2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Pathways to Green Economy Occupations in Engineering and Construction

Presented at Environmental Engineering & Sustainability Division (ENVEST) Poster Session

The Department of Construction Management and Civil Engineering technology (CMCE) at New York City College of Technology is incorporating curricular modifications to prepare our students to enter “focus occupations,” identified by New York City as critical to the sustainable growth of the Green economy. We offer three degrees in construction management, civil engineering technology and construction engineering technology. The Department was recently selected as part of the 2025 ASEE Engineering for One Planet (EOP) mini grant cohort. The EOP grant provided support for curriculum development to incorporate sustainability focused learning outcomes. The project team used the EOP framework to modify five existing courses targeting core learning outcomes. The topic areas included environmental literacy, social responsibility, environmental impact assessment, materials selection, and design. These changes will be gradually implemented in the curriculum and become a permanent part of the program. The EOP framework will be integrated in our ABET self-study and continuous improvement to stay current with ASEE updates. The proposed project will impact all the students in our program; it will expose them to the significance of sustainability with respect to the engineering discipline and practice. Our graduates will be better prepared for industry demands and more importantly prepared to make decisions in their professional practice that impact society’s future. The poster will highlight the outcomes of the mini grant and discuss the plans for implementation of EOP in core engineering classes.

Authors

Prof. Melanie Villatoro New York City College of Technology [biography]

Melanie Villatoro is a Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Construction Management and Civil Engineering Technology at City Tech. Prof. Villatoro is passionate about student retention, culturally relevant curriculum and STEM Outreach in K-12. She has served on the ASCE Committee of Faculty Development and ASEE Faculty Development Division.
Prof. Ivan L Guzman P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8983-8402 New York City College of Technology [biography]

Dr. Guzman is an assistant professor at New York City College of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering from New York University School of Engineering. His research interest include transparent soils, rapid penetration into gr
Dr. Marzi Azarderakhsh New York City College of Technology [biography]

Marzi Azarderakhsh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Construction Management and Civil Engineering Technology at New York City College of Technology (CUNY) and a member of the Doctoral Faculty at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her work focuses on integrating sustainability and emerging technologies into engineering education and practice.

For this project, led by Melanie Villatoro under the ASEE Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Mini Grant, Dr. Azarderakhsh contributed to the integration of sustainability concepts into the Fluid Mechanics course, including revised lectures and laboratory activities connecting fluid dynamics to environmental applications.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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