Abstract:

In 2021, a group of professors of the Dept of Engineering Sciences and Materials of the U of Puerto Rico Mayaguez (UPRM) realized that anthropogenic climate change and stresses on other planetary boundaries such as freshwater are partially the result of the present way engineers provide products, services, systems and the built environment. This group, along professors from other programs (civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical/computer engineering, industrial engineering, economics and agriculture), decided that it is time for a new engineering program that can prepare engineers capable of providing solutions for humanity while securing humanity’s present and future existence on the planet – Sustainability Engineering (Sust Eng. After evaluating existing programs, the team decided to create a unique program that included the areas of energy, water, built environment/smart communities and products which are important areas for developing countries and small island countries/territories such as Puerto Rico.

The first step was to formalize the definition of Sustainability Engineering to establish what is expected of such an engineer. A Stakeholder Advisory Board was formed with members from industry, entrepreneurs, government and NGOs to provide insights and feedback of their sustainability needs of and how to create a program to meet these needs. Next, the team, with active participation from the stakeholders, identified the required knowledge and skill set for Sustainability Engineering. Based on this information, the team then defined the program’s learning outcomes which have validated with those of the few existing programs and with the learning outcomes of the Engineering for One Planet Initiative framework. The team’s next step was the design of the program’s curriculum and courses aligned with the required body of knowledge and learning outcomes.

The team decided on two programs:
1) minor programs to provide all engineering students the opportunity to develop specific knowledge and skills in Sust Eng to integrate into their majors;
2) based on the volume of required knowledge and skill, it was decided to start a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Engineering to prepare engineers capable of providing solutions for human well-being for present and future generations in balance with the biosphere.

The proposed curricular design combines the subjects of mathematics, science and engineering sciences with a strong component in Sust Eng. The curriculum provides a strong Sust Eng foundation with basic and advanced requirements in public policy, ecological/circular economy, ecology/ecological engineering, life cycle assessment, systems modeling, data sciences, and sustainable and regenerative design. The curriculum also provides a strong design component with courses in Sust Eng Capstone, Sustainable and Affordable Design, and design electives in the areas of energy, water, built environment, smart cities, and products and services. This curriculum requires the creation of 22 new courses which are presently in the final stages of development.

The team is presently setting collaboration agreements to create a community of practice to share our work (curriculum, course materials…) with other universities to initiate the creation of similar programs at other universities and expand the number of programs in Sustainability Engineering.

Keywords:

Education, sustainability engineering, transdisciplinary engineering.