bacteria canalso be isolated from environmental conditions as described in Whittenbury et al, 1970, and Pattet al, 1974.5,7 Methanotrophs should be appropriately stored prior to the experiment. Storage at4oC is appropriate if the experiment will be conducted within 72 hours. For longer durations, thebacteria should be stored at -20oC.The instructor, or teaching assistant, will prepare the fluid medium for bacterial growth. Themedium will be prepared in a sterilized 2-liter glass container using Milli-Q water as the solvent.The following chemicals are added to the solvent: 0.8 mM MgSO4, 10 mM NaNO3, 0.14 mMCaCl2, 1.2 mM NaHCO3, 2.35 mM KH2PO4, 3.4 mM K2HPO4, 20.7 µM Na2MoO4, 10 µMFeEDTA, and 1 mL of a trace element solution [which contains