2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Humanitarian Engineering, as it is known at X University, aims to educate students on the application of science and engineering to address complex societal challenges with an emphasis on collaborating with communities to achieve their desired vision of well-being. This is attempted through providing students with a curriculum grounded in proven theories and best practices of sustainable development, applied engineering, and socio-cultural learning experiences. While there are a number of course offerings in this domain, until recently, there was no physical home for students to gather and collaboratively work on their local or global project efforts. This led to many initiatives operating within their own silos, limiting the sharing of ideas and efforts. Students were required to locate the required resources and the physical space to enable creativity and community. The Humanitarian Engineering Lab space was created to fill this student driven need, allow for codesigned project initiatives and research efforts to evolve from conceptual ideas into physical entities. Thus, students gain valuable insights into the viability of proposed community-based initiatives while learning through hands-on experimental design and research programs. The lab space also fosters a sharing of ideas and a collaborative spirit among Humanitarian Engineering-focused courses and initiatives across campus, and establishes a sense of community and belonging. Utilized by student organizations, courses, community engaged learning opportunities, research and capstone projects, this facility serves as a central hub for students and faculty to engage within the Engineering for Good domain.
This paper outlines the development of collaborative internal and external partnerships, showcases the positive impacts of leveraging a physical space to build community, and shares lessons learned for institutions aiming to foster and encourage experiential learning and engagement amongst students and faculty.