Sustainability of Wetlands in the Eyes of the New Generation of Environmental Engineering Students

Farshad Amiraslani

doi:10.3390/conservation1030015

Abstract

This research paper investigates the general understanding and skills of young third-year environmental engineering students concerning the criteria for monitoring wetlands. Students were asked to describe approaches, data, and final solutions to identify and/or eliminate wetland odor. Over half of the students (55%) did not consider the “identification” strategy by which to determine the source of unexpected odors. The rest gave answers focused on “restoration” (24%) and “prevention” (15%) strategies, while 6% of the answers were unrelated. In fact, without knowing the causes and without thinking about the necessity/importance of visiting/surveying the site, students came up with a priori solutions. In their mind, the immediate cause of the odor could be a disturbed or unbalanced distribution/composition of ions, salts, or microbes in the water. Indeed, most data types (71%) were those related to “water”. As the final solution, 50% of responses considered “physical” followed by “legal and planning” solutions (32%). Each factor, including “Chemical” and “Biological”, constituted 9% of the answers. This research highlights engineering students’ communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities by contemplating class activities that simulate real-world situations. The research presumes that these engineering student cohorts represent typical student communities worldwide. Such findings contribute to policymaking in the engineering education system on a larger scale.

Highlights

In addition to following their standard academic syllabuses, environmental engineering students must acquire communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills
There is a call for connecting contemporary young people with nature, to tackle the so-called “nature-deficit disorder” through facilitating environmental education [9], experiential learning within eco-attractions [10], or improving intergenerational learning about conservation [11]
Almost half of the students (45%) did not consider the “Identification” strategy or make it their priority to identify the sources of unexpected wetland odor (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

In addition to following their standard academic syllabuses, environmental engineering students must acquire communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills. One of the best learning–training scenarios for university educational systems is that universities provide such students with the courage, impetus, and motivation for asking questions, searching for answers, designing experiments, performing laboratory experimentation, manipulating equipment, and conducting interactive debates and outdoor searches [2]. Such a system encourages students’ imagination, self-confidence, analytical and numerical skills, and team working. Modern technical data processing systems are increasingly being used to monitor and observe environmental changes and to be entwined with social dimensions, under a new realm known as “citizen science”

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Conclusion