Engineering technology faculty addressing green skills shortage in engineering education through new grant

Engineering technology faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology are addressing a green skills shortage through a new project to make sustainability concepts a more integral part of undergraduate engineering education.

Integrating the development of eco-friendly practices with social and economic facets of sustainability, could further transform engineering education by equipping future engineers with the skill set required for the profession today, said Ashish Agrawal, assistant professor in RIT’s College of Engineering Technology, who is leading the three-year project.

 “Sustainability is often taught as a standalone concept. However, if we are doing engineering design projects we need to think about sustainability as it relates to each step of the design process,” said Agrawal. “We also need to integrate sustainability within various courses and understand that it shapes a student’s identity as an engineer.”

Through the new content, the team will explore how specific interventions such as problem-solving activities, case studies and capstone projects that incorporate sustainability concepts influence students’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior. First-year to fifth-year undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in the data collection for this project.

Other CET faculty involved on the project team and experts in various areas of sustainability are Lisa Greenwood, associate professor, environmental, health and safety; Amanda Bao, professor and interim department chair, civil engineering technology;  Yewande Abraham, associate professor of civil engineering technology; and Lucio Salles de Salles, assistant professor of civil engineering technology.  

The project team developed content for 10 engineering and applied science courses in CET’s civil engineering technology, environmental health and safety program, and in the electrical and computer engineering technology program. Each intervention being developed will have all three sustainability dimensions—environmental, social and economic.

“That is important especially for the theoretical aspects of courses,” said Salles de Salles. “Sometimes the students are doing design calculations, and they may not see how these are linked to sustainable dimensions. They will face this once these students start to work. No one designs a building without taking into consideration the social, environmental, and economic aspects.”

RIT has a long history of recognizing the impact of sustainable practices and the changing demands of the engineering profession. The university’s engineering programs are ABET accredited and include recognition of sustainability principles. This project is one means to continue meeting the requirements as well as address industry demands for a workforce skilled in these practices.

“These students are going to be the future professionals and by doing these interventions, we are telling them that this is also engineering. As they do the work, they have to think of sustainability from all dimensions, and that this is all part of being a professional,” said Agrawal.

The group received a National Science Foundation grant for the project “NLI: Research Influence of sustainability-focused course interventions on students’ engineering identity development.” The research funding of nearly $350,000 is from the NSF’s Division of Engineering Education and Centers. Foundational preparation for the new project is based on the Engineering for One Planet Framework, a national initiative supported by the Lemelson Foundation to prepare graduating engineers, regardless of disciplines, with the skills, knowledge, and understanding to protect and improve environmental and social systems.