Introducing Sustainable Design Principles in Freshman Civil Engineering Design

As issues dealing with sustainability are becoming more commonplace in industry, it is important for undergraduate students to become aware of how sustainability principles relate to their intended engineering major. By introducing sustainable design principles early in their academic career, students can apply these principles throughout the remainder of their higherlevel courses. In a freshman introduction to design course, a more structured strategy to teaching sustainable design was implemented to incorporate sustainability principles early in the civil engineering curriculum. The purpose at this stage in student learning was to increase students’ awareness of sustainable design through the introduction to sustainability concepts, such as the triple bottom line, life-cycle assessment, and carbon footprint, through discussion of concrete as a construction material and case studies of building construction. Preand post-surveys were conducted at the beginning and end of the quarter, respectively, to assess student learning. Results confirmed an increase in student awareness and understanding of sustainable design concepts that were incorporated on a weekly basis throughout the course and how they can be related to civil engineering projects.