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Teaching Sustainable Engineering Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
ASME 2008 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition
  • Kevin P. Hallinan, University of Dayton
  • J. Kelly Kissock, University of Dayton
  • Margaret Pinnell, University of Dayton
Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
10-1-2008
Abstract

The natural world has long been impacted by technological society; however, in recent years environmental impacts and constraints are increasingly on the global, rather than local or regional, scale. Moreover, the interconnectivity of biological systems with energy and material flows is increasingly evident. Today, it is well understood that climate change, energy constraints and biological degradation are largely a consequence of technological production and energy use. In this context, one would expect engineering education to have evolved to prepare engineers to be capable of addressing these issues. Rather, excluding the resurgence in design education, we see a curriculum that remains largely unchanged. In this context, we propose an integrated mechanical engineering curriculum that emphasizes sustainable engineering and whole-system design. The curriculum provides mechanical engineering students with a deeper understanding of the broader impact of the products and processes they design, the tools to assess that impact, and the system level thinking to design technologies for a sustainable future.

Inclusive pages
443-450
ISBN/ISSN
978-0-7918-4870-8
Comments

Permission documentation is on file.

Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Place of Publication
Boston, MA
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Citation Information
Kevin P. Hallinan, J. Kelly Kissock and Margaret Pinnell. "Teaching Sustainable Engineering Throughout the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum" ASME 2008 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/j-kissock/4/