Environmental Engineering Curriculum Evolution and Future Directions

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Environmental Engineering CurriculumEvolution
and Future Directions
Colloquium to Celebrate Fifty Years of
Environmental Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, March 29 2005

• James Kilduff and Sim Komisar

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Outline

• Curriculum objectives
• Drivers for change
• Recent changes
• New initiatives
• Long term issues

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Objectives

• Prepare students to be involved global citizens
• Develop a broad appreciation of key environmental
  issues and challenges
• Risk balancing, emerging contaminants, regulation
• Recognize that engineering decisions have
  implications for public health, safety and
  welfare
• Understand human nature and society as a basis
  for personal growth and an awareness of personal
  and professional responsibility
• Be informed of current political, social, and
  economic issues

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Objectives

• Provide a broad educational base
• Foundation in math, physics, chemistry, biology,
  computing, and engineering principles
• Humanities and social sciences depth and breadth
• Preparation for life-long learning
• Excitement of learning and discovery
• Professional practice
• Graduate education

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Objectives

• Provide technical background in environmental
  engineering
• Apply science and engineering principles to
  environmental engineering
• Competence and literacy in problem solving
• Problem identification
• Problem formulation and specification
• Problem solution (analytical, numerical)
• Results interpretation
• Ability to conduct laboratory investigations
• Design!

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Objectives

• Prepare students for engineering practice
• Communication skills
• Writing, speaking, modern tools
• Technical and non-technical audience (public,
  clients)
• Teamwork skills
• Licensing
• Ethics

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Drivers for Change

• 4X4 Institute curriculum
• New Environmental Engineering faculty
• New Environmental Engineering facilities
• Teaching laboratory upgrade
• 4X4 Institute curriculum phase out
• ABET

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4x4 Institute Initiative (1997-98)

• Reduce credits 134 ?128
• Enhance 4-year graduation rate
• Improve competitiveness
• Develop and deliver 4-credit courses
• Impact
• Reduce number of courses offered

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4x4 Institute Initiative - Impact

• Reduce science credits
• Comp Sci I, Organic Chem II, Physics III,
  Microbiology
• Reduce engineering credits
• Material and Energy Balances, Embedded Control
• Combine courses
• Fluid Mechanics Heat Transfer
• Dynamic Systems Chemical Process Control

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Core Engineering Initiatives (97-98)

• Introduction to Engineering Design
• Sophomore design/build experience
• Professional Development
• Archer Center for Leadership
• HSS course
• Technical communications
• Leadership training
• Ethics

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Environmental Engineering Initiatives (97-98)

• Introduction to Engineering Design
• Environmental Engineering section
• Chemodynamics
• Environmental Engineering thermodynamics
• Replace Engineering Thermodynamics
• Physicochemical Processes
• Replace Unit Operations
• Biological Processes
• Replace Environmental Systems
• Incorporate microbiology

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Interaction with Chemical Engineering

• Reduction in courses delivered by Chemical
  Engineering department
• Mass and Energy Balances (4x4)
• Unit Operations (Faculty)
• Environmental Systems (4x4, Faculty)
• Air Pollution (Faculty)
• Senior Laboratory (Environmental Engineering
  facilities)
• Current
• Chemical Process Dynamics and Control
• Fluid mechanics

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New Initiatives - Core

• Engineering Discovery (pilot sections this year)
• First year course/sequence
• Hands-on learn by doing
• Systems approach Engineering Method
• Drawing, modeling, computation
• Information technology (planned)
• CAD
• Technical Communications

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New Initiatives Environmental Engineering

• Environmental Geology (implemented ABET
  directive)
• Loss of Physical Chemistry
• Environmental Biotechnology (in development)
• Institute initiative
• Specific environmental course
• Information technology (tech elective)
• GIS
• Common CE/ENVE Courses (planned)
• Fluid mechanics
• Hydraulics
• Soils Engineering (Intro Geotech)
• Increase collaboration with ERTH (planned)
• Geochemistry inorganic, organic, isotope

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Longer Term Issues

• New ways to incorporate Biotechnology,
  Information Technology, Nanotechnology
• New courses
• hazardous wastes, water resources, risk
• Chemistry!
• Chem I,II ? Chem Mat I,II ? Chem I, Mat I
• Computing
• Overlap between grad and undergrad curricula
• Clear path for CE minor (and vice versa)
• Softer side sustainability, ethics, policy
• Recruitment and class numbers
• National trend
• Assessment
• Changing stakeholder needs
• Feedback welcome!