(58c) Global Projects in Engineering- a Multidisciplinary Course

With engineering increasingly becoming an international discipline, engineering programs are enhancing opportunities to prepare students for such a global industry. Being an engineer of tomorrow's world will require students to understand and work with different cultures, peoples, practices, ethics and paradigms. In addition to successful careers, opportunities for engineering graduates to apply their expertise to solve both technical and social problems in the world around them are beneficial.

In order to engage engineering students in global opportunities, a 3-credit hour course was recently developed that involved chemical, mechanical, civil/environmental, and electrical/computer engineering students. The first course was held during the Winter 2007 semester and was followed by a trip to Tonga in May 2007 with 26 students. Students ranged from sophomores to seniors. The trip involved the implementation of a biodiesel process using coconuts. The second course will be held Fall 2007 and will involve several renewable energy/sustainable technical projects that will be implemented in a small village outside of Cuzco, Peru. A major component of the course is working on the technical projects in multi-disciplinary teams.

Having recently completed the first course and the trip, aspects of the course and the associated project will be discussed with regards to the curriculum structure, teamwork, funding, project coordination, project implementation, and student evaluation. The completed assessment will be discussed along with the current changes planned for the next course.