Transcript Slide 1
Undergraduate curricula in a
changing world
Engineering and the Liberal Arts and the
pursuit of a sustainable future
Jeffrey D. Corbin (Union College)
Christopher H. Conley (USMA)
Increasing carbon dioxide in
atmosphere...
...loss of biodiversity...
...and dwindling water supplies
an oft-quoted and paraphrased definition of sustainable development:
“Sustainable development is
development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs.”
from: Our Common Future, a report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development, Oxford University Press, 1987
(available on Amazon)
from www.nasa.gov, assessed 06 May 2008
William McDonough framed it a bit differently:
“Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just
world, with clean air, water, soil and power – economically,
equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.”
from www.ted.com, accessed 06 May 08
Sustainability in higher
education
• A major theme on college and
university campuses
- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC
Sustainability in higher
education
• A major theme on college and
university campuses
- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC
• Most colleges are advertising their
green initiatives
Sustainability in higher
education
• A major theme on college and
university campuses
- Over 500 signatories to CUPCCC
• Most colleges are advertising their
green initiatives
• But GREATEST contribution will be
training the generation that will
design the responses and
solutions
“the generation that will design…”
The developing sustainable
world will need:
Natural &
Engineering
Physical
Sciences
SUSTAINABILITY
Humanities, Arts and
Social Sciences
The developing sustainable
world will need:
Sociologists
Engineers
Scientists
Economists
Lawyers
Political Scientists…
all working on the problem… creating collaborative solutions.
as importantly, it will need a populace who understands the
issues and who can form educated opinions about potential
solutions.
The developing sustainable
world will need:
Sociologists
Engineers
Scientists
Economists
Lawyers
Political Scientists…
“Techno-liberalist”
“Planetologists”
the American Society of Civil Engineers has a version too:
“Sustainable Development is the challenge of meeting
human needs for natural resources, industrial products,
energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste
management while conserving and protecting
environmental quality and the natural resource base
essential for future development.”
This definition, and its inclusion in the ASCE Code of Ethics date from 1996.
from www.asce.org, accessed 06 May 2008
Building a sustainable world:
• Modeling sustainable development oncampus
• Curriculum that prepares our graduates – the
sustainable generation – to deal with the
problem that previous generations has
created
What is that curriculum?
Building a sustainable world:
• Modeling sustainable HOLISTIC development
on-campus
• Curriculum that prepares our graduates – the
sustainable HOLISTIC generation – to deal
with the problems that previous generations
have created
What is that curriculum?