Abstract

The engineering clinic at Rowan University’s College of Engineering is quite unique in that it spans all four undergraduate years and comprises 20 credits of the curriculum. These innovative design sequences enable engineers to learn through practice and experiential learning situations the many facets of engineering design. The curricula in Electrical & Computer and Civil & Environmental engineering are full of course content needed to satisfy ABET requirements so the engineering clinic provides a unique opportunity to provide sustainable design experiences for those students selecting these projects focused on energy engineering, renewable energy systems and sustainable design. This paper describes the many experiential learning opportunities afforded to the engineering students from conducting energy audits for schools, municipalities, farms and residences to the design of the largest utility interactive photovoltaic system (3 MW) east of Arizona in the United States. These clinic projects provide real world experiences where the students are called upon to use all their book knowledge, common sense and resourcefulness to make a significant contribution to project goals each semester. Many of these students have gone on to work quite successfully in the very industries in which they developed their sustainable design experience. The paper discusses the clinic sequence from freshman through senior year and focuses in on some of the work students performed for the authors in their sustainable design clinics over the past few years. Recently Rowan University has been acknowledged for the leadership role it is playing in sustainable practice and education.