Project-Based Introduction to an Engineering Design Course Incorporating Microbial Fuel Cells as a Renewable Energy Technology

The National Academy of Engineering has called for the reinvention of engineering education by exposing students to the iterative process of designing, predicting performance, building, and testing; incorporating research into engineering education; and introducing interdisciplinary learning in the undergraduate environment. Here we describe a novel effort to integrate an undergraduate research project into the problem-based design environment of a second-year introduction to engineering design course at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, providing a design and research experience early in the curriculum. The project-based environment allows students to learn technical communication (technical writing and oral presentations) and teamwork (including conflict management and team coordination) in parallel. Approximately 600 sophomores from different science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines take the course, working in multidisciplinary teams to address a complex challenge facing modern society. We describe a pedagogical approach that involves designing, building, and testing a microbial fuel cell over the course of a 15-week semester. We also show that the course addresses eight different outcomes required by ABET. The benefits of incorporating research into a design course include high student engagement, while creating opportunities for students to participate in professional meetings, compete in regional and national competitions, and contribute to the peer-reviewed literature.