Working Together to Live Together
Working together to live together. Engineers are involved in planning the design of towns and other human developments, taking into consideration the needs of people and animals in the region.Copyright 2010 Myla Van Duyn (bottom); City of Boulder, CO (top) http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/
Students experience civil and environmental engineering by planning a housing development in an existing biome, while also protecting the native species that live there. They conduct research, draw plans, make brochures and give presentations, with each team having a member serving as a project manager, civil engineer, environmental engineer and graphic designer. The best designs creatively balance the needs and resources necessary to support both the native species and human infrastructure.
Civil and environmental engineers are responsible for drinking and wastewater infrastructure, electricity, road planning and implementation, minimizing environmental impact, and much more when designing and building new housing developments.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Assess the responsibility of human competition with native species.
- Describe adaptations of species specific to certain biomes.
- Recognize resources necessary for the long-term survival of species.
- Demonstrate how environmental conservation may limit impact on ecosystems.