Holistic Engineering Program?

Potential employers are finding out that engineers don't know how to manage systems that need knowledge in environmental areas. OSU has a solution: New program combines ecology with engineering "This lack of experience puts a burden on employers, including farmers, engineering consultants and government agencies, who must then teach engineers how to bridge the gap between environmental and engineered solutions themselves. "They need students who understand traditional engineering and how it intersects with biological and ecological systems," said Bolte. For this reason, OSU has launched a new undergraduate program that combines ecology with engineering. "By the time they leave, we expect them to be fluent in both," he said. About 10 students will complete their first semester of the ecological engineering curriculum this spring, and the program is expected to grow to about 120 students within five years... For several years, the university has offered a graduate program in biological and ecological engineering - evolved from its agricultural engineering program - but the students who enroll are generally interested in pursuing careers in research, he said. The undergraduate program, on the other hand, will produce engineers ready for work out in the field..."