Conference Session

Emphasizing Communication and the Humanities in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Caleb James McCollum, United States Military Academy; Andrew Ross Pfluger, United States Military Academy; Michael A. Butkus, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

senior years. Additionally, the weightingof graded events shifted longitudinally through major courses. Graded events worth < 5% of thecourse grade were most prevalent in the sophomore year, and events worth ≥ 5% occurred mostfrequently in the senior year. Implications for our university’s environmental engineeringprogram are discussed, to include opportunities for scaffolding events across courses. Themethods presented in this study can be used by other environmental engineering programs toidentify gaps in technical communication education and methods for improvement within theircurriculum.1. Introduction1.1. BackgroundEngineers need strong communication skills to effectively convey ideas to a range of audiences(Kamarudin et al. 2012). Many

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Michael A. Butkus, United States Military Academy; Anand Deju Shetty, United States Military Academy; Benjamin Michael Wallen P.E., United States Military Academy; Nathaniel Sheehan, United States Military Academy; Andrew Ross Pfluger, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

relationship is called an isotherm. Environmental and chemical engineers useadsorption isotherm models, such as the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, in the designof adsorption treatment works (see Benjamin and Lawler (2013) and Weber and DiGiano (1996)for a thorough discuss of adsorption isotherm models). The adsorption density can bedetermined with the Langmuir Isotherm Model (Langmuir, 1918) as follows. 1 Qm K ad Caq q = 1 + K ad Caqwhere,Qm = Maximum adsorption density (mg sorbate/g sorbent)Kad = Langmuir adsorption equilibrium constant (L/mg sorbate)This rational

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Timothy Aaron Wood, The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

engineering. Dr. Wood aims to recover the benefits of classical-model, literature-based learning in civil engineering education. American c Society for Engineering Education, 2020 Three Model Framework for Engineering Problem SolvingAbstractA three-model framework provides a foundation and context for developing engineering analysisskills. The three models are 1) reality, 2) mental models, and 3) engineering and math models. Adiagram of these models supports the engineering problem solving format (Given, Find,Procedure, Solution, Answer) and illustrates the interaction between engineering application(reality), engineering judgement (mental model), and scientific theory

Conference Session

A Focus on Sustainability

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Azadeh Bolhari P.E., Angelo State University; Daniel Ivan Castaneda, James Madison University; Kenneth Stewart, Angelo State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. They achieve this in ways that make effective use of naturalresources, enhance the environment, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengtheneconomic prosperity” [1]. Further, this framework describes 7 main components of sustainablecommunities as: 1) governance, 2) social & cultural, 3) housing & the built environment, 4)economy, 5) environmental, 6) services, and 7) transport & connectivity. In sum, the EganReview is a visionary statement which brings together the time frames of sustainability byapplying two types of vision: 1) the ability to see things clearly in the present and 2) the ability toenvision a better future [2]. This future-oriented vision serves as the foundation of our research.Engineers are one of the core

Conference Session

Innovative Development for Various Faculty Lines

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Shannon L. Isovitsch Parks P.E., University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering, Faculty Development Division

senior capstone project. While expectations are at 12 credit hours, the loadthese past few years has typically been larger - sometimes as high as 17 for this tenure track professor.While classes were historically less than 30 students they have risen to as high as 70 in recent semesters.No graduate student assistants are available at this campus.As summarized in Table 1, in addition to teaching excellence, professional development and service isalso required for all professors. Professional development includes peer reviewed journal publication,publication and presentation of scholarly work at industry conferences, and significant contribution toprofessional societies. Service should include volunteer work that supports the division, the campus

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Anthony Battistini, Angelo State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

, manyuniversities are not equipped to test large steel members with bolted connections because evensmall steel specimens generally require large forces to cause failure. Finally, watching a video ofa tension test is useful to observe yielding and fracture in steel, but it is not the same asphysically witnessing it and experiencing it in the classroom.Therefore, the author set out to develop a simple, portable, inexpensive model which coulddemonstrate the basic concepts of yielding and fracture and help correlate these concepts to thefailure limit states of excessive deformations in the gross cross section and fracture at the netcross section (see Figure 1 for cross section definitions).Physical ModelsTo visualize yielding, the author remembers an annoying

