Civil and Environmental Engineering Programs
November 7, 2012
Environmentally-engaged Undergraduate Education
Envisioning Environment Work Group
CEE Undergraduate Programs Overview
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Two ABET-accredited programs with strong focus on
environmental stewardship
- Environmental Engineering
- Civil Engineering
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Recently completed NSF-funded curricular reform, highlights:
- Systems thinking / systems approach
- Sustainability
- Service-learning
- Hands-on laboratory experiences, project-based learning
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Undergraduate research experience (e.g. Barrett Scholarships for
undergraduate research related to Environmental Engineering)
What is Environmental Engineering?
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Environmental Engineering used to be considered a sub-discipline of Civil Engineering.
Environmental Engineering has now been established as its own discipline.
Environmental engineers:
• Technical professionals who identify and design solutions for environmental problems.
• Often acquire Professional Licensure.
• They provide safe drinking water, treat and properly dispose of wastes, maintain air quality,
control water pollution and remediate sites contaminated due to spills or improper disposal of
hazardous substances. They monitor the quality of the air, water and land. They develop
sustainable energy ststems. They develop new and improved ways to protect the environment.
In addition, the environmental engineering field and environmental engineering education are multidisciplinary. They involve traditional engineering components such as mathematics, computer science,
physics, chemistry and engineering design. But environmental engineering education and practice also
involves a range of other disciplines such as biology, microbiology, ecology, public health, geology,
meteorology, economics and political science.
Sub-disciplines of Environmental Engineering:
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Air Quality and Air Pollution Control
Groundwater Quality and Remediation
Hazardous Materials Management
Hydrology and Water Resources
Restoration of Environmental Systems
Sustainable Approaches and Technologies
Water and Wastewater Treatment
CEE Programs- Undergraduate Coursework
Related to the Environment
Year
Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Freshman
CE 003 Introduction to Civil & Environmental Engineering
Sophomore
CE 132 Environmental & Transportation Systems
Junior
CE 133 Decision Analysis in the Environment & Transportation
CE 134 Modeling Environmental & Transportation Systems
CE 151 Water & Wastewater Engineering
CE 160 Hydraulics
CE 180 Geotechnical Principles
Senior
--
CE 254 Environmental Quantitative Analysis
CE 175 Senior Design Project (Capstone)
Requires 2 environmental design electives and 1 environmental professional elective; electives
typically offered:
CE 251 Environmental Facility Design/Wastewater
CE 260 Hydrology
CE 261 Open Channel Flow
CE 265 Ground Water Hydrology
CE 295 Phosphorous in the Environment
CE 295 Wetland Design
CE 295 Site Characterization
CE 295 Alternative Sustainable Water/Wastewater Treatment
Snapshot of Service: Service-learning Capstone Design Projects
Related to the Environment in 2012 (76 seniors)
Project
Community Partner
1
Alternative Wastewater System Design for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta
Camp Ta-Kum-Ta
2
Stormwater Management and Site Design
DPW, South Burlington
3
Butternut Road Retaining Wall Retrofit Design
Town of Williston
4
Extension of Parking Facility and Church Access for the Town Offices
5
Town of Essex Park and Ride Design
6
Tanglewood Drive: Redesign of Road Layout and Stormwater Infrastructure
7
Capturing McNeil Plant’s Waste Heat for Use at Intervale Center
Intervale Center, Burlington Electric
8
Modern improvements for accessibility and energy efficiency at historic St.
Paul’s Church
St Paul’s Church, Vergennes
9
Redesign of Trinity Parking Lot
The University of Vermont
10
Design of an Outdoor Bioretention Laboratory
11
Dewey Hall Redesign
12
Aiken Stair/Retaining Wall Design
13
Design of a New Bridge in Town of Middlesex
Vermont Agency of Transportation
14
Main Street Roadway and Culvert Redesign
Village of Essex Junction
15
Redesign of the Essex Junction Amtrak Station
16
Post-Irene Buffalo Farm Road Landslide Remediation
Town of Essex
Town of Granville
CEE Faculty Expertise Related to
the Environment (Research)
CEE Student Enrollments
Opportunities
in increased
undergraduate
and graduate
student
numbers that
have more than
doubled.
Challenges in
faculty
numbers and
facilities that
have remained
largely the
same.
How we compare to other similar programs in the U.S.