The Future Role of Ecological Engineering Science in Undergraduate Engineering Education

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL NO.: 0230631 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Nies, Loring INSTITUTION NAME: Purdue University TITLE: The Future Role of Ecological Engineering Science in Undergraduate Engineering Education Abstract The impact of human engineering on ecosystems is undeniable and globally evident. Ecological Engineering is an emerging discipline that is defined as the design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature. Human engineering and natural systems must act in harmony if we are to sustain ecosystem biodiversity and improve human existence to a globally equitable and acceptable level. The project will develop an inclusive undergraduate degree program in Ecological Engineering Science that will integrate faculty, courses, and resources across current disciplinary boundaries. Future graduates of Ecological Engineering Science will work in interdisciplinary teams to ensure that engineering practices are ecologically sustainable. We call our program Ecological Engineering Science to acknowledge the natural and social science foundation of the program. Although the initiation of this new degree program will be from within the Schools of Engineering, strong interdisciplinary linkages will be established with the Schools of Agriculture, Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Education during the planning process. Our interdisciplinary team from the Schools of Engineering and the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University is well suited to establish linkages across campus and to lead the curriculum planning process. What sets Ecological Engineering Science apart from traditional environmental disciplines such as Environmental Engineering is the scale and complexity of the problems, the consideration of human institutions (social, political and economic), and the inclusion of sustainability issues in problem formulations. There is a strong justification for the development of an Ecological Engineering Science degree program. Over the next decade more than 35,000 new Environmental and Sustainable Systems jobs will become available in the US. The National Research Council recommended increasing interdisciplinary education and they identified eight .Grand Environmental Challenges. that spans the spectrum of Ecological Engineering.