Material Advantage at Iowa State: A Case Study for Student Pre- professional Society Success
For four years in a row, the Material Advantage student society at Iowa State University (ISU) has been selected as the nation’s Most Outstanding Chapter. This paper examines, as a case study, the activities and programs of the chapter at ISU, with implications to other student preprofessional societies. Activities have included plant tours, technical meetings and seminars, special events, joint meetings, community involvement, fundraising, and participation in various technical conferences. In addition, the results of a survey are presented aimed at identifying the factors that most contribute to the society’s success at ISU.
Student Expectations from an Environmental Professional Society
Environmental engineering and science is a multidisciplinary field, and as a result, environmental engineers and scientists have traditionally been served by a broad range of professional societies. It has been recognized, however, that the discipline is a fragmented one, lacking a unified organization to meet the needs of students, faculty, and practitioners. This paper presents the results of a survey aimed at identifying the needs and expectations of students from a North American environmental professional society. The survey targeted undergraduate and graduate students whose primary academic affiliation was to a North American environmental engineering or environmental science related program. Although students can identify several positive aspects of the organizations they are currently involved with, they do not seem generally satisfied with existing student groups available to them. A large majority of survey respondents (90%) are interested in joining a North American society for environmental en...
Combining Service Learning with Graduate Education
The Department of Civil Engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology recently modified its Master of Science program in environmental engineering. The thesis requirement has been replaced with a structured design course with real-world projects that are primarily for nonprofit organizations. The design course was modeled after the undergraduate senior design course within the department. In addition to a quality design experience, students now perform a service for the community. This paper emphasizes the service-learning aspects of the course using a case study of a completed project.