Board 30: Incorporating the Impact of Engineering Solutions in Global, Economic, Environmental, and Social Contexts into our Core Curriculum

Taryn Melkus Bayles; Joaquin Rodriguez; Robert Enick

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED) Poster Session
Tagged Division: Chemical Engineering Division (ChED)
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42829
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42829
Download Count: 339

oaquin 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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Robert Enick

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Abstract

In order to meet ABET student outcomes (2) “the ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors” and (4) “ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and social contexts” our department has incorporated various assignments and projects into our required core courses, to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate that they have achieved these outcomes.

In this paper, we will provide the organization of our curriculum which supports these outcomes throughout the sophomore through senior years, and will include examples of homework assignments, quizzes, and projects (with grading rubrics). These assignments provide students with the foundation they need to complete larger scale projects during their senior year, in three capstone courses (Process Control, Safety & Ethics, and Process Design). In the sophomore material & energy balance course, students complete a hands-on design project (e.g., hemodialysis system, hot air balloon with mathematical model). Student teams must also consider the impact of their design solution in a global, economic, environmental, and social context. The following semester, in the thermodynamics course, student analyze the impact of the use of salt or other materials to melt snow/ice. In the junior year, students in the transport course, explore the consequences of emitting effluents into local steams. The reactive process engineering course has students investigate the production of a high-volume product by examining the company’s performance records, to analyze the social impact of the product.

In the process control course, students complete a Global Project in which they collaborate with a foreign organization to become acquainted with a problem in that foreign country. The students then analyze the problem and propose an engineering solution. Students in the safety & ethics course learn about the Deepwater Horizon incident (from a co-author who served on the flow rate estimation team). Each student team must then report on the technical, ethical, economic, global, environmental, and regulatory aspects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the related efforts to stop the leak, clean up the spill, to prevent similar occurrences. Students apply what they have learned from the Deepwater Horizon project, to analyze a storage tank explosion incident (where the co-author provided expert witness testimony), and design simple strategies to prevent a re-occurrence of this fatal incident. And finally in the process design class, students are required to complete a design project, which includes process synthesis, equipment design, process optimization & control, and economic analysis of a chemical plant. Students propose a location for their plant and are also assigned a second location in a different continent and compare and contrast the impact of their design in a global, economic, environmental, and social context for the two separate locations. Details of these assignments and projects will be shared, and examples of student work will be featured.

Citation
Format

Bayles, T. M., & Rodriguez, J., & Enick, R. (2023, June), Board 30: Incorporating the Impact of Engineering Solutions in Global, Economic, Environmental, and Social Contexts into our Core Curriculum Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42829

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In order to meet ABET student outcomes (2) “the ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors” and (4) “ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and social contexts” our department has incorporated various assignments and projects into our required core courses, to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate that they have achieved these outcomes.  

In this paper, we will provide the organization of our curriculum which supports these outcomes throughout the sophomore through senior years, and will include examples of homework assignments, quizzes, and projects (with grading rubrics).  These assignments provide students with the foundation they need to complete larger scale projects during their senior year, in three capstone courses (Process Control, Safety &amp;amp; Ethics, and Process Design).  In the sophomore material &amp;amp; energy balance course, students complete a hands-on design project (e.g., hemodialysis system, hot air balloon with mathematical model).  Student teams must also consider the impact of their design solution in a global, economic, environmental, and social context.  The following semester, in the thermodynamics course, student analyze the impact of the use of salt or other materials to melt snow/ice.  In the junior year, students in the transport course, explore the consequences of emitting effluents into local steams.  The reactive process engineering course has students investigate the production of a high-volume product by examining the company’s performance records, to analyze the social impact of the product.  

In the process control course, students complete a Global Project in which they collaborate with a foreign organization to become acquainted with a problem in that foreign country.  The students then analyze the problem and propose an engineering solution.  Students in the safety &amp;amp; ethics course learn about the Deepwater Horizon incident (from a co-author who served on the flow rate estimation team).  Each student team must then report on the technical, ethical, economic, global, environmental, and regulatory aspects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the related efforts to stop the leak, clean up the spill, to prevent similar occurrences.  Students apply what they have learned from the Deepwater Horizon project, to analyze a storage tank explosion incident (where the co-author provided expert witness testimony), and design simple strategies to prevent a re-occurrence of this fatal incident.  And finally in the process design class, students are required to complete a design project, which includes process synthesis, equipment design, process optimization &amp;amp; control, and economic analysis of a chemical plant.  Students propose a location for their plant and are also assigned a second location in a different continent and compare and contrast the impact of their design in a global, economic, environmental, and social context for the two separate locations.  Details of these assignments and projects will be shared, and examples of student work will be featured.  


AU  - Taryn Melkus Bayles
AU  - Joaquin Rodriguez
AU  - Robert Enick
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 30: Incorporating the Impact of Engineering Solutions in Global, Economic, Environmental, and Social Contexts into our Core Curriculum 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42829
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42829
ER  -