Integrating Environmental Engineering and Sustainability into Engineering Science and General Engineering Programs

Brenda Read-Daily

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Environmental Engineering Pedagogy and Innovation
Tagged Division: Environmental Engineering
Page Count: 10
Page Numbers: 24.772.1 - 24.772.10
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--20664
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/20664
Download Count: 371

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Paper Authors

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Brenda Read-Daily Elizabethtown College

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Brenda Read-Daily received a B.S. in Civil Engineering at Bradley University, a M.S. in Environmental Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering also at the University of Notre Dame. During her graduate studies, she conducted multidisciplinary research combining microbiology with engineering design. Her research interests include optimizing biological nutrient removal processes in agricultural drainage and wastewater treatment processes in order to mitigate pollution. She is currently developing undergraduate research opportunities examining nitrogen removal in tile drainage systems.

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Abstract

Integrating Environmental Engineering into General Engineering Programs as a Means of Enhancing Curriculum in Sustainability A growing number of general engineering and engineering science programs offer environmental engineering concentrations with many others integrating sustainability into their curriculums. One such program is at Elizabethtown College, which offers a general engineering degree with a concentration in sustainable design. This program is undergoing rapid growth with an increasing percentage of students choosing the sustainable design concentration. Currently, to satisfy the requirements for this concentration, students take courses in a wide range of topics including green architecture, green robotics, renewable energy, and population and global issues in addition to traditional engineering subjects. However, the department decided that environmental engineering was a missing piece in its curriculum. Therefore, an environmental engineer was recently added to the faculty, which previously had consisted of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and physicists. This move was made to diversify the program and meet the increasing demand for students interested in a wide range of sustainability topics. The question now emerges, which environmental engineering courses should the program offer to best meet the needs of sustainable design concentration? This paper describes the process that Elizabethtown is currently undergoing as it determines how to adapt its curriculum. In addition, it provides an overview of what classes existing general engineering programs offer within their environmental engineering concentrations. As the field of engineering shift towards placing a heavier emphasis on sustainability, it is important to start a broader conversation about how general engineering programs can integrate environmental engineering to equip future engineers.

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Read-Daily, B. (2014, June), Integrating Environmental Engineering and Sustainability into Engineering Science and General Engineering Programs Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--20664

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -   Integrating  Environmental  Engineering  into  General  Engineering  Programs  as                           a  Means  of  Enhancing  Curriculum  in  Sustainability    A  growing  number  of  general  engineering  and  engineering  science  programs  offer  environmental  engineering  concentrations  with  many  others  integrating  sustainability  into  their  curriculums.    One  such  program  is  at  Elizabethtown  College,  which  offers  a  general  engineering  degree  with  a  concentration  in  sustainable  design.    This  program  is  undergoing  rapid  growth  with  an  increasing  percentage  of  students  choosing  the  sustainable  design  concentration.  Currently,  to  satisfy  the  requirements  for  this  concentration,  students  take  courses  in  a  wide  range  of  topics  including  green  architecture,  green  robotics,  renewable  energy,  and  population  and  global  issues  in  addition  to  traditional  engineering  subjects.    However,  the  department  decided  that  environmental  engineering  was  a  missing  piece  in  its  curriculum.    Therefore,  an  environmental  engineer  was  recently  added  to  the  faculty,  which  previously  had  consisted  of  mechanical  engineers,  electrical  engineers,  and  physicists.    This  move  was  made  to  diversify  the  program  and  meet  the  increasing  demand  for  students  interested  in  a  wide  range  of  sustainability  topics.    The  question  now  emerges,  which  environmental  engineering  courses  should  the  program  offer  to  best  meet  the  needs  of  sustainable  design  concentration?    This  paper  describes  the  process  that  Elizabethtown  is  currently  undergoing  as  it  determines  how  to  adapt  its  curriculum.    In  addition,  it  provides  an  overview  of  what  classes  existing  general  engineering  programs  offer  within  their  environmental  engineering  concentrations.  As  the  field  of  engineering  shift  towards  placing  a  heavier  emphasis  on  sustainability,  it  is  important  to  start  a  broader  conversation  about  how  general  engineering  programs  can  integrate  environmental  engineering  to  equip  future  engineers.          
AU  - Brenda Read-Daily
CY  - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA  - 2014/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Integrating Environmental Engineering and Sustainability into Engineering Science and General Engineering Programs
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/20664
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--20664
ER  -