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Rachel Herring Sangree, Johns Hopkins University; Benjamin W. Schafer, Johns Hopkins University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

Improving students’ conceptual understanding of arch construction and behavior using physical models of masonry arches in a classroom exerciseIntroductionThe best works of structural engineering strive to find balance among efficiency (the best use ofnatural resources), economy (the best use of public funds), and elegance (a measure of aestheticquality or cultural significance) – all under the umbrella of safety and serviceability [1]. DavidBillington, a long-time Professor at Princeton University, bestowed an honorarium on structuresthat demonstrated this balance, structures that embodied what he called the three ideals ofStructural Art: Scientific, Social, and Symbolic [1]. In Perspectives on the Evolution

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Scott A Civjan P.E., University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

provided in order to show the range of topics that have beenincluded in this class, but the overall planning and organization would be applicable to anyconstruction site field trip.IntroductionThe use of field trips has been shown to be an effective method of teaching so long as the trip isplanned and implemented effectively (1-3). Field trips to construction sites for design classes candirectly relate class assignments to real structures, giving students a perspective on theinteraction between disciplines (owner, architect, construction managers, sub-contractors andengineers), and boosting confidence of engineering students. However, to maximize theirpotential, tours should be implemented with purpose and relate directly to class material

Conference Session

Innovative Approaches to Improving Student Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Phil Dacunto, U.S. Military Academy; Andrew Joseph Ng, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

percentages of pointsearned to assist with categorization efficiency (Table 1).Table 1. Individual indicator metric definitions (from Stoker, Blair, and Sobiesk, 2014). Category definition Example percentages of points earned 1 Completely failed to meet the standard <65% 2 Just barely failed to meet the standard 65-72% 3 Met the standard 73-90% 4 Exceeded the standard >90%Once each student’s performance on an embedded indicator has been categorized, the results canbe

Conference Session

Inventive Opportunities for Research and Exposure

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Pamela McLeod, ReNUWIt at Stanford University; Junko Munakata Marr, Colorado School of Mines; Richard G. Luthy, Stanford University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

-surveys (quantitative and qualitative), as well as longitudinaltracking of participants (n=97 over 7 years). Assessment results suggest this multi-campus siteachieves participant-level and program-level impacts commensurate with those attained bysingle-campus REU Sites.IntroductionEngaging undergraduates in authentic science and engineering research experiences is widelyaccepted as a promising practice for promoting persistence in the discipline [1], increasingstudent interest in graduate school [2], and developing a student’s identity as a researcher [1].The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is a large supporter of such experiences through itsResearch Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site and Supplements Program. Almost 150REU Site

Conference Session

Innovative Approaches to Improving Student Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Cara J. Poor, University of Portland; Heather Dillon, University of Portland; Jeffrey Matthew Welch, University of Portland; Nicole C. Ralston, University of Portland

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

completed during an 85-minute class session, and students spentadditional time outside of class summarizing their results in a technical memorandum. At the endof the semester, students completed a survey to evaluate the efficacy of the class activities. Toaddress the need to for civil engineering students to make connections between technicalknowledge gained in school and professional practice5, to use information beyond what is foundin the textbook1,2,3,4,5, and to learn environmental engineering in the context of real-worldproblems5,6,7, the following objectives were developed for the class activity: 1. Identify and evaluate sources of information 2. Connect life experiences with course content 3. Identify real world engineering

Conference Session

Emphasizing Communication and the Humanities in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Sarah K. Bauer, Rowan University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

through student responses to a survey administered at both thebeginning and end of the course. Survey results indicate that the EHMs enabled students toincrease their perception of their understanding of environmental engineering and its effect onsociety’s environmental challenges.IntroductionAs our world continues to evolve, an increase in the development of technical solutions is criticalfor meeting society’s growing needs. Today, there are many environmental and social problemsfacing our world. Zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, Fig 1. 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations [1].sustainable cities and communities, and positive climate action are among several of the 17Sustainable

