Educational Bridge Building 201: Service Learning and Interdisciplinary Initiatives T. Michael Toole, Ph.D., P.E. Assoc. Prof., Civil & Env. Engineering Bucknell University

Introduction Q: How can we make our students learning – Deep? – Lasting? – Relevant? A: Build bridges!

4 Educational Bridge Principles Build it high and on a firm foundation Make students part of the construction crew Use composite materials Connect real things

Build it High and on a Firm Foundation Set bar high: Dont give floodwaters a chance Build a solid foundation for stability and scour resistance

Make Students Part of the Construction Crew Learning starts before class Rich, challenging, gratifying classroom community Service learning does this wonderfully

Use Composite Materials Most interesting topics are complex Most interesting problems require multiple skill sets and perspectives Everything has strengths and weaknesses

Multi- and Interdisciplinary Approaches Bring in a teaching partner Use your limitations to raise intellectual curiosity Assemble multi-disciplinary teams to tackle complex problems

Example: ILTM Institute for Leadership in Technology and Management ( 6-week intensive summer program provided jointly by both colleges Engineers, Management and Liberal Arts Students, Faculty and Industry Leaders Classroom, site visits, projects

Connect Real Things Theory can be beautiful and Knowledge can be for knowledges sake but…. No lecture or course should be an island or a bridge to nowhere and Reality reaches out and grabs you!

Bridges to the Real World ILTM teams tackle real clients real problems – Managing food marketer supply chains in China and India – Adoption of single port access surgical technique – Adoption of PDAs for field service inspections – Online systems for transferring financial assets upon death of owner

Service Learning Rocks! SL = course-enhancing service + reflection + reciprocity Solving real community problems Promotes civic engagement Experiential learning is deep and lasting Taps into Millennials wants

Service Learning Engineering Senior Design Projects Health clinic incinerator in Nicaragua Local volunteer fire house Eco-Tourism Village in Mexico Water line in Nicaragua Landfill in Nicaragua Water line in Suriname (current project)

El Porvenir Waterline Project Affiliated with Bucknell Brigade 4 MechE SDT designed pump system 1 CivE student designed pipeline

Projects for Peace Funding Students and staff constructed pump house using P4P funds in 2007

Project Finally Finished May 2009 (Thanks for the help, Office of Service Learning!)

Closing Four principles from bridges – High designs – Everybody builds – Multiple materials/methods – Make it real Two proud examples – ILTM – Engineering Senior Design Projects Looking forward to hearing about your bridges!