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Introduction:
Colleges and universities maintain the responsibility to educate and equip rising generations to evaluate and seek sustainable solutions to the world’s most inequitable and critical circumstances. Climate change is at the forefront of society’s most prominent and pressing issues. Both experts and common people debate the route best taken. Much of this debate is rooted in both the private and public sector’s limited capacity to allocate resources towards initiatives and policies that mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. At the undergraduate level, practicing sustainability, pursuing renewable energy, and educating students on climate change are actions that higher education institutions can take to prepare students to be leaders and problem solvers in the realm of climate change. (Gernaat et al., 2021)
Lafayette College offers a unique interdisciplinary major, Engineering Studies (EGRS). Engineering Studies requires students to connect the socio and technical aspects of engineering with the goal that students become future leaders who can analyze, understand, and connect the different dimensions of engineering. With climate change being an issue that is deeply interconnected with political, economic, technical, and social facets, engineering studies students at Lafayette are well equipped to create sustainable and successful solutions for climate change. Additionally, a multitude of clubs and organizations on campus with a focus on sustainability are available to students. Particularly, Lafayette has recently invested in the creation of an office dedicated to sustainability. The Lafayette Office of Sustainability communicates a clear list of goals and motives for the college, as articulated through Lafayette’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). (Lafayette College Office of Sustainability, n.d.) (Lafayette College Engineering Studies Division, n.d.)
In the past year, in addition to these actions, Lafayette constructed a solar array atop the roof of the Kirby Sports Center located on campus. On top of the clean energy it produces, the array serves as a physical representation of Lafayette’s commitment to sustainability and recognition of the importance of climate change problem solving. The Kirby Solar Array offers an opportunity for a comprehensive facility that extends beyond transferring solar energy into electrical energy. This capstone project is a formal proposal for the implementation of a first-year seminar (FYS) under the Engineering Studies division at Lafayette College that utilizes the Kirby Solar Array to introduce the unique socio-technical major while also fulfilling Lafayette’s institutional responsibility to educate future generations to be informed citizens and influential leaders who are capable of working towards sustainable solutions.