2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Consideration of sustainable practices is increasingly important in a multitude of fields as recognized by ABET, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES). AAEES recommends that sustainability be integrated into all engineering disciplines and ABET includes sustainability-related criteria in several programs including architectural, industrial, and mining engineering in addition to civil and environmental engineering. There have been initiatives aiming to accelerate the integration of sustainability into curriculum across all engineering disciplines. There is a need to expand this movement beyond engineering into P-12 schools. In this work, a tangram-puzzle activity was presented to preK through grade 5 teachers to introduce the paradigm shift necessary to implement sustainability practices into traditional engineering design and construction. While the activity is a fun puzzle that is simple to implement in the classroom, it integrates several valuable components including critical thinking, interdisciplinary teamwork, and innovation. Pre- and post-activity surveys (n=15) were administered. Qualitative and quantitative analysis (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank) were performed on the survey results, which included both short answer and Likert-scale data. Results indicate the majority of the teachers felt the activity improved their understanding of sustainable engineering design and was useful and important to them in their career. Further, most teachers felt that the activity would be useful and engaging for K-5 students in their learning about sustainable design. Six of 14 teachers responded that they are likely to adopt this activity in their classrooms.