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The focus of this proposal is to introduce a model of integrated engineering research for the development of dissertation projects that bridge the technical aspects of engineering comprehension to the educational components of engineering education. This type of integrated engineering research centers on the development of essential competencies in the engineering profession including those associated with interdisciplinary work. As part of this integrated graduate research approach, the purpose is to help students engage in new experiences with academic research that provide opportunities to be exposed to two central parts that comprise the T-shape [1] of the engineering profession – technical skills and interdisciplinary skills related to effective teaching at the postsecondary level [2]. Leveraging the Renaissance Foundry Model (herein the Foundry) [3], an innovation-driven learning platform, graduate students that develop an integrated research dissertation are encouraged to engage in essential critical and design thinking skills that help them to visualize the connections between these technical and educational components of a comprehensive research project [4]. For this work, we present the integrated research project of one doctoral student whose focus is on understanding sustainability concepts in chemical engineering. 

This work-in-progress explores two critical components central to the foundations of our research. The first component is the introduction of a pedagogical approach for fostering collaboration and interdisciplinary communication, which is grounded in principles guided by an innovation-driven learning model (the Renaissance Foundry) and tied to the three core components of the KEEN Entrepreneurial Mindset: Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value. We emphasize how these three components play a vital role in enhancing communication and collaboration across disciplines, particularly within Foundry-guided activities. The second component describes preliminary work of student teams from a required second-year course in a National Science Foundation National Research Traineeship (NSF-NRT) graduate level program, which included 11 trainees. As part of this work, we showcase the outcomes of their projects, drawing connections to the three C's of the KEEN Mindset, with a specific focus on how "Creating Value" is achieved through effective communication strategies. 

This study explores synergies of a holistic, interdisciplinary National Science Foundation - National Research Traineeship (NSF-NRT) Program that leverages a Foundry-guided approach5 to foster integrative thinking and problem-solving skills among and between students.6 Specifically, we look at selected outcomes from a course that is required as part of the first-year experience for student trainees participating in this program. As part of this work-in-progress, we offer insight into students’ growth in specific areas related to interdisciplinary communication. The preliminary findings reveal that students are developing skills related to a deeper understanding of real-world applications through interdisciplinary collaboration and that holistic approaches in engineering education can improve student outcomes. Implications and lessons learned are connected to key areas relevant to the Engineering Unleashed framework. 

In this contribution we expand on the critical role played by kinematic of flow in conjunction with the principle of the conversation of total mass in guiding students towards the observation skills, geometry, flow dimensions and total mass conservation in predicting the type of velocity functions as a prerequisite to the application of momentum conservation equations to determine the actual velocity profile. Adopting a practitioner-based approach, we leverage cycles of inquiry1 that are guided by the six elements of the Renaissance Foundry Model2 (herein the Foundry) to explore the role of kinematics of fluid flow as implemented in a undergraduate engineering curriculum. In particular, we identify the Challenge, review the fundamental concepts of the kinematics of the particle to formulate the Organization Tools, and identify related Resources to this challenge. Subsequently, Knowledge Acquisition will guide the understanding of important connections with the kinematic of flow, and then we will apply the Transfer of Knowledge to develop the fundamental aspects of the Prototype of Innovative Technology. This will be centered on a methodology useful to guide students in applying the concepts of kinematics of flows to obtain the fluid velocity functionality. The research will be illustrated with a case study relevant to the curriculum in chemical engineering in the context of ChE 3550, Fluid Mechanics, a core course in the chemical engineering curriculum. 

This work in progress investigates how the role of an educational intervention that coupled sustainability principles with an innovation-driven learning platform guides students through the development of a protype of innovative technology. Specifically, the intervention includes the purposeful pairing of the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework1 with the Renaissance Foundry model (i.e., the Foundry)2 in an undergraduate chemical engineering course that requires student teams to address societal challenges as learning outcomes. We argue that pairing the EOP framework with the Foundry results in an increase in students' sustainability efforts in the design of their prototype of innovative technology that addresses identified societal challenges. A preliminary analysis is presented comparing outcomes from two semesters of the CHE 3550, Transfer Science II (Fluids), course, which is a three-credit hour course with an additional one credit of laboratory work (CHE 3551). Preliminary implications related to holistic engineering education efforts and socially relevant learning will be presented and discussed.