Conference Session

Emphasizing Communication and the Humanities in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Roman Taraban, Texas Tech University; David Robledo, Texas Tech University; Francesco V. Donato, Texas Tech University; Ryan C. Campbell, Texas Tech University; Jeong-Hee Kim, Texas Tech University; Danny D. Reible, Texas Tech University; Chongzheng Na, Texas Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

’ essayswritten in response to lectures and activities that related to art and narrative within the course.The two machine-based tools used here were i) naïve Bayes analysis and ii) Meaning ExtractionHelper. The results showed that both tools were able to identify differences in student essays. Wesuggest several ways in which these machine-based methods could be extended to aid inassessing learning and reflective thinking in students.IntroductionIn U.S. engineering education, ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)advocates the broad development of engineering students.1 Congruent with ABET guidelines,engineering researchers have framed principled foundations for understanding engineeringpractice in social, cultural, environmental, and

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Ruth Abigail Mower, United States Military Academy; Erick Martinez P.E., United States Military Academy; Landon M. Raby, United States Military Academy; John Boyle, United States Military Academy, West Point; Andrew Ross Pfluger, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

, gravitational, and fluid-pressuresub-components.1 1 𝑝𝑝 + 𝜌𝜌𝑉𝑉 2 + 𝛾𝛾𝛾𝛾 2If the specific weight of the fluid being analyzed is divided through each term of the Bernoulliequation, then an alternate form of the energy equation results where each term has a length andrepresents a type of head.2 𝑝𝑝 𝑉𝑉 2 + + 𝑧𝑧 𝛾𝛾 2𝑔𝑔 𝑝𝑝First, the pressure head represented by 𝛾𝛾 is the height that a column of the fluid

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Daniel Hochstein, Manhattan College

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

Mechanics of Reinforced Concrete” is presentedduring the fourth week of the semester.Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of its Parts?This lesson begins with the instructor preparing the classroom before any students arrive by writingon the board the question “Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of its Parts?” and displaying a portionof a reinforced concrete beam that has previously been loaded to failure (Figure 1). Once all ofthe students all arrive, the instructor divides the class of approximately 20 students into 5 groups.He then askes each of the groups to apply the statement to the flexural strength of the beam and toeither prove the statement to be true or false. Figure 1: Reinforced Concrete Beam Displayed During the LectureAfter

Conference Session

A Focus on Sustainability

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Fethiye Ozis P.E., Northern Arizona University; Nihal Sarikaya, Northern Arizona University; Roy St. Laurent, Northern Arizona University; Daniel'le April DeVoss, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

engineering education, students should have aclear understanding that the nature of their job is directly affecting the environment and theirpractices are governed by the code of ethics, which calls on sustainable development. How weteach or train students to develop their engineering skills, becomes an essential tool to nurturesustainability in their future practice, which was recognized as a pressing issue for educators [1]-[3]. Promoting sustainability as part of everyday practice could establish the missing link toenhance environmental attitudes of engineering students [4], [5].Many empirical studies reported that environmental education, either as a semester course or as asummer program, not only improves knowledge and awareness of environmental

Conference Session

Best in 5 Minutes: Demonstrating Interactive Teaching Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Benjamin Michael Wallen P.E., United States Military Academy; Michael A. Butkus, United States Military Academy; Nathaniel P. Sheehan, United States Military Academy; Andrew Ng, United States Military Academy; Andrew Ross Pfluger, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering

healthy and resilient communities [1]. In these four stated grandchallenges, the application of mass balance principles is fundamental to understanding anddeveloping solutions in natural systems. Therefore, we argue that undergraduate environmentalengineering students must be proficient in the use of mass balance principles as is required forother fields of study, such as chemical engineering [2]. The population of students acquiringessential environmental engineering capabilities is eclectic at our institution. Every studentgraduates with a bachelor of science degree regardless of academic major. Therefore, non-engineering majors must take a three-course engineering sequence. There are seven engineeringsequences from which students select with

