An elective course in Green Chemical Engineering and Sustainability

Joaquin Rodriguez

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Conference: 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Publication Date: March 22, 2024
Start Date: March 22, 2024
End Date: March 23, 2024
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45596
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/45596
Download Count: 16

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Joaquin Rodriguez University of Pittsburgh orcid.org/0000-0002-7238-4774

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Joaquin Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh since 2018. He received his bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Simon Bolivar (Caracas, Venezuela), MSc. and PhD in the same discipline from the University of Pittsburgh (1990-92). He developed his expertise in thermal cracking processes and advanced materials (cokes, carbon fibers) from oil residues, and became a business leader for specialty products (lube oils, asphalts, waxes, cokes) at Petroleos de Venezuela, PDVSA (1983-1998). He is a founding member of Universidad Monteavila (Caracas, Venezuela) (1998—2018) and became the Chancellor of this university (2005-2015), and the President of the Center for Higher Studies (2015-2018), including teaching in the Humanities. After rejoining the University of Pittsburgh, he has been teaching Pillar courses on Reactive Process Engineering, Process Control, Process Control Lab, and Process Design. In addition to technical courses, his service extends over curriculum development, outreach programs, alumni network, team and leadership skills development, global awareness, sustainability, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Abstract

An elective course in Green Chemical Engineering and Sustainability Embedding “sustainability” in the engineering curriculum, and particularly in the chemical engineering curriculum started over a decade ago [1,3], spurring from the landmark publication of Anastas and Warner on “green chemistry” [4]. It was early recognized the power of the idea of “sustainable engineering” along with the challenges to develop adequate frameworks, methods, and metrics to be implemented in professional work and the corresponding teaching and training of engineering students to prepare them for the job. The field has been growing fast and extensively in this 15-year period (an illustrative summary is included in the paper). Our university has been developing a large ecosystem of sustainability focused and sustainability courses across many disciplines, nucleated by an engineering center for the development of sustainability. Research, courses, industrial partnerships, and community service activities have fast evolving. Most recently (2023) a new elective course on GREEN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY has been launched to specifically introduce chemical engineering students (juniors, seniors) with fundamental framework, concepts, methods, and tools to start their journey in in the path to sustainable development. This 3-credit unit elective course has been extraordinarily well received by chemical engineering students, with an enrolment of 46 students, about half of the Class 2025. The course features lectures based on the adopted textbook [5]. Lectures are documented with embedded references for students selectively advance in the topics of their interest. Short quizzes are taken online after every lecture to reinforce learning and retention. A most distinctive characteristic of the course is the series of invited speakers (a total of 12 in this first edition of fall 2023) from industry, academia, government, ONGs, and businesses. Also included are in-class activities (introduction to LCA software, introduction to solvent selection software, mock questions for Sustainability CEO, proposal for EPA budget distribution for sustainability related projects). Students are presented with a list of homework problems after every lecture for their choice of one per lecture that best fits their interests. Students are requested to develop two team projects. A technical project researching a topic of interest in sustainability and proposing an innovative solution, mainly based on creativity. An outreach project taking relevant messages on sustainability to K-12 programs or through social media platforms or providing some community service. Projects are displayed in a publica event with the participation of representatives from industry and academia to discuss and grade their scope and performance. The paper elaborates on all these aspects of the course and the corresponding assessments. [1] Allenby, B., Murphy, C.F., Allen, D. et al. et al. Sustainable engineering education in the United States. Sustain Sci 4, 7-15 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-009-0065-5 [2] Glassey, J.; Haile, S. Sustainability in chemical engineering curriculum. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 13(4): 354-364 [3] Sheehan, M: et al. Embedding sustainability into chemical engineering education: content development and competency mapping. Chemeca 2012, pp: 927-936 [4] Anastas, P., Warner, John, C. Green Chemistry. Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press, New York, 1998 [5] Jimenez-Gonzalez, C., Constable, D.J.C. Green Chemistry and Engineering: A Practical Approach. Wiley, 2011.

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Rodriguez, J. (2024, March), An elective course in Green Chemical Engineering and Sustainability Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--45596

TY - CPAPER
AB - An elective course in Green Chemical Engineering and Sustainability
Embedding “sustainability” in the engineering curriculum, and particularly in the chemical engineering curriculum started over a decade ago [1,3], spurring from the landmark publication of Anastas and Warner on “green chemistry” [4]. It was early recognized the power of the idea of “sustainable engineering” along with the challenges to develop adequate frameworks, methods, and metrics to be implemented in professional work and the corresponding teaching and training of engineering students to prepare them for the job. The field has been growing fast and extensively in this 15-year period (an illustrative summary is included in the paper). Our university has been developing a large ecosystem of sustainability focused and sustainability courses across many disciplines, nucleated by an engineering center for the development of sustainability. Research, courses, industrial partnerships, and community service activities have fast evolving. Most recently (2023) a new elective course on GREEN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY has been launched to specifically introduce chemical engineering students (juniors, seniors) with fundamental framework, concepts, methods, and tools to start their journey in in the path to sustainable development. This 3-credit unit elective course has been extraordinarily well received by chemical engineering students, with an enrolment of 46 students, about half of the Class 2025. The course features lectures based on the adopted textbook [5]. Lectures are documented with embedded references for students selectively advance in the topics of their interest. Short quizzes are taken online after every lecture to reinforce learning and retention. A most distinctive characteristic of the course is the series of invited speakers (a total of 12 in this first edition of fall 2023) from industry, academia, government, ONGs, and businesses. Also included are in-class activities (introduction to LCA software, introduction to solvent selection software, mock questions for Sustainability CEO, proposal for EPA budget distribution for sustainability related projects). Students are presented with a list of homework problems after every lecture for their choice of one per lecture that best fits their interests. Students are requested to develop two team projects. A technical project researching a topic of interest in sustainability and proposing an innovative solution, mainly based on creativity. An outreach project taking relevant messages on sustainability to K-12 programs or through social media platforms or providing some community service. Projects are displayed in a publica event with the participation of representatives from industry and academia to discuss and grade their scope and performance. The paper elaborates on all these aspects of the course and the corresponding assessments.
[1] Allenby, B., Murphy, C.F., Allen, D. et al. et al. Sustainable engineering education in the United States. Sustain Sci 4, 7-15 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-009-0065-5
[2] Glassey, J.; Haile, S. Sustainability in chemical engineering curriculum. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 13(4): 354-364
[3] Sheehan, M: et al. Embedding sustainability into chemical engineering education: content development and competency mapping. Chemeca 2012, pp: 927-936
[4] Anastas, P., Warner, John, C. Green Chemistry. Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press, New York, 1998
[5] Jimenez-Gonzalez, C., Constable, D.J.C. Green Chemistry and Engineering: A Practical Approach. Wiley, 2011.

AU - Joaquin Rodriguez
CY - Kalamazoo, Michigan
DA - 2024/03/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - An elective course in Green Chemical Engineering and Sustainability
UR - https://peer.asee.org/45596
DO - 10.18260/1-2--45596
ER -