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Start Over Author "Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo" Topic civil engineering
4 results on '"Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo"'

1. Re-contextualizing Civil Engineering Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Author

Sanford, Kristen, Parker, Philip J., Paige, Frederick, Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, Diacik, Elizabeth, Larsen, Timothy James, and Canevari, Peter

Subjects
CIVIL engineering, ENGINEERING education, EDUCATIONAL programs, ENGINEERING students, CURRICULUM
Abstract

Emphasizing socio-political context in undergraduate engineering courses is a complex challenge for accredited American engineering programs as they strive to pivot towards a more equitable future. Teaching engineering problem solving by isolating the technical perspective is the dominant culture, and change has been slow and insufficient. Looking at the complex human circumstances in which engineered systems are situated has significant, and sometimes life saving, benefits. On the contrary, the common de-contextualized approach to teaching engineering has been shown to have significant impacts on how students behave as future engineers. Furthermore, eurocentric teaching practices have been documented as a contributor to the lack of gender and ethinic diversity in engineering. Re-contextualizing civil engineering courses has shown to increase students' motivation, sense of social responsibility, and agency. The ASCE Code of Ethics states that "Engineers ... first and foremost, protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public," a notion that was first added to the code in 1977. In recent years, some civil and environmental engineering (CEE) faculty members and programs have responded to this ethical imperative by re-contextualizing civil engineering education in relation to the communities ("the public") the civil engineer is ethically obligated to protect and serve. To determine the extent of these efforts to re-introduce socio-technical context in CEE curricula, we are conducting a systematic review of the published literature. The objectives of this research are to document, synthesize, and amplify the work of these scholars and to encourage the community of CEE faculty to re-contextualize the knowledge and skills taught in the CEE curriculum. This paper describes the methodology, including search terms and sources examined, reports the preliminary results of the review, and synthesizes the preliminary findings. Future work will propose strategies and structures that could be adapted and employed by civil engineering faculty throughout the U.S. to 1) engage and retain students from groups that historically have been excluded from CEE and 2) better educate CEE students to engineer a more equitable and just future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2022

2. Half of Students Interested in Civil Engineering Do Not Believe in Anthropogenic Climate Change.

Author

Shealy, Tripp, Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, Klotz, Leidy, Potvin, Geoff, Godwin, Allison, Cribbs, Jennifer, and Hazari, Zahra

Subjects
*CIVIL engineering, *ENGINEERING students, *EFFECT of human beings on climate change, *CLIMATE change, *KNOWLEDGE gap theory
Abstract

This article describes beliefs related to human-caused climate change and predictors of these beliefs among students intending to pursue civil engineering. Based on a nationally distributed survey to first-year college engineering students (n = 937) in the United States, civil engineering students are less likely than others to believe that climate change is caused by humans. One reason this is a problem is because civil engineering students who do not believe in human-caused climate change are less likely to want to address climate change in their careers. Education has potential to address this gap in knowledge. For example, coverage of topics related to climate change in high school courses is a strong predictor for belief in anthropogenic climate change. For educators working with college students who may not believe in anthropogenic climate change, simply covering the topic can increase students' awareness, which would seem to lead them to more desire to address climate change issues, which is a necessity for realizing more-sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2017
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3. Career Outcome Expectations Related to Sustainability among Students Intending to Major in Civil Engineering.

Author

Shealy, Tripp, Valdes-Vasquez, Rodolfo, Klotz, Leidy, Potvin, Geoff, Godwin, Allison, Cribbs, Jennifer, and Hazari, Zahra

Subjects
*CIVIL engineering, *LEARNING, *ACADEMIC achievement, *SUSTAINABILITY, *ENVIRONMENTAL degradation, *CLIMATE change
Abstract

Learning more about the career outcome expectations of students interested in civil engineering can help identify gaps between their expectations and sustainability challenges. The authors used data from two national surveys to compare students interested in civil engineering and other engineering disciplines. Those interested in civil engineering are more likely to address such sustainability topics as environmental degradation, water supply, and climate change. However, civil engineering students are less likely to have outcome expectations related to disease and saving lives. Particularly, female students interested in civil engineering have similar expectations to males but also hope to address poverty and opportunities for women and minorities. The gaps in outcome expectations related to disease and saving lives are troubling for a profession that is so instrumental in providing, for example, clean water and safe shelter. Showing the connection between societal needs and civil engineering may broaden participation, including among underrepresented female students. Recruiting more undergraduates using these outcome expectations would bring sorely needed new ideas and ways of thinking to help civil engineering respond to sustainability challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2016
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4. SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS DURING PLANNING AND DESIGN: A FRAMEWORK OF PROCESSES FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Author

Valdes Vasquez, Rodolfo

Subjects
Concept mapping, Construction projects, Framework, Planning and Design, Processes, Social Sustainability, Civil Engineering
Abstract

With increased awareness of issues such as global resource shortages and climate change, sustainability efforts are becoming more common in the construction industry. While these efforts often consider economic and environmental factors, a truly sustainable construction project also needs to include such social considerations as its impact on the surrounding community and the safety, health, and education of the workforce. For the construction industry, social sustainability requires integrating processes for improving safety, health and well-being over the project life cycle. However, an empirical and comprehensive framework defining these social sustainability processes in construction projects has yet to be clearly delineated. To address this need, this study identifies these processes and categorizes them into a framework for integrating and evaluating social considerations in construction projects. These processes focus on the planning and design phases because they offer the greatest potential for influencing project performance. A concept mapping research method was applied to identify and categorize social sustainability processes based on the input of 25 experts from academia, industry and government. These experts contributed to process identification and then clustered and rated the processes based on similarity and importance, respectively. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to organize the experts' input into six categories defining social sustainability in construction projects: Stakeholder Engagement, User Considerations, Team Formation, Management Considerations, Impact Assessment, and Place Context. The primary contribution of this research to the knowledge in the field is the expert-based social sustainability framework. Practitioners can benefit from the framework, which will enhance existing sustainability assessment methods and help address the challenge of developing truly sustainable projects. This framework also provides educators with a tool to teach students about social sustainability for construction projects. While this research advances understanding of social sustainability for construction projects, the framework was not validated for every type of construction project and construction project stakeholder. Given the differences between construction projects and between stakeholder perspectives, future research to validate the framework with other expert groups would be useful. In addition, future research suggested by this project could include the development of metrics based on the processes included in the framework. Beyond the framework itself, a secondary contribution to the field is the method for applying the concept mapping research method in the construction industry.

Published
2011

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