Conference Session

Inventive Opportunities for Research and Exposure

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Inez Hua, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Loring Nies, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Lindsey B. Payne, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

graduate degree programs. Inthe U.S., during the 2017-2018 academic year, 2805 masters degrees were awarded inCivil/Environmental or Environmental Engineering (EE), and 457 doctoral degrees wereawarded (1). Over the decades, there has been discussion about needs, challenges and assessmentrelated to environmental engineering graduate programs (2-4), and development of an acceptedBody of Knowledge for Environmental Engineering (5,6). The challenges include graduatestudent cohorts that are comprised of students whose undergraduate training is drawn from avariety of engineering and natural science disciplines. This is in contrast to many otherengineering graduate programs, whose graduate students are comprised primarily of studentswho earned an

Conference Session

A Focus on Sustainability

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Inez Hua, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

ownership of multiple devices. The lifecycle stages of electronic products are shown in Figure 1, and there are environmental impactsassociated with each stage. These impacts are multiplied when demand increases, and areparticularly visible at the “End-of-Life” stage, which can include landfill or incineration. Anumber of studies quantify the environmental impacts of the life cycle of various electronicdevices and systems, including cell phones (1), desk top computers (2), laptop computers (3),and data centers (4). Materials Extraction and Processing Materials & Parts Material Manufacturer

Conference Session

Innovative Development for Various Faculty Lines

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jes Barron, U.S. Military Academy; Andrew Ross Pfluger, U.S. Military Academy; Kathryn K Pegues, United States Military Academy; Thomas Bazemore

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering, Faculty Development Division

junior civilian (defined as instructors or assistantprofessors) and rotating military faculty. Areas queried included developmental approaches andbest practices, developmental areas (e.g., research, teaching), and defined developmentaloutcomes. This study subsets responses from two departments, Civil & Mechanical Engineeringand Geography & Environmental Engineering, providing a focused examination of facultydevelopment methods applicable and beneficial to civil and environmental engineering programsthat have adjunct and/or non-tenure track faculty. Response rates were similar for eachdepartment (24% and 34%). The study identified three major findings that are generallyapplicable to all universities: (1) institutions can benefit from

Conference Session

Innovative Approaches to Improving Student Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Alison Cupples, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Tutorials in a Large Undergraduate Class Alison M. Cupples, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State UniversityThe undergraduate learning experience typically includes traditional pedagogical approachessuch as lectures, readings and homework assignments. To expand beyond these conventionalapproaches, this study examined the impact of short, voluntary on-line tutorials on 1) studentperformance in exams and 2) student opinions. The study was conducted in a large (>150)undergraduate class, “Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science”, containingstudents (48 seniors, 65 juniors, 61 sophomores and 3 freshmen) primarily from four

Conference Session

Innovative Approaches to Improving Student Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Matthew James Scarborough, University of Vermont; Katherine D. McMahon, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

the underlying factors of student motivation is likely key to improvingstudent performance.Poor performance in undergraduate chemistry courses is largely the result of affective,motivational challenges [1-4]. There are four factors affecting student motivation: purpose,competence, autonomy, and community [5, 6]. To improve student attitudes towardschemistry, all four of these aspects should be addressed. While teaching chemistry toundergraduate students is known to be a challenge, student performance improves whenstrategies to implement active-learning are used [7, 8]. Case studies are useful tools for engagingSTEM students in active-learning [9]. For example, an undergraduate green chemistry coursesuccessfully used several case studies

Conference Session

A Focus on Sustainability

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Anand Raj, University of Texas at El Paso; Peter Golding, University of Texas at El Paso; Diane Elisa Golding, University of Texas at El Paso; Scott A. Starks, University of Texas at El Paso; Luis Rene Contreras Sapien, University of Texas at El Paso; Suzan Aranda Luna, University of Texas at El Paso

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

the Impact of the University on Sustainability in Far West TexasIntroductionThere was a time in history when economic prosperity was considered the only parameter forsocietal sustainable growth. As we developed, consumption of resources grew at a rate thatincreased faster than what nature could replenish. Now, the lack of natural resources has reachedan alarming point. The irony is that most resources are controlled by a few people and the majorpopulation has less access to it [1]. So, it has become important to change the way sustainablegrowth is viewed, and, along with economic prosperity, social mobility and environmentalprotection have also gained importance [2]. This perspective comes with the realization that