Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Curricula, Criteria, Student Performance, and Growth

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phil Dacunto P.E., U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, respectively). Finally, 40% of students with 1st term GPAs less than 2.0 did notcomplete the full ABET curriculum, whereas all with 1st-term GPAs greater than 2.0 did.Understanding these relationships is important because by identifying students who may be atrisk of performing poorly prior to or at the beginning of a particular course or engineeringprogram, instructors and advisers can be ready to offer early assistance or objective evidence ofhow students with similar entering grades performed.(1) Introduction Students often seem almost “predestined” to receive a particular grade in a course or gradepoint average (GPA) in a major based on their past performance. The best students coming intothe course or major often appear to be the ones that

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Engagement, Experiential Learning, and Balance

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veera Gnaneswar Gude P.E., Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

scientific judgement on any engineering problem. In our previous efforts (see Figure 1), we introduced writing as an essential tool to instillcritical thinking skills in junior and senior level Civil Engineering students. Other activitiesincluded supplemental instruction (SI), collaborative learning and project based learning of waterand wastewater treatment and environmental engineering concepts3-6. Writing assignmentsprovided a practical context that deepened student understanding and comprehension of thecontent area. Students developed written communication skills, a process for thinking throughand solving civil and environmental engineering problems. Active learning in the classroom andself-directed learning outside of classroom created

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Engagement, Experiential Learning, and Balance

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Sirena C. Hargrove-Leak, Elon University; Willietta Gibson

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

themes, real world examples, and new topics such as sustainability. The rationalefor implementing the cases within a traditional laboratory was to determine if the cases impactedstudent engagement; helped students to see the link between laboratory exercises and real worldapplications; increased student’s critical thinking levels above the lower levels of Bloom’sTaxonomy of knowledge and comprehension for their experimental data; and improved thequality of student laboratory reports. The new cases developed addressed: 1) E-waste to teachenvironmental ethics and statistical analysis of data, 2) the 2014 Duke Coal Ash Spill inDanville, VA to teach physical and chemical water quality and treatment; 3) a Confined AnimalFeeding Operations water

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Curricula, Criteria, Student Performance, and Growth

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ran Du P.E., United States Military Academy ; Michael A. Butkus, U.S. Military Academy; Jeffrey A. Starke P.E., U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

hazardous waste management course, is presented.BackgroundEnvironmental Engineering course and curricular design is often based upon the reportedknowledge specific to the discipline. The ABET Environmental Engineering Program Criteria,which apply to all accredited engineering programs, states that “the curriculum must preparegraduates to … design environmental engineering systems that include considerations of risk,uncertainty, sustainability, life-cycle principles, and environmental impacts. 1” Table 1 outlinesthe AAEES BOK for Outcome #5 (Risk, Reliability, and Uncertainty). 2 This outcome outlinesthe level of achievement to be attained at the completion of a baccalaureate degree inEnvironmental Engineering, but is not required for

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Sustainability and Hands-On Engineering Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado - Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

maps. Students’ initial ideasabout sustainability were explored based on concept maps that individual students generated in-class. This was followed by two different instruction methods. Civil and architecturalengineering students in a two-credit first year introduction to engineering course learned aboutsustainable engineering rating systems in a two-week module; they repeated the concept map aspart of the graded homework assignment on sustainability. This course was compared to a 1-credit seminar-style introductory sustainability course that focused on the social sciences aspectsof sustainability over the whole semester via a series of readings and in-class discussions; theseseminar students repeated the concept map as part of their final

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Sustainability and Hands-On Engineering Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado - Boulder; Sharon A. Jones P.E., University of Portland; Jennifer Mueller PE P.E., Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Kathryn Schulte Grahame, Northeastern University; Andrew Gillen, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Education. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016Impacts of Sustainability Education on the Attitudes of Engineering StudentsAbstractIt is increasingly important that engineers learn how to design for sustainability, while alsohaving the attitudes that encourage activation of their sustainable engineering knowledge. Designfor sustainability may also encompass related attitudes, such as interdisciplinarity, considerationof others, and a predisposition to work globally. This study spanned multiple institutions andexplored the impacts of different educational models that were aimed at impacting both students’sustainability knowledge and the related attitudes. The research questions were: (1) To whatextent do

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Sustainability and Hands-On Engineering Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael A. Butkus, U.S. Military Academy; Jeffrey A. Starke, U.S. Military Academy; Phil Dacunto P.E., U.S. Military Academy; Kimberly Quell

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

have a specified form, created by the designer. Environmental engineering examplesrange from a small orifice that inducts air into a water stream to a large anaerobic digester. Mostenvironmental engineering designs are large scale, akin to the digester. Years of assessment inour capstone design course revealed that many students preferred to design large scale treatmentworks, but they also wanted to create a hands-on visual aid, model, or prototype of their design.Lack of a hands-on experience left numerous students dissatisfied at the end of the course, whichhas been a persistent shortcoming (see Ref. 1). Three dimensional (3D) printing was introducedin 2013 to address this shortcoming. This paper describes how engineering graphics

