NSF Grant to Advance Harvey Mudd Engineering Curriculum Focused on Environmental and Sociotechnical Thinking

Harvey Mudd College has been awarded a $349,410 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Research in the Formation of Engineers program. The grant supports a pioneering project that will help Harvey Mudd engineering faculty, undergraduate students and interdisciplinary climate experts enhance how student engineers evaluate the environmental, social and ethical impacts of their professional practice.

The project “NLI: Design and Development: RUI: Prototyping a Systems Thinking Framework to Foster Environmental and Sociotechnical Thinking Across an Interdisciplinary Engineering Curriculum” will be led by engineering professors Whitney Fowler, Leah Mendelson and Sophia Bahena. Fowler specializes in systems thinking and in developing molecular systems that address global challenges in water sustainability and health. Mendelson, an expert in bio-inspired fluid mechanics and prototyping for curricular change, is a recent NSF grant recipient for her underwater propulsion research. Bahena, whose research focuses on alternative water treatment and the water-energy nexus, has expertise in environmental engineering. The project also includes collaborations with engineering professor Dre Helmns and Lelia Hawkins, professor of chemistry and Hixon Professor of Climate Studies.

The Systems Thinking Framework project has the potential to substantially influence engineering education by contributing to the development of a workforce equipped with sociotechnical literacy and a deep understanding of environmental sustainability. Researchers will also assess how a prototyping process can support faculty toward addressing sustainability and social impacts in their courses and making transformative and continuous curricular change.

“We are incredibly excited to start this project at Harvey Mudd and implement a similar pedagogical strategy throughout our engineering curriculum,” says Fowler. “We believe it aligns so well with our College’s mission to cultivate leaders who can tackle pressing issues by considering all factors involved, not just the technical but the impact to communities and the world.”

Project Overview

This NSF-funded project aims to create and implement a comprehensive systems thinking framework for undergraduate engineering students. The framework will guide students in evaluating engineering problems as complex systems with interconnected environmental, social and ethical dimensions.

Development of a Systems Thinking Framework: The framework will be integrated into five to eight core courses across Harvey Mudd’s interdisciplinary engineering curriculum. Students will apply this framework to real-world case studies, gaining hands-on experience in synthesizing environmental, social and ethical considerations within their technical work.

Application in HMC’s Engineering Clinic Program: Students will use the framework to analyze the broader impacts of their industry-partnered Clinic projects.

Prototyping Process for Curricular Change: The project will include a student- and faculty-driven prototyping process to facilitate the adoption of the systems thinking framework across the curriculum. This process will address the needs, barriers and drivers for faculty when implementing new curricular approaches, ensuring sustained and meaningful integration of environmental and social perspectives in engineering education.

Broader Impacts

The modules developed through this initiative will be publicly available under a Creative Commons license, ensuring broad access and adaptability across diverse engineering disciplines. The project will engage engineering faculty from multiple institutions through Community of Practice groups, fostering collaboration and dissemination of the systems thinking approach.

The initiative will also extend its impact through a summer teaching workshop aimed at advanced graduate students and postdocs from Southern California institutions, promoting the integration of systems thinking into their future teaching practices.

This transformative project seeks to prepare the next generation of engineers to make responsible and ethical decisions in their professional practice, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable world.