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

Demonstrating Microbial Growth and Metabolic Kinetics with Methanotrophic Bacteria: A Classroom Laboratory ExperimentAbstractWith the field of biotechnology rapidly expanding, it is increasingly important to providerelevant, hands-on education to environmental engineering students in the area of microbialgrowth and metabolic kinetics. Students enrolled in introductory microbiology courses can havedifficultly visualizing the physical growth of bacteria, the stoichiometric ratios of substrateconsumption, and the results of metabolic processes that produce end products. Methanotrophicbacteria can be used as a model, allowing students in an experimental laboratory class tounderstand microbiological fundamentals. Methanotrophs have been well studied

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

and chemical remediation processes for water and soils. Prior to joining North Carolina A&T State University, she was a private consultant at two consulting firms specializing in chemical oxidation remediation for soil and water remediation. Her educational research investigates the use of problem based learning and case studies to improve classroom instruction.Prof. Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University (Eng) Page 22.1232.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Reforming Environmental Engineering Laboratories for Sustainable Engineering: Incorporating

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

overall effectiveness of the module,identify the factors that mediate the effectiveness, and to determine ways in which the modulecan be made more effective.Data were collected from 56 students, 28 in an experimental group and 28 in a control group.Students in an experimental group participated in a laboratory session, which utilized themodule, to solve a problem on urban ozone events and census tract analysis; whereas students ina control group attended a class lecture covering the same information. Students in theexperimental group completed a questionnaire and students in both groups completed a quiz overthe material.Quantitative analysis was carried out on the quantitative portion of the scale for theexperimental group, and for both groups on

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

undertaken when conducting a “Microbial Kinetics andReactor Design” project during the Spring 2010 offering of Advanced Water and WastewaterTreatment (CE 434) at Marshall University is summarized in the sections below. CE 434 is asenior-level, elective undergraduate course without a lab component, and it is taken by studentsas a follow-on to an earlier required undergraduate water and wastewater treatment course thatdoes include a laboratory component. During the Spring 2010 semester, eight students wereenrolled in CE 434, and they were assigned into two groups by the instructor for purposes ofconducting this project.Project problem statementMidway through the semester, after having already covered concepts related to kinetics, reactortheory, and

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

Page 22.1361.4as a laboratory for students learning construction management12. Retrofits can later beinstrumented and monitored after installation, providing an opportunity for campus-basedresearch13. The remainder of this paper describes how such a project was implemented at a sitenear Lafayette College.Case StudyIn September 2004, the remains of Hurricane Ivan moved north through the mid-Atlantic region,resulting in widespread localized flooding. In eastern Pennsylvania, Ivan caused major damageto many small tributaries whose headwaters had become suburbanized over the previous 30years. Severe damage to streets and sidewalks occurred below an eroding stormwater channel(see Figure 1) that eventually discharges to Bushkill Creek, designated a

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

World. Science Ed., 82, 407-416.15 Hurd, P.D. (2002). Modernizing Science Education. J. Research in Science Teaching, 39(1), 3-9.16 NASA Langley Research Center, MY NASA DATA web site, http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/index.html Page 22.1376.13 (accessed 07/09).17 NASA Science for Educators, Earth Science Education Catalog, http://nasascience.nasa.gov/educators/earth- science-education-catalog , (accessed 07/09).18 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Climate Time Machine, http://climate.jpl.nasa.gov/ClimateTimeMachine/climateTimeMachine.cfm (accessed 07/09).19 U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program