Converging Sustainability, Social Justice, Systems Engineering, and Community Engagement (S3&C): Core Competency for Addressing Grand Engineering Challenges

Background

Empowering engineers and environmental scientists with the skills to address the challenges posed by climate change, sustainability goals, and social justice requires devising transdisciplinary frameworks in STEM education. Such education environments encourage students to: (a) work directly with and incorporate knowledge from socio-environmental systems and engineering disciplines, (b) understand stakeholder perspectives in designing engineering systems, (c) understand and analyze the justice dimensions of engineering, and (d) utilize systems modeling and decision-making methods for complex wicked problems.

Objectives

With the redesign of two systems engineering courses and one environmental science and policy course, and the co-development of a new course integrating systems engineering and environmental science and policy, such skills will be introduced to undergraduates in the College of Engineering (COE) and College of Science (COS) at Mason. The revised and scaffolded curricula will also support university’s curricular goals for equity and anti-racism through introducing social vulnerability analytics and fairness modules and engaging marginalized communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Funding Source

Curriculum Impact Grant, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, George Mason University, PI, $49,000.

Collaborators

Dr. Jennifer Sklarew (Department of Environmental Science and Policy), Dr. Judit Ungvári (Institute for a Sustainable Earth)

Research Assistants

Graham Hulsey (MSc Student), Shakira Mangrio (Undergraduate Student), Morgan Pauley (Undergraduate Student), Yukun Zhang (PhD Student)