NATURALLY EXCITING FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING COURSE INSPIRING SUSTAINABILITY

First-year of engineering classes should be a time to excite students about the possibilities engineering has to offer. Infusing curricula which directs students to understanding the natural environment around them can be a powerful tool in developing industry leaders who will think innovatively about developing solutions which add value in the societal context, promote environmental stewardship and promote economic prosperity. Developing engineers who are innovators and are willing to break the status quo is imperative to ensure the survival of our planet.

In recent years sustainably designed infrastructure and products has gained momentum in the US, especially given the impacts of anthropogenic activities to our climate. Analyzing upstream and downstream impacts by examining life cycle cost analyses has gained momentum in industry. Given the importance of these parameters it is critical that they are also infused in the classroom from the first year engineering students are on campus.

Teaching the triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and social responsibility can be fortified through the introduction of biomimicry concepts in the first year of engineering education. Biomimicry will provide a new experience for students to delve into nature and explore why nature does what it does and what lessons can engineers capitalize on to develop sustainable solutions. Solutions which follow the elegant simplicity of nature between purpose and design.

As we increase our expectations of our society to practice sustainability in every arena we impact, we must also increase exposure to these parameters early on the educational forums of university curricula. This paper examines a proposed syllabus for the inclusion of biomimicry, sustainability and life cycle cost analysis in a first-year engineering course.

This paper details the learning objectives, weekly topic areas and new experiences which students can explore to gain empathy and competence in using these strategies in more advanced engineering courses in their junior (3rd) and senior (4th) year design courses.