An Interdisciplinary Collaborative Approach in Teaching Freshman Engineering Design

1 Deran Hanesian, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science, Tiernan Hall, Newark, New Jersey 07102, [email protected] 2 Angelo J. Perna, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Environmental Science, Tiernan Hall, Newark, New Jersey 07102, [email protected] Abstract---In the early 1990’s, with the advent of the National Science Foundation Coalitions, the engineering curriculum began to change to introduce engineering design concepts early in the education process rather than waiting for the senior capstone courses. The initial courses were disciplinary in nature but in 1996 interdisciplinary courses were introduced. At NJIT educational and research collaborative efforts between Civil and Chemical Engineering Faculty have been common practice. Hence, four modules were developed based on environmentally related industrial or municipal design problems. In each of these modules, the Civil Engineers had the responsibility for the siting factors, which were both environmental and political restrictions, and the economic aspects of the problem. The Chemical Engineers had the process analysis and design responsibility. Teamed in groups of three to five, students were introduced to a real, open-ended design problem and the concepts of siting, process analysis, process design, teamwork and oral and written communications.