Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Parhum Delgoshaei, Virginia Tech; Vinod K. Lohani, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

freshmen, particularly those with prior programmingexperiments (about 50 % of freshmen in the program), did not appreciate the drag and dropprogramming approach adopted in Alice for learning fundamentals of object-orientedprogramming. Furthermore, students did not perceive direct engineering applications of Alice infuture engineering courses. Hence, beginning in Spring ’07, Alice was replaced by LabVIEW inENGE 1024 with approximately 180 students. The dataflow programming paradigm supportedby LabVIEW is suitable for many engineering applications and can be extended for collection,processing and communication of environmental data which in turn can be used to teachsustainability concepts [8].LabVIEW ProgrammingLabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual

Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Ross Pfluger P.E., U.S. Military Academy; David-Michael P. Roux, U.S. Army; Michael A. Butkus, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

ABET accreditation since the Environmental Engineering ProgramCriterion (Criterion 9) states that students must have an ability to conduct laboratoryexperiments, critically analyze, and interpret data in more than one major environmentalengineering focus area, e.g., air, water, land, environmental health. Additionally, ABEToutcome “b” states that graduates will develop the skills necessary to plan, design, execute, andcritically interpret results from experiments. Students in the Environmental EngineeringProgram at the United States Military Academy have water-related laboratory experiences inlower-level courses, such as jar testing and biochemical oxygen demand experiments, similar tothose found in many undergraduate environmental engineering

Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandeep Sathyamoorthy, Tufts University; Linda Jarvin, Paris College of Art; Michael Hollis, U.S. Air Force Academy; John Anthony Christ, U.S. Air Force Academy; C. Andrew Ramsburg, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Academy’s FieldReadiness and Engineering Laboratory (FERL)[18], and presented as a prototype developmentand assessment exercise. Learners, working in teams of five (one team had four members), wererequired to design, build and test a water treatment system. The context of the problem wasbased on flooding events which occurred in rural Kenya. In this PBL lab a fictitious company isinterested in developing point of use water treatment units which could be used during suchemergencies. A memo was provided to each student from the vice president of engineeringservices which included the following: problem outline, basis of design criteria for the watertreatment system (Table 1), design criteria and specifications (Table 2), list of available materials

Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G. Belu, Drexel University; Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University; Dunia Tania Periverzov, Drexel University (Tech.)

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, applications, and effective classroom and laboratory instruction.Engineering and engineering technology programs must offer a relevant and validatedcurriculum that prepares students for post-graduation success. Courses that cover traditionalsubject matter in mathematics, the sciences, engineering economics and other related topicsprovide the foundation of knowledge upon which specific skill sets are added. However, it iscritical for engineering/technology to transition from theoretical work in the classroom towardsexperiential learning with applications of technology and design1-3. The main objective of seniordesign courses in engineering and engineering technology curricula is to bridge the gap betweenacademic theory and real world practice

Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sudarshan T. Kurwadkar, Tarleton State University; Daniel K. Marble, Tarleton State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) including theability to conduct laboratory experiments and the ability to critically analyze and interpret data inmore than one major environmental engineering focus area. This paper discusses threeenvironmental engineering undergraduate research projects that were funded through internalgrants and completed between 2009 and 2011 by individual students under the mentorship ofenvironmental engineering faculty. At the completion of their research projects, studentspresented their research work through a variety of poster presentations at symposiums andconferences and through publication in peer reviewed technical journals. The researchexperience, research methodology, problem formulation

Conference Session

Hands-on Laboratory and Design Experiences in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sudarshan T. Kurwadkar, Tarleton State University; Daniel K. Marble, Tarleton State University; Jennifer T. Edwards, Tarleton State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

initiatives on college and university campuses. While thestudent selection for the summer camp was merit based and as such was restricted to selectedfewer meritorious students, the participation in environmental communication week was open toall university students and as such nearly 580 students, faculty, staff, and community membersparticipated in it. Summer camp students participated in various activities including classroomand laboratory work, talks on career and technical aspects from experts in industry and academia,and mentoring by undergraduates while participating in an undergraduate research group. At theconclusion of the camp, students demonstrated their understanding of environmental engineeringeducation through poster presentations to

Conference Session

Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stefan J. Grimberg, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

panels was distributed to the local extension services for further dissemination with the opportunity to secure further input in the design. (3) the operation and implementation of a prototype system at a local extension farm and (4) the communication of the process to government and industry stake holders through annual participation of the team at the P3 competition meeting.In order to determine optimum process operating conditions, three laboratory scale reactors wereoperated throughout the first year of Phase 2 project. Three hydraulic residence times (HRT)were tested, 10 days, 15 days, and 20 days all using 5 liters of liquid volume mixed reactorsoperated at 37 ºC. As expected the 20 day HRT digester had the highest volatile solids

Conference Session

Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Kathryn Bauer, Rowan University; Andrea Rose McFarland, Rowan University; Mary M. Staehle, Rowan University; Kauser Jahan, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

sequence. The Clinic sequence provides a hands-on, team-oriented approachto a multidisciplinary, four year education. The sequence also provides a blueprint forclassroom, laboratory, and work experiences. The key objectives of the Engineering Clinicsequence include:  Creating multidisciplinary experiences through collaborative laboratories and coursework; Page 25.1467.3  Incorporating modern technologies and contemporary issues throughout the curricula;  Creating continuous opportunities for technical writing and communication; and  Emphasizing hands-on, open-ended problem solving, including undergraduate research4.Every

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Experiences and Assessment in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Butler, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

process and discussion of public databases forconducting the life cycle inventory step of the life cycle assessment (e.g., the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory Life Cycle Inventory database13). An overview of the life cycleimpact assessment process was also given, including a discussion of the following impactcategories: global climate change, acid precipitation, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, andsmog formation.Finally, students performed a limited life cycle assessment using the public domain software“Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability” (BEES)14. Students worked in smallgroups of 3-4 to compare the environmental and economic (i.e., cost) impacts of buildingproducts. The software BEES was chosen for this life cycle

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Experiences and Assessment in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, sustainability, air Page 25.1186.5pollution, etc.), a panel of graduate students (to discuss applications, scholarships, graduateschool experiences), or 2-hour tours at local research laboratories (such as the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Association, National Center for Atmospheric Research, the United StatesGeological Survey, or National Renewable Energy Laboratory). The research experienceculminated with a research symposium where each student gave a 15-minute presentation withpowerpoint slides. The students were also required to submit a final written report. Studentswere encouraged to work with their mentors to submit a conference abstract, and