Engineering for Developing Communities and Earth Systems Engineering as a Catalyst for Enhanced Learning in Environmental and Civil Engineering

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This grant will fund the planning of an activity at the University of Colorado Boulder which will have real benefits to the quality of life and the environment in developing communities world wide. By building on existing resources and interests of the faculty, they are educating engineers who are better prepared to successfully solve complex Civil and Environmental Engineering problems in a sustainable and socially acceptable manner. They are planning to develop department wide curriculum and programs which incorporate the successful Earth Systems Engineering (ESE) and Engineering for Developing Communities (EDC) concepts already being used in some courses. The proposed activities will build and strengthen links to other groups including Engineers Without Borders USA, the Developing Communities Research and Teaching program in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology. This planning effort will focus on how effective teaching technologies may be incorporated into the new curricula, including (1) team-based learning in all courses (2) service learning in design courses (3) experience-based learning with in-course experimentation (4) and discovery learning through research experiences. The broader impacts of the proposed activity as it pertains to solving problems in developing communities and the potential for attracting under-represented minorities could be far reaching.