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Curricula, Criteria, Student Performance, and Growth

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle Marincel Payne, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Wayne T. Padgett, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Andrew R. Mech, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

which it is to be applied,is environmentally sound, and promotes self-sufficiency on the part of those using it.”1 Thecreation and execution of a course focused on sustainable (or appropriate) technology for thedeveloping world with a multidisciplinary scope provided a unique opportunity for students toconsider the practice of successful engineering in the developing world from an engineers’perspective. Other courses exist at RHIT that consider sustainability, but there are not many thatare designated as engineering technical electives, and none that focus on application fordeveloping communities.BackgroundWhile this course might be the first of its kind at RHIT, courses with a bent towards or anoutright focus on humanitarian development

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Engagement, Experiential Learning, and Balance

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado - Boulder; Marissa H. Forbes, University of Colorado - Boulder; Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, University of Colorado - Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

was awarded NAE’s 2008 Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Curricular Choice and Technical – Non-Technical Balance in Environmental Engineering Degree ProgramsAbstractSelf-determination theory indicates that choice is an important component of motivation andsatisfaction. Further, calls for holistically trained engineers demand that students gain knowledgein humanities and social science topics. This research explored top-ranked environmentalengineering bachelor’s degree programs with regards to: (1) opportunities for students to makechoices in their courses (such as free electives and technical

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Engagement, Experiential Learning, and Balance

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brenda Read-Daily, Elizabethtown College

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

studentsreported that the activity helped them understand the principles behind water treatment whilealso challenging their preconceived notions about water treatment technologies in the developingworld.IntroductionInductive learning has repeatedly been shown to improve learning outcomes in engineeringstudents. Inquiry-based learning is a type of inductive learning method where students are firstpresented with unanswered questions, unsolved problem, and observations withoutexplanations.1 Therefore, the student is responsible for generating questions, determining results,and formulating conclusions. These student-centered methods increase student engagement andtap into their intrinsic motivation. With these established methods in mind, the hands-on

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Sustainability and Hands-On Engineering Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paula Alvarez Pino, UAB Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center; Andrew J. Sullivan; Fouad H. Fouad, University of Alabama - Birmingham

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

International Monetary Fund identified four basic aspects ofglobalization: trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration andmovement of people, and the dissemination of knowledge. [1] For the United States to continueto be at the forefront of science and technology, global education is of extraordinary importance.Therefore, we must develop a workforce of engineering students with the skills and knowledgeneeded for a more responsible and competitive participation in the international research settingof the twenty-first century. [2]Education, culture, employment opportunities, and international trade and connectivity areamong the several benefits that globalization has on our lifestyle. Despite the benefits,globalization also

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ben D. Radhakrishnan, National University; Jodi Reeves, National University; Jeremiah Jack Ninteman, National University; Charles Hahm

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

-urban growth and housing boom, andgasoline was inexpensive.[1,2] President D. Eisenhower initiated the building of freeways acrossthe US. This scenario was a perfect storm for unlimited and uncontrolled growth of urbanautomobile driving, thus creating the traffic congestion as we know it now.It is estimated that an average American commuter spends 38 hours a year stuck in automobiletraffic congestion; the cost of the wasted time (economic productivity loss) and the fossil fuelsburned is $121 billion annually.[3] Figure 1 shows the cities with the worst urban trafficcongestion in America, where the big city average is approximately 52 hours a year. Figure 1. The Worst Traffic Cities in America [3]Traffic congestion is not

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David C. Zgonc, United States Military Academy; Phil Dacunto P.E., United States Military Academy; Emily Arija Ezerins, United States Military Academy; Dalton Jefferson Alexander Combs, United States Military Academy; Jacob Neil Palmer, United States Army

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

environmental engineering and conducted an independent study on anaerobic digestion. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 The Nexus of Science and Engineering: Structuring Individual Studies to Inform Senior Design Projects(1) Introduction Engineering can be described as the application of science to identify and solve problems.1An engineering student spends years learning about how the universe works then builds uponthis knowledge constructing a mental framework of engineering principles. Ideally, uponcompletion of an accredited engineering program, the student’s mental framework will be robustand flexible enough to process and respond to any problem within their specialized

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division: Curricula, Criteria, Student Performance, and Growth

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Prahlad Murthy, Wilkes University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

professionalpractice. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the requirements for certification as anEngineer-in-Training (EIT), the first step towards licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE), is topass the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentalsof Engineering (FE) examination. But one of the ways to qualify to take the FE examination isto graduate from an “undergraduate engineering curriculum in the United States accredited byABET.”1 As of September 2014, “nearly 3400 engineering programs at nearly 700 colleges anduniversities in 28 countries” had received accreditation.2 ABET states that all programs seekingaccreditation from the EAC must satisfy the General Criteria requirements at a minimum and anadditional