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Teaching Students Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Design Project for Sophomore Engineering Students

Kathryn A. Hollar and Beena Sukumaran Department of Chemical Engineering Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Rowan University Glassboro, NJ 08028

Abstract

Universities can be leaders not only in research advances in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also have the potential to be leaders in practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. All 56 colleges and universities in New Jersey recently joined together to endorse a Sustainability Greenhouse Gas Action Plan for New Jersey. In signing this “sustainability covenant,” Rowan University has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 3.5% below 1990 levels by 2005. We have used this agreement as the basis for a novel collaboration between the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS) and the College of Engineering at Rowan University.

We have developed a course project in which sophomore students from all engineering disciplines calculate CO2 emissions for the university and propose methods for further reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. This project has been developed for Sophomore Clinic II, the 4th course in an innovative eight semester multidisciplinary engineering design and practice, project-oriented course sequence that is a hallmark of the Rowan Engineering program. Sophomore Clinic II emphasizes public speaking skills, design principles, and engineering economics.

Objectives for the course include the following:

1. Calculate greenhouse gas emissions for the university from 1990 to present according to the NJHEPS format. 2. Propose low-cost solutions to improve energy efficiency. 3. Propose alternative energy sources that can be incorporated into the future growth of the university. 4. Perform an economic analysis and report any short-term and long-term costs or savings associated with implementing low-cost solutions and/or alternative energy sources. 5. Formulate a well-supported, articulate oral argument for using alternative energy sources at Rowan University.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Zone I Conference United States Military Academy, West Point, New York Main Menu

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Hollar, K., & Sukumaran, B. (2002, June), Teaching Students Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Design Project For Sophomore Engineering Students Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10870