Developing global and regional sustainability engineering skills through a successful study abroad program

Current engineering curricula must satisfy specific national accreditation requirements that result on limited elective course flexibility. Thus, developing programs that give engineering undergraduate students the opportunity to complement their education with a global academic and practical experience, within such constraints, require creative solutions. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in the USA and the University of Piura (UDEP) in Peru have developed a summer faculty-led study abroad program that enables U.S. and Peruvian students build the skills and knowledge required to tackle the global sustainability issues associated with the grand engineering challenges of this century such as: making solar energy economical, providing access to clean water and restoring, and improving urban infrastructure. Students completing this abroad training program are able to identify strategic opportunities to strengthen sustainability engineering practices that are in congruence with globalization, urbanization, and a future healthy economy.