Chemical engineering in an unsustainable world: Obligations and opportunities

Byrne, Edmond P.; Fitzpatrick, John J.

doi:10.1016/j.ece.2009.09.001

Cited by 42 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…This can (and must) of course be aided by other norm changing inputs such as top down measures including management buy-in across universities (see e.g. Desha and Hargroves, 2007), within programmes and through PEI accreditation guidelines (see Byrne and Fitzpatrick, 2009). In short, bottom-up, top-down and middle-out approaches are needed to elicit the necessary change (Mulder, 2006;Mulder et al, 2010).…”

Section: Implications For Rapid Curriculum Renewalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Looking more broadly at curriculum renewal literature, it is clear that accreditation plays a key role in driving and monitoring curriculum renewal in this highly regulated discipline, generally managed by professional engineering institutions (PEIs) (Heywood, 2005;Byrne and Fitzpatrick, 2009). Moreover, PEIs are clearly active in responding to and anticipating future societal needs (for instance, IChemE, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring sustainability themes in engineering accreditation and curricula

Byrne

Desha

Fitzpatrick

et al. 2013

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

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Purpose-This paper presents key findings from an inquiry into engineering accreditation and curricula renewal. The research attempted to ascertain conceptions of requisite sustainability themes among engineering academics and professionals. The paper also reflects on the potential role of professional engineering institutions in embedding sustainability through their programme accreditation guidelines, and wider implications in terms of rapid curricula renewal.Design/methodology/approach-This research comprised an international engineering academic workshop held during the 2010 International Symposium on Engineering Education in Ireland, on 'Accreditation and Sustainable Engineering'. This built on the findings of a literature review that was distributed prior to the workshop. Data collection included individual questionnaires administered during the workshop, and notes scribed by workshop participants. Findings-The literature review highlighted a wide range of perspectives across and within engineering disciplines, regarding what sustainability/sustainable development themes should be incorporated into engineering curricula, and regarding language and terminology. This was also reflected in the workshop discussions. Notwithstanding this diversity, clusters of sustainability themes and priority considerations were distilled from the literature review and workshop. These related to resources, technology, values, ethics, inter-and intra-generational equity, transdisciplinarity, and systems and complex thinking. Themes related to environmental and economic knowledge and skills received less attention by workshop participants than represented in the literature.Originality/value-This paper provides an appreciation of the diversity of opinion regarding priority sustainability themes for engineering curricula, among a group of self-selected engineering academics who have a common interest in education for sustainable development. It also provides some insights and caveats on how these themes might be rapidly integrated into engineering curricula.

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Section: Implications For Rapid Curriculum Renewalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring sustainability themes in engineering accreditation and curricula

Byrne

Desha

Fitzpatrick

et al. 2013

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

Self Cite

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“…Molzhan (2004) urges "the courage not to try and cover everything" and reports a recommendation from the European Federation of Chemical Engineers' Working Party for a chemical engineering core curriculum that is quite traditional and trimmed down. Notably it omits the Sustainability emphasis that has become pressing in recent years (see for example Byrne and Fitzpatrick (2009) and Glassey and Haile (2012)) and the emphasis on process systems engineering promoted by Perkins (2002) and Stephanopoulos and Reklaitis (2011), both of whom highlight the need to balance a long-standing emphasis on analysis with a more distinctive emphasis on synthesis, while acknowledging that educational material for the latter is less readily available. (Note that the process systems engineering emphasis encompasses sustainability and strengthens it by emphasising synthesis alongside the more prominent (life cycle) analysis.)…”

Section: Designing or Retrofitting A Chemical Engineering Programmementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On a similar note, Stephanopoulos and Reklaitis (2011) argue that process systems engineering (PSE) is "the foundational underpinning of modern chemical engineering; the one that ensures the discipline's cohesiveness in the years to come" but that despite this, "a significant number of educational institutions do not recognise it as a foundational component of the chemical engineering curriculum". Byrne and Fitzpatrick (2009) argue similarly persuasively and more pressingly for Sustainability as a core integrating principle for chemical engineering curricula development and accreditation, acknowledging the perception of "yet another addition to an already overburdened programme", an addition that, in dealing with "wicked problems", stretches not just the programme but the abilities of what staff can deliver and students master within the constraints of an undergraduate programme. Chemical engineering suffers something of an identity crisis, with Stephanopoulos and Reklaitis (2011) arguing for PSE serving as the core glue as "chemical engineering tries to redefine its intellectual core and disciplinary cohesiveness, and attempts to discipline centrifugal forces towards the interface with other disciplines" (italics added).…”

Section: Designing or Retrofitting A Chemical Engineering Programmementioning

confidence: 99%

Setting up new chemical engineering degree programmes: Exercises in design and retrofit within constraints

Campbell

Belton

2016

Education for Chemical Engineers

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The rise in popularity of chemical engineering among students entering university has prompted expansion of the UK provision, through increased intake into current degree programmes and with the rise of new providers. The former entails logistical challenges of processing larger numbers through existing infrastructures whilst maintaining the student experience. The latter entails challenges of designing and introducing programmes that build harmoniously on existing non-chemical engineering provision, within the constraints of university validation procedures and physical resources, and in the face of uncertainty around student and staff recruitment, while aspiring to implement best practice in chemical engineering content and pedagogy. Following a review of the UK chemical engineering landscape and a critique of literature guidance on the appropriate content of chemical engineering curricula, this paper illustrates the issues of new programme development through the approaches and experiences of a new provider, the University of Huddersfield, which introduced new chemical engineering programmes from academic year 2013-14. The paper addresses specifying the content of chemical engineering programmes to align with accreditation requirements and literature advice while maintaining distinctiveness. The constraints imposed by the need to specify and validate courses internally and to minimise substantive programme changes subsequently, whilst responding to the opportunities that arise as staff are recruited and to external developments and unplanned incidents, are highlighted and illustrated, in order to draw lessons that might help to guide other new entrants.

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“…Perhaps the concept of a sustainable CMI with its attendant TBL demands will usher in a paradigm shift in the discipline. Because chemical engineers already possess the skills and occupy the professional role necessary to deliver a sustainable society there is a moral and ethical duty on them to play such a role (Byrne and Fitzpatrick, 2009). The term, "paradigm", was introduced by Thomas S Kuhn (1962) in his book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions", and used to describe a specific view of scientific reality, and the implications that stem from it, and which is based on the knowledge available to scientists at the time.…”

Section: The Next Paradigm Shiftmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability of the chemical manufacturing industry—Towards a new paradigm?

Hall

Howe

2010

Education for Chemical Engineers

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This paper describes the current situation of the chemical manufacturing industry, with special reference to Europe and looks to the future sustainability demands on the sector, and the implications of these demands for chemical engineering education. These implications include definitions of sustainability criteria for the sector and the need for transparent reporting under the Triple Bottom Line approach. The response of the education system to the sustainability agenda over the years and a number of strategies to incorporate it into courses are described. The important role of chemical (or more generally, process) engineers in delivering sustainable solutions is emphasised but this also suggests that a new way of thinking about the discipline is required. Indeed, this paper argues that the demand for a sustainable chemical manufacturing sector could bring about the next paradigm shift in the discipline which has been predicted for some time.2

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Chemical engineering in an unsustainable world: Obligations and opportunities

Cited by 42 publications

References 74 publications

Exploring sustainability themes in engineering accreditation and curricula

Exploring sustainability themes in engineering accreditation and curricula

Setting up new chemical engineering degree programmes: Exercises in design and retrofit within constraints

Sustainability of the chemical manufacturing industry—Towards a new paradigm?

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