NLI: Research: Undergraduate Sustainability Engineering Education (USEE)

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project will provide all undergraduate engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison a functional introduction to sustainability in the context of their engineering major. This is relevant to the continually evolving nature of the necessary body of knowledge in engineering, and how to create the engineers of the future which society needs, using the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Framework which is aligned with the ABET learning outcomes. Future engineers will need to be prepared to address environmental and social sustainability for increasingly complex engineered systems that support human well-being. This need is already evident for some engineering disciplines, such as according to the American Society for Civil Engineering (ASCE) Code of Ethics, engineers are tasked with advancing and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public through engineering practice. In particular sustainability is also listed in the ASCE body of knowledge “The curriculum must include application of principles of sustainability, risk, resilience, diversity, equity, and conclusion to civil engineering problems.” This work will integrate sustainability into current systems and ensure future engineers are prepared for professional demands through curricular transformation that is needed which reevaluates and fosters fundamental sustainability skills and mindsets. This work aligns with the Research in the Formation of Engineers program (RFE) as it will advance the understanding of professional formation in engineering in that this work will transform engineering education so that all engineering students at UW-Madison encounter environmental and social sustainability principles as an integrated part of their education and are equipped with the tools needed to incorporate these principles into their future research, careers, and innovations. To engineer a sustainable future for the world, engineering education must first evolve as the required breadth of knowledge evolves. The overarching goal of USEE is for all undergraduate engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to be exposed to sustainability in the context of engineering at least once in their required course curriculum. The intellectual merit of USEE is multifaceted 1) it seeks to integrate sustainability into required undergraduate engineering curriculum in a relevant and sympathetic manner utilizing the EOP framework, 2) USEE seeks to generate new insights as to how exposure and experience with sustainability curriculum impacts the formation of engineering identities, and 3) USEE will generate new insight as to the education of faculty and instructors and their confidence in teaching about sustainability in an engineering context. In particular, USEE will focus on producing engineers who are ready to serve the public good. By nature, this project offers substantial broader impacts that are integrated into the research objectives. Overarching, USEE is transformative in creating new knowledge around the formation of engineers and sustainability. Beyond that, it seeks to educate around 4,000 undergraduate engineering students in sustainability over the course of the proposed timeline. Educational efforts realized during this project will be shared with the broader community in order to enable greater application of these methods, including challenges encountered during implementation and how those challenges are addressed. This project is funded by the Division of Engineering Education & Centers with additional support provided by The Lemelson Foundation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.