An approach to developing interdisciplinary energy and environmental undergraduate programs

Abstract

The need to develop student skills in the areas of energy and environment is an important undertaking as we advance into the future. As the price and availability of fossil fuel goes in opposite directions, new graduates need to understand how to produce and efficiently utilize sustainable energy, as well as how to economically use current energy. In addition, changes in the environment have many effects on the population, and thus, there needs to be a magnified knowledge of how we as engineers and technologists deal with the environmental needs and regulations, both in the United States and abroad. At Northern Illinois University (NIU), a select group of senior faculty members from such disciplines of Engineering, Technology, Biology, Anthropology, Geology, Geography, Economics, Political Sciences, and Law, have developed a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach to the education in energy, environment, and sustainability. The NIU Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy (ESE) was developed to deal with interconnected education and research needs in these fields from various points of view, including engineering and technology, as well as legal, government relations, and geological, to name just a few. The technology program which was developed has a strong engagement and industry interaction component as a desired outcome. Students on the NIU campus now have the ability to select educational programs in energy and environmental studies from several different directions; as well as four new minors in these new areas. Students can also choose to take individual courses of interest in various energy and environmental areas or they can even take energy and environmentally related courses as part of the university's general education core. The new ESE will touch many of the 17,500 undergraduate students on campus and allow them to choose their appropriate level of involvement in this important and timely education. This paper will provide the details behind the degrees developed and the goals and outcomes involved in the development of the interdisciplinary programs. In addition, the formation of the ESE, its interdisciplinary nature, and the filling of a major educational void on campus will be discussed. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.