Conference Session

Sustainability and engineering education

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Woolschlager, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability. (h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.Beyond ABET, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recognizes the importance ofsustainability education in their Body of Knowledge5 document developed to define professionaldevelopment objectives for all civil and environmental engineers. Furthermore, in 1999, theAmerican Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) approved a statement on the need foreducation in engineering sustainability6. The ASEE statement reads: “Engineering studentsshould learn about sustainable development and sustainability in the general

Conference Session

Sustainability and engineering education

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Mueller PE P.E., Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; John Aidoo, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

building construction. Pre- and post-surveys wereconducted at the beginning and end of the quarter, respectively, to assess student learning.Results confirmed an increase in student awareness and understanding of sustainable designconcepts that were incorporated on a weekly basis throughout the course and how they can berelated to civil engineering projects.IntroductionIn the Fundamental Canons of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics,it states that engineers “shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development inthe performance of their professional duties.”1 Additionally, in the statement Dialogue on theEngineer’s Role in Sustainable Development – Johannesburg and Beyond (NAE 2002)2, anumber of American

Conference Session

Environmental engineering pedagogy and innovation

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marty Anne Gustafson, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Carl Vieth, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Patrick Eagan, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, •  Advanced global awareness and ethical behavior and leadership understanding of organizations and societyTypical applications in the science and technology category include the ability to understand anduse thermodynamics, and perform engineering analyses of energy use. Other dimensions in thiscompetency are the ability to understand the range of sustainability issues from a local, regionaland global perspective, and the relationships between human activities and the environment. Ofparticular interest is the integration of sustainability goals into engineering practice. Othercompetency dimensions include the development of expertise in understanding

Conference Session

Environmental engineering pedagogy and innovation

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R Bielefeldt, University of Colorado Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

such as economics, environmental, social, regulatory, health & safety, constructability, and sustainability  analyze real world situations to determine design needs, design requirements, and compare treatment strategies for site remediation  know where to find information on chemical toxicity and site remediation methods  understand the larger framework of site remediation, including ethical considerations, public involvement, cost/benefit analyses  work effectively in teams and communicate technical information via both written and oral formatsOver the 15-weeks of the semester, the class met twice each week for 75-minutes per class.Class time was used primarily for lectures with a few

Conference Session

Problem- and project-based learning in environmental engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Cardenas, Harvey Mudd College; David Wayne Kelley, Department of Geography, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN; Warren Roberts

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

as a tool to examine complex environmental issues with a spatial context.Kelley notes, regarding the study: “While it can be used as-is with little preparation for anintroductory environmental studies course, other disciplines might want to preface the exercisewith a discussion of partitioning coefficients, remediation technologies, or environmental law,depending on the discipline. For my use, I spend a class period ahead of time discussing the useof chemicals in our society, the economic and political placement of the sites/businesses that usethese chemicals in our midst (often along railroad lines or barge terminals for bulk transport),some ethical considerations regarding where these sites are located (near poorer, or ethnic

Conference Session

Problem- and project-based learning in environmental engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lupita D Montoya, University of Colorado, Boulder; Robyn Sandekian, University of Colorado Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

theirproject. After the first few days, their comfort with the adverse conditions for the projectimplementation increased. Their self-confidence and commitment to their work also increasedas evidenced by their long work hours and excellent team work ethic, both within their team butalso with their co-workers from Peru.Impact of the course topic. Quantitative post-survey data indicated that 67% of courseparticipants found the course topic more interesting than those from other sections of the course.Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses and travel team interviews indicated twothemes in the data, one related to positive motivations generated by the course topic and anotherrelated to negative motivations.Subthemes under positive motivation