Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean D. MacRae, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

thereforebeen emphasized in a technical course, and a non-technical course was designed to exploresustainability issues in a global development context. Student participation in Engineers WithoutBorders (EWB), a service organization with a mission to provide sustainable engineeringsolutions for developing communities, also provides informal learning opportunities.These three venues provide different contexts in which to understand sustainability. Theirdifferent emphases produce varying perspectives on sustainability and different levels ofawareness, especially about the social impacts of engineering design and practice. This paperprovides a reflection on the ways in which the environmental, social and economic aspects ofsustainability appear to lend

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahbub Uddin, Trinity University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

also give a five minutes presentation and conduct class discussion/debate on acontemporary environmental issue as soon as it appears as a news item. Students maintain aportfolio/journal of all the articles on contemporary environmental issues they read over thesemester. At the end of the semester each student is required to submit his/her portfolio of sevenarticles along with his/her reflections and assessment of each articles. In addition, studentsconduct environmental caucuses similar to town hall meetings, and write two term papers oncontemporary environmental issues.Course OverviewThe Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering course is intended for sophomore /juniorengineering students at Trinity University1. This course is also open for

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

). The students were junior level, Civil Engineering majorsand there were no other majors enrolled in the course. The class demographics consisted of 56%minority groups (i.e. African American, African, and Hispanic). Students were asked to completethe Felder and Soloman “Index of Learning Styles Survey (ILSS assessment,http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSpage.html). This survey instrument is a 40 questionassessment instrument tool which categorizes the student’s learning into several groups. Theselearning styles are: Active Learners versus Reflective learners, Sensing Learners versus IntuitiveLearners, Visual Learners versus Verbal Learners, and Sequential Learners versus GlobalLearners. The PI provided a discussion about learning styles which

Conference Session

Techniques to Enhance Environmental Engineering Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isaac W. Wait, Marshall University; Richard F. McCormick, Marshall University; Sydney M. Wait, Marshall University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

oxygen (periods of anoxic conditions followed by aerobic conditions)  Starting pH of the mixture  Ratio of food-to-microorganisms (F:M ratio)  Mixing  Milkfat content  Presence of inhibitory substances (e.g., metals) Page 22.1623.6After determining independent variables, students identified the following parameters (dependentvariables) as possible indicators of process performance:  Dissolved oxygen concentration  pH of the mixture over time  Viscosity of the end-product  Degree of whey / water separation  Amount of carbonation  Specific gravity of the end-product (reflective of alcohol

Conference Session

What Else do Environmental Engineers Need to Know

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brett Borup, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

was equal to the mean weight assigned by each of theother groups was equal was tested using the twosample t test at the 95% confidence intervalNo differences were found when comparing weights of the values as assigned by the consultantsand educators. This suggests that educators and consultants values are very similar. It wasfound that between 2 and 4 of the 15 values were determined to have mean weights that are notequal in each of the other comparisons. It is interesting to note that educators’ values aregenerally reflected by the students’ values. The two exceptions to this are the values of “ease ofoperation” and “dependability of the process

Conference Session

Introducing Sustainability into Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melanie L. Sattler, University of Texas, Arlington; Yvette Pearson Weatherton, University of Texas, Arlington; Victoria Chen, University of Texas, Arlington; Stephen P. Mattingly, University of Texas, Arlington; K.J. Rogers, P.E., University of Texas, Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

implemented to achieve these outcomes:  Sustainability Learning Modules  Multidisciplinary Senior Design Project and  Quality Sustainable Engineering InternshipEach program component addresses specific learning objectives/student outcomes associatedwith the outcomes described above. The learning objectives (Table 1) reflect increasedexpectations and levels of complexity as students attain higher academic classifications andmatriculation levels. The key components are described in the sections that follow.Table 1. Engineering sustainable Engineers Learning ObjectivesLearning Objective/Student Outcome Course Level(s)/ExperiencesExplain sustainability concepts and terminology