A multidisciplinary approach to sustainable product and process design

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requirements specify a capstone experience for engineers graduating with a baccalaureate degree. At Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), students have the option to participate in a two or three-quarter multidisciplinary design program. In the program, multidisciplinary teams of engineering students engage in projects on behalf of a client while being overseen by faculty advisors. Two projects that address sustainable product and process design were funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) within its P3 student competition. This paper describes the administration of the design teams, project deliverables, student learning outcomes, and the overall experience.