Board 345: Perceptions of Sustainability Among Participants at the NSF REU Site on Sustainable Resilient Transportation Systems

Haritha Malladi; Shameeka M Jelenewicz; Jovan Tatar

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46927

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Paper Authors

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Haritha Malladi University of Delaware orcid.org/0000-0002-8723-8964

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Haritha Malladi is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Director of First-Year Engineering at the University of Delaware. She received her Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India, and her MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. She is a teacher-scholar working in the intersection of undergraduate engineering education, sustainable infrastructure, and community engagement. She teaches the introductory engineering course for all first-year undergraduate students in the College of Engineering at UD. Her undergraduate teaching experience includes foundational engineering mechanics courses like statics and strength of materials as well as courses related to sustainability and infrastructure. Her research interests are in foundational engineering education, sustainability in engineering curriculum, and green technologies in infrastructure.

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Shameeka M Jelenewicz University of Delaware

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Jovan Tatar University of Delaware

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Abstract

Concepts of sustainability, climate change, and resilience have become increasingly important in undergraduate education across all engineering disciplines. Solutions to climate change require interdisciplinary efforts and it is important to engage undergraduate students in these topics to develop a workforce that is capable of tackling these challenges. Many studies report on the positive learning outcomes that result from engaging in undergraduate research experiences. In 2021, an REU Site in Sustainable Resilient Transportation Systems was established at (institution redacted) with support from the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers. This program aims to provide participants with interdisciplinary research experiences in electric and autonomous vehicles; green construction materials and structures; and resilient infrastructure.

Over the past two years, this site has hosted a diverse cohort of undergraduate researchers who worked on interdisciplinary research projects in electric and autonomous vehicles; green construction materials and structures; and resilient infrastructure. In addition to the individual research experiences, all REU participants engaged in cohort experiences including workshops and seminars that addressed sustainability topics and supported the development of students’ research, communication, and collaboration skills. In the summer of 2023, ten students from various states in the USA participated in the program. All participants completed a pre- and post-program survey that included sustainability-related questions. The survey included open-ended and Likert-scale questions that measured the knowledge of sustainability among the REU participants. This paper summarizes these findings, which can be used to inform similar future programs that aim to engage undergraduate students in sustainability topics.

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Malladi, H., & Jelenewicz, S. M., & Tatar, J. (2024, June), Board 345: Perceptions of Sustainability Among Participants at the NSF REU Site on Sustainable Resilient Transportation Systems Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46927