2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Implementing the Engineering for One Planet Framework in a Civil Engineering Technology Program

Presented at Engineering Technology Division (ETD) Technical Session 4

To address the challenges facing the built environment and promote sustainability, it is essential for the future engineering workforce to be well-equipped to design, construct, operate, and manage infrastructure projects and systems. Civil engineers play a vital role in this process by contributing their expertise to develop sustainable building solutions that enhance the built environment. The primary goal of the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Framework is to provide engineers with the necessary skills and knowledge to safeguard the planet and its ecosystems, ensuring their sustainability for the benefit of all living beings. This project focused on introducing students in the Civil Engineering Technology five-year Bachelor of Science Program at Rochester Institute of Technology to sustainability concepts using the EOP framework. Curricular changes were implemented for two courses in the Civil Engineering Technology Program, a first-year introduction to civil engineering course reaching 72 students and a fourth-year structural steel design course reaching 30 students. The course materials introduced students to sustainability concepts for building and infrastructure projects. The students engaged in educational activities that offered them opportunities to enhance their comprehension of the course content and internalize sustainability principles at a deeper level. At the end of the semester, more than 80% of the students reported an improvement in their understanding of sustainability-related concepts and over 90% of the students said they had a better understanding of how civil engineers can contribute to a sustainable world according to the survey results. Using the two courses as pilot studies, this project aims to integrate sustainability concepts into other technical courses to equip students with a strong foundation and the necessary skills to become agents of change in promoting sustainability within the civil engineering and construction industry.

Authors

Dr. Yewande S. Abraham Rochester Institute of Technology (CET) [biography]

Yewande Abraham Ph.D., LEED AP O+M, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology Environmental Management and Safety at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She received her Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom and her PhD from The Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Amanda Bao http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1530-8166 Rochester Institute of Technology (CET) [biography]

Amanda Bao is an Associate Professor and Program Director in Civil Engineering Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology. She got her Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, in 2006. Dr. Bao started teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010 and she regularly teaches structural engineering courses. Prior to RIT, she worked as a bridge structural engineer at Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. and Michael Baker International, Inc. in Denver, Colorado, and she is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and New York, USA. Dr. Amanda Bao won the 2021 Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching at RIT. Dr. Bao has been actively involved in engineering education research since 2011, including digital learning, active learning and intensive collaboration with industry. Dr. Bao develops a teaching website: http://baoteachingcet.com/ and opens a YouTube Structural Design Teaching channel to post screencasts to supplement traditional lecture-type classes, and she also created hands-on active learning modules to improve teaching and learning effectiveness. In addition to education research, Dr. Bao conducts research in the areas of bridge resiliency and sustainability, innovative construction materials and evaluation of aging infrastructure. She has extensive research experience in finite element modeling and lab testing of structures and published more than 25 research papers. She is an active member in ASEE, ASCE and AISC.

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