2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) education has traditionally emphasized the technical and analytical foundations necessary for solving engineering problems. However, the complex challenges of the 21st century ranging from climate change and infrastructure resilience to sustainability and environmental justice, require a broader, more holistic approach to engineering design and decision-making. This Work-in-Progress project aims to infuse the CEE curriculum with interconnected themes of sustainability, climate resilience, and social and environmental justice through a series of modular, course-embedded learning experiences.

The project involves collaborating with faculty across the CEE program to identify existing course content where these critical topics can be meaningfully integrated. New mini-modules are being developed to create a “thread” of related lessons spanning from first-year through senior-level courses. Each module will include a lesson plan, active-learning exercises (e.g., think-pair-share, mini-projects), and reflective assignments that connect technical concepts with societal and environmental implications. For instance, a flood control infrastructure module may be implemented to hydrology and structural analysis courses with different perspectives that asks students to analyze real infrastructure failures through both technical and sociotechnical lenses, connecting engineering decisions to economic, policy, and equity dimensions. By embedding these themes across courses and class levels, the project will help cultivate graduates who can create resilient, equitable, and sustainable solutions that serve both society and the planet.