“Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing”: A course on sustainability

CHED 20

Jennifer Aurandt, jaurandt@kettering.edu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kettering University, 1700 W. Third Ave, Flint, MI 48504
It has become increasingly important to educate our future engineers, scientists, and business leaders to conduct business in an environmentally conscious manner. At Kettering University, we have established a multi disciplinary team of six faculty members from engineering, business, and chemistry to develop a course entitled, “Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing”. In this course there are six distinct modules based upon a module of the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (PAS) curriculum, which emphasizes active learning through “hands-on activities”: 1. Historical Social and Ethical, 2. Life Cycle Analysis, 3. Material Selection, 4. Process Design, 5. End of Use, 6. Environmentally Responsible Management. In addition to these modules originally outlined in the Ford PAS curriculum, Green Chemistry was added as a seventh module. Each module was designed to become a stand alone module able to be disseminated and used in any course.

In the Green Chemistry module students synthesized biodiesel and analyzed the products through chemical analysis and using it as fuel in a jet engine. The 12 principles of Green Chemistry were presented when comparing the life cycle of petroleum based diesel and biodiesel. Students' learning was actively assessed for each module along with the Strengths, Improvements, and Insights (SII) approach to assessment. Through this assessment development of the use of biodiesel in an engine was devised. In addition, the role of Green Chemistry in this course was assessed by students and an outside advisory team composed of engineers from industry and other educational institutions.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0511322. For further information please visit http://green .kettering.edu