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Educators

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In this project-based learning assignment, students will design a city of the future. Their city design should address the following aspects:

  • Providing sustainable water, energy, and food supplies
  • Intervention and adaptation of climate change
  • Disaster Resilience

Each city should incorporate infrastructure, smart system technology and distributed systems into the design.

Prior to creating their cities students will explore the issues of sustainability, climate change and city efficiency and resilience using the content from the Grand Challenges, 1, 2 and 4.  Students will explore this content through class discussion, readings and group work.

Following the content lessons, students will work in teams to design their city.

Possible Timeline:

Day 1:  Sustainability
Day 2:  Climate Change
Day 3:  City Structure Issues/Introduce Project
Days 4-10:  Project Based Work

Lesson 1: Sustainably Supply Food, Water, & Energy

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the concept of sustainability
  2. Examine the impact of population growth, change in living standards and climate change on the life essentials: food, water and energy


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

Lesson 2: Curb Climate Change and Adapt to Its Impacts

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the science of climate change
  2. Appreciate the impacts/consequences of climate change
  3. Categorize and analyze solutions in reference to mitigation versus adaptation


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

Lesson 3: Create Efficient, Healthy, Resilient Cities

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand that the future is increasingly urban
  2. Identify the issues and challenges of urban growth
  3. Describe the characteristics of efficient, healthy and resilient cities


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

Project 1: Project-based Learning Assignment

Learning Objectives:

  1. Apply learnings from previous lessons in a real-world project based assignment


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

In this project-based learning assignment students will analyze the environmental impacts of smart phones and have an opportunity to create a public campaign.
This campaign will:

  • Include the four elements of policy solutions
  • Propose ways to incorporate a circular model
    of production and use for smart phones

Prior to creating this campaign students will explore issues of waste, product design, and policy action using the content from the Environmental Engineering Study found in Grand Challenges 3 and 5. Students will explore this content through class discussion, readings and group work.

Following the content lessons, students will work on creating their educational campaign to inform and persuade others.

Following the content lessons, students will work in teams to develop their campaign.

Possible Timeline:

Day 1: Fostering Informed Decisions
Day 2:  Design a Future Without Waste
Days 3-9: Project Based Work

Lesson 1: Fostering Informed Decisions

Learning Objectives:

  1. Analyze the connection between human actions (or inactions) and the impacts on the environment.
  2. Appreciate that understanding and stakeholder engagement are essential components of identifying and implementing policy.
  3. Explore policy development in terms of providing information, changing decision context, creating incentives, and setting rules and regulations 


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

Lesson 2: Design a Future Without Waste

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand that in nature waste is a resource
  2. Analyze the linear model of ‘Take-Make-Dispose’
  3. Identify the challenges of current recycling programs
  4. Examine processes to minimize waste through improved design, recycling, reuse and recovery


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

Project 2: Project-based Learning Assignment

Learning Objectives:

  • Apply learnings from previous lessons in a real-world project based assignment


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet

When learning about the future of environmental engineering and the challenges encountered, it is important to have students explore the topic of environmental justice. The lessons are developed to encourage group research and discussion.

This section has 4 lessons and includes a subject matter expert video interview to assist your students with understanding the concepts in environmental justice and explore solutions.

VIEW VIDEOS

Lesson 1: Environmental Justice

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the concept of Environmental Justice
  2. Identify some of the issues and potential solution


Educator Lesson


Student Planning Sheet