2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering and Climate Change: A Liberal Education Approach to Sustainability

Engineering plays a crucial role in addressing climate change, necessitating a shift towards interdisciplinary, values-driven education. This paper examines the development and implementation of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum (LASC) at a private university, addressing three core questions: WHY is such a curriculum necessary, WHAT are its key elements, and HOW has it been structured and implemented. Aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the LASC encourages students to transcend technical expertise and engage with broader societal and environmental issues. This paper highlights the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus as a key component of the proposed curriculum, aiming to equip students with the skills to develop sustainable resource management solutions—an essential global challenge. To evaluate the LASC’s effectiveness in fostering climate change preparedness, a mixed-methods research protocol is under development. This protocol includes pre- and post-course surveys assessing changes in knowledge and attitudes about climate change, along with focus groups and interviews exploring students’ experiences and perceptions of the curriculum’s relevance. Longitudinal tracking of graduates will further assess the curriculum’s long-term impact on their professional engagement with climate-related issues.

Authors

Dr. Nadine Zeeni http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1747-6016 Lebanese American University [biography]

Dr. Nadine Zeeni is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and the Coordinator of Liberal Education - Sciences at the Lebanese American University (LAU). She has played a key role in the development and implementation of the recently launched Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum (LASC). Collaborating closely with faculty from various disciplines, she focuses on developing, coordinating, teaching, and assessing innovative interdisciplinary courses related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Haidar Harmanani http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5416-4383 Lebanese American University [biography]

Haidar Harmanani is Professor of Computer Science and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University (LAU). He holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Harmanani has a distinguished career in academia, with expertise in computer science education and leadership. He is actively involved in computing education circles, serving as a CAC ABET Commissioner and holding memberships in professional organizations such as ASEE, IEEE and ACM.
Dr. George E Nasr Lebanese American University [biography]

Dr. George E. Nasr has been Provost at the Lebanese American University (LAU) since 2018, following his tenure as Dean of the LAU School of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and has published extensively on energy modeling and engineering education. He is an active member of IEEE and ASEE and serves on various international educational committees.
Rony S. Khnayzer Lebanese American University [biography]

Rony Khnayzer is an Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in the Department of Physical Sciences and the founding Chairperson of the Department of Liberal Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in Photochemical Sciences from Bowling Green State University, where he conducted research at the Center for Photochemical Sciences, and a B.S. from the American University of Beirut. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Khnayzer has been recognized with several honors, including numerous Research Excellence Awards.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

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