Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle K. Marincel Payne, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Irene M.B. Reizman, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Tony Ribera, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Julia M. Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

for Engineering Education, 2019 Development and Assessment of an Undergraduate Research CommunityAbstractLiterature suggests the benefits to undergraduate research include improving students’understanding of the research process, their resilience, and their ability to persist through failure.However, at primarily undergraduate institutions, there are a number of challenges in making theundergraduate research experience successful for both students and faculty mentors. First, there isa significant burden on faculty mentors who, along with designing a research project, are typicallyindividually advising students, training them in reading and writing about research, and critiquingposters and presentations. These are skills which could be

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle K. Marincel Payne, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. Serving as a model for waterquality and quantity management, students engaged in hands-on experiences using a small-scalewetlands setup in the Cook Laboratory for Bioscience Research at Rose-Hulman Institute ofTechnology. In independent research projects, undergraduate research students measured waterquality parameters including TSS, BOD and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and optimizedremoval of various contaminants. In the classroom in Environmental Engineering Laboratory,students measured water quality parameters of various water bodies within a watershed andresearched the impacts of excess nutrients on water quality and economies. Students toured theconstructed treatment wetlands and were able to learn directly from a peer who had

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pablo K. Cornejo, California State University, Chico; Kevin Orner, University of South Florida

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, include student peer review of writing, and emphasize technical writing skills.Instructor Insights and Future RecommendationsFuture studies are needed to understand the importance of culturally-relevant pedagogy for localand international experiences in environmental engineering education. This could be done byexploring differences in student performance between groups that conduct in-country visits andgroups that do not. Alternatively, comparisons could be made to assess student performancewhile addressing local versus international environmental issues to better understand theimportance of global engagement. Local issues could focus on environmental problemsimpacting marginalized communities (e.g., water contamination issues in rural

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharanabasaweshwara Asundi, Old Dominion University; Gregory C. Bernard, Tuskegee University; Willard E. Collier, Tuskegee University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

iREP-4-PACE program is to engage a cohortof undergraduates from plant/agriculture sciences, chemical sciences, and engineering disciplinesin the research, education of engineering chemicals from plants of high commercial and medicinalvalue. The program will educate the undergraduates in engineering environment friendlychemicals. The year-long program will train students in seeking/learning the interdisciplinaryknowledge, techniques of molecular synthesis of plant-based chemicals and in doing so, it willtrain the students in broadly applicable research methods such as literature review, instrumenttraining, basic statistical analysis, and proposal writing. The article describes the design of theiREP-4-PACE program and activities conducted to

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanjay Tewari, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

of reading,they must be made aware of the immediate benefit of coming to class prepared with somebackground knowledge of topics to be discussed and their transformation from passive toactive learners.Improvement of self-confidence from reading assignments is one of the chief benefits that isusually not talked about in engineering classes. Background knowledge gained from pre-classreading assignments prepares students for active class discussion and helps them transformfrom a passive to an active learner. Within a positive and supportive class environment, itcould help students earn more recognition and respect from their peers. It boosts students'self-confidence, which results in better student engagement and performance in class. Thisbrings