2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Current world challenges require complex solutions from multifaceted and interdisciplinary developments. There is significant research that supports the idea that the contemporary world stands on the interaction of different fields of knowledge. Similarly, the higher impact on solutions and developments is directly related to the level of interdisciplinarity of the developing team. In this paper we look at current interdisciplinary practices in engineering education through a successful case study. Specifically, we investigated an interdisciplinary team that participated in a worldwide concrete contest. The members of such teams came from different majors and levels of knowledge. We took a particular approach to assess the sustainability of the proposed design by using an SDG lens. This study uses a mixed-method approach to understand better the role of interdisciplinarity in sustainable solutions that fit the SDGs approach. First, we analyzed the characteristics of the solutions presented and the feedback provided by contest judges. Then, the authors conducted interviews with each team member and focus group to confirm the interdisciplinarity approach. The results suggest rethinking interdisciplinarity design methodologies and approaches to maximize efficient solutions. The authors reflect on the avenue’s academia could take to form new pedagogical approaches that include interdisciplinarity in engineering schools. Implications for research and practice are provided.