Weaving Sustainability into Undergraduate Engineering Education through Innovative Pedagogical Methods: A Student’s Perspective

Sarah Kathryn Bauer; Andrea Rose McFarland; Mary M. Staehle; Kauser Jahan

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum
Tagged Division: Environmental Engineering
Page Count: 17
Page Numbers: 25.1467.1 - 25.1467.17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--22224
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/22224
Download Count: 423

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Paper Authors

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Sarah Kathryn Bauer Rowan University

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Sarah K. Bauer is a junior civil and environmental engineering undergraduate student studying at the College of Engineering of Rowan University with a minor in mathematics. Bauer is a part of Rowan University's Bantivoglio Honors concentration. She works as both a civil and environmental engineering ontern and an environmental engineering Research Assistant for the College of Engineering at Rowan University. She is President of Rowan University's Student Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and Secretary of Rowan University's Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Sarah is also the recipient of the Fall 2011 and Fall 2012 Bantivoglio Honors Concentration Research Fellowship.

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Andrea Rose McFarland Rowan University

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Andrea R. McFarland is a sophomore undergraduate student studying civil and environmental engineering through the College of Engineering at Rowan University. McFarland is part of Rowan University's Bantivoglio honors concentration. She is the recipient of the Spring 2012 and Fall 2012 Bantivoglio Honors Concentration Research Fellowship. McFarland works as both a civil and environmental engineering intern and an environmental engineering Research Assistant at Rowan University's College of Engineering. This past summer, McFarland worked as an environmental engineering assistant at PTP consulting. She is the vice president of Rowan University's student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Through EWB, McFarland traveled to Africa in Jan, 2012 to design and implement water retrival systems for eight villages.

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Mary M. Staehle Rowan University

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Mary Staehle is an Assistant Professor of chemical engineering at Rowan University. Before joining the faculty at Rowan, Staehle worked at the Daniel Baugh Institute for Functional Genomics and Computational Biology at Thomas Jefferson University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in 2010. Her research is in the area of biological control systems, specifically neural regeneration. Staehle is also particularly interested in chemical, bio-, and biomedical engineering education.

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Kauser Jahan Rowan University

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Abstract

Engineering educators are continually striving to develop teaching tools that engagestudents’ imaginations, provide a platform for integrating modern technology into theundergraduate curriculum, and address pressing societal needs. In recent years, spurred by thedeclining condition of the environment, engineering educators have begun to incorporateconcepts of green engineering and sustainability into undergraduate education. Through theperspective of undergraduate students who have completed the newly developed,environmentally conscious curriculum of XXXX University’s College of Engineering, earlyexperiences in engineering education will be showcased. The hallmark of XXXX University’s Engineering program is its Engineering Clinic: arequired eight-semester sequence for engineering majors that brings real-world engineering intothe classroom through interdisciplinary, project-based learning. Undergraduate students areengaged in the scientific discovery process through these stimulating activities while they areconcurrently introduced to multi-disciplinary engineering principles from Chemical, Mechanical,Electrical and Computer, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Engineering design, heavilyemphasized in the Freshman and Sophomore Engineering Clinic courses, has expanded beyondthe physical development of ideas to now incorporate sustainable practice. The Clinic Sequencehighlights several modules that require students to develop imaginative solutions toenvironmental issues such as fuel shortages and the need for alternative energy. Studentsaddress these issues directly through such projects as deriving biofuels from microalgal speciesand designing and constructing wind turbines and solar panels. These topics and experiencesbring tremendous strength to a student’s knowledge of and appreciation for sustainableengineering. Through XXXX University’s College of Engineering Clinic Sequence, engineersof the future are gaining a fundamental understanding of their role in the design and analysis of 1complex interacting systems, as well as discovering the importance of incorporatingsustainability into engineering practice. 2

Citation
Format

Bauer, S. K., & McFarland, A. R., & Staehle, M. M., & Jahan, K. (2012, June), Weaving Sustainability into Undergraduate Engineering Education through Innovative Pedagogical Methods: A Student’s Perspective Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--22224

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -        Engineering educators are continually striving to develop teaching tools that engagestudents’ imaginations, provide a platform for integrating modern technology into theundergraduate curriculum, and address pressing societal needs. In recent years, spurred by thedeclining condition of the environment, engineering educators have begun to incorporateconcepts of green engineering and sustainability into undergraduate education. Through theperspective of undergraduate students who have completed the newly developed,environmentally conscious curriculum of XXXX University’s College of Engineering, earlyexperiences in engineering education will be showcased.       The hallmark of XXXX University’s Engineering program is its Engineering Clinic: arequired eight-semester sequence for engineering majors that brings real-world engineering intothe classroom through interdisciplinary, project-based learning. Undergraduate students areengaged in the scientific discovery process through these stimulating activities while they areconcurrently introduced to multi-disciplinary engineering principles from Chemical, Mechanical,Electrical and Computer, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Engineering design, heavilyemphasized in the Freshman and Sophomore Engineering Clinic courses, has expanded beyondthe physical development of ideas to now incorporate sustainable practice. The Clinic Sequencehighlights several modules that require students to develop imaginative solutions toenvironmental issues such as fuel shortages and the need for alternative energy. Studentsaddress these issues directly through such projects as deriving biofuels from microalgal speciesand designing and constructing wind turbines and solar panels. These topics and experiencesbring tremendous strength to a student’s knowledge of and appreciation for sustainableengineering. Through XXXX University’s College of Engineering Clinic Sequence, engineersof the future are gaining a fundamental understanding of their role in the design and analysis of                                                 1complex interacting systems, as well as discovering the importance of incorporatingsustainability into engineering practice.                                               2
AU  - Sarah Kathryn Bauer
AU  - Andrea Rose McFarland
AU  - Mary M. Staehle
AU  - Kauser Jahan
CY  - San Antonio, Texas
DA  - 2012/06/10
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Weaving Sustainability into Undergraduate Engineering Education through Innovative Pedagogical Methods: A Student’s Perspective
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/22224
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--22224
ER  -