2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

NSF-Lemelson Initiative (NLI) Project: Applying Engineering for One Planet Framework to Teach Industrial and Systems Engineering Courses

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session I

Integrating social and environmental sustainability into engineering education is critical for preparing students to address complex global challenges. This project studies how to embed these principles into Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) curricula using the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework. In selected ISE courses, instructors developed specialized modules focused on sustainability in manufacturing and service systems. Assessment data were collected from the courses, including pre-and post-tests, log files, formative & summative assessments, and self-reports using questionnaires. By analyzing assessment data from these courses, we are demonstrating how to effectively prepare students to become sustainability-literate professionals. The findings demonstrate a path for effectively equipping future engineers and provide a scalable model for other engineering disciplines to adopt the EOP framework.

Authors

Dr. Steven X. Jiang http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6937-927X North Carolina A&T State University [biography]

Dr. Steven Jiang is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. His research interests include Human Systems Integration, Visual Analytics, and Engineering Education.
Dr. Paul M Stanfield P.E. North Carolina A&T State University
Dr. Lauren Davis North Carolina A&T State University [biography]

Dr. Lauren Davis is a Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her research focuses on the design and management of supply chains in both for-profit and humanitarian contexts, with particular emphasis on improving operational performance under disruptions arising from natural disasters, supply and demand uncertainty, and information asymmetry. She applies stochastic optimization, simulation, and data analytics to address challenges in sourcing, distribution, and transportation scheduling across hunger relief, emergency response, and homeland security applications. Her work has been applied to food and fuel distribution supply chains, including ongoing partnerships with regional food banks to improve hunger relief operations. Dr. Davis brings more than a decade of industry experience to her teaching and research, and her educational work spans decision support systems, supply chain systems engineering, and operations research.
Prof. Vernal Alford III North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University [biography]

Vernal G. Alford III has worked at North Carolina A&T State University in various capacities since 1992. Mr. Alford has served as Assistant to the Dean of Engineering; Director of Outreach and Facilities Manager both for the College of Engineering; Coordinator for the Introduction to Engineering Design and Ethics course including serving on the Planning Committee for the Aggie Freshman Innovation Challenge; Faculty Director, Global Engineering Leadership Program; Coordinator of REU, RET and Young Scholars Programs for NSF sponsored projects; led multiple High School to University Bridge Programs; taught courses in Engineering Mechanics and Fundamentals of Engineering Exam Review
Muyue Han http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6331-2146 North Carolina A&T State University [biography]

Dr. Muyue Han is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. Her research focuses on advancing the theories and applications of sustainable and smart manufacturing. She is also engaged in integrating sustainability principles into engineering education through experiential and analytics-supported learning approaches.

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