(229g) Global Human Engineering Projects and Initiatives to Enhance Student Learning and Strengthen the Curriculum and Program Accreditation Efforts

Human engineering projects can be an important vehicle to strengthen student’s technical skills while enhancing their understanding and commitment to the responsibilities of the chemical engineering profession to society. This work focuses on enhancing the curriculum and student learning while meeting ABET requirements through global humanitarian engineering projects. How to best design and implement these projects will be discussed in detail and integration into the classroom will be highlighted. In addition, the work of the Global Societal Impact Committee (GSIC) will be discussed in the context of how AIChE can and does contribute to inclusion of global human engineering in the classroom and the profession. The GSIC was established in 2014 as part of the reorganization of the AIChE Societal Impact Operating Council. The Committee was structured to support global initiatives consistent with the Institute’s objectives as the Global Home of Chemical Engineers and supports students’ humanitarian engineering work through grants. GSIC members also present at AIChE student regional conferences and give workshops with students to raise awareness and encourage students’ interest and involvement in global humanitarian engineering. Humanitarian engineering projects cover ABET’s Criterion 3 Outcomes, especially the new Outcomes 2 – 5 and 7. AIChE collaborations with Engineers Without Borders – USA (EWB-USA) can effectively address ABET Criterion 3 Outcomes and integrate global humanitarian engineering in the chemical engineering curriculum. These collaborations and integration in the chemical engineering curriculum not only serve to comply with ABET requirements, but they strengthen the curriculum and are a significant benefit to students.