Plastic pollution of the coastal and marine ecosystems is a global environmental issue. The manufacture of single use products has overwhelmed the planet especially in developing Asian and African nations due to inefficient refuse collection systems and developing countries with low recycling rates. This issue has prompted the development of a Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution through the UN and relates to many of the UN sustainable development goals especially 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and 14 Life Below Water. This problem offers an abundance of opportunity for entrepreneurs who wish to be part of the solution.

 

Your career as a professional engineer/entrepreneur will require you to work effectively within teams on complex and challenging industry projects within a large company, SME or as a startup entrepreneur. You will improve your industrial awareness in terms of the circular economy and opportunities and harness your problem-solving skills to contribute to the solution of plastic waste in the marine and coastal ecosystems. You will be tasked with answering the following PBL

driving question:

 

How might we implement aspects of the circular economy (refuse, reform, reduce, reuse, recycle) to tackle plastic waste issue in the coastal and marine ecosystems?

 

PBL will be the vehicle for developing knowledge of plastic waste issues in the coastal and marine ecosystems, the circular economy and the application of this knowledge to entrepreneurial thinking, idea development and innovation. In addition to team study related to the engineering principles behind the problems, you will also have input from innovators and engineering entrepreneurs who exemplify the values, spirit and skills essential to entrepreneurial thinking.

 

This creative and technical design project will allow you to practice the application of the Stage Gate Innovation Process detailed in ENG1006 (Entrepreneurship 1) and ENG2004 (Entrepreneurship 2). Your team PBL project will culminate in a professional multimedia pitch with a visualisation and proof of concept of your final product.  

 

• Address the plastic waste  emergency through a team project.
• Advance your 21st century skills in creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership and technology literacy.
• Gain valuable experience in research, 3D modelling and proof of concept.
• Steer projects through the Design Process and create a proof of concept for your final PBL ‘Public Product’.

 

This is a constituent module of one or more degree programmes which are accredited by a professional engineering institution under licence from the Engineering Council. The learning outcomes for this module have been mapped to the output standards required for an accredited programme, as listed in the current version of the Engineering Council’s ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ document (AHEP-V3).

 

This module contributes to learning outcomes: SM3p, SM3m, SM4m, SM6m, EA5m, D1p, D1m, D2p, D2m, D4p, D4m, D5p, D5m, D6p, D6m, D7m, D8m, ET2p, ET2m, ET3p, ET4p, ET4m, EP3, EP3m, EP4, EP4m, EP6m, EP8, EP9, EP11, G1p, G1m, G2p, G2m, G4p, G4m

 

A full list of the referenced outcomes is provided online: http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/emps/studentinfo/subjects/engineering/accreditation/ The AHEP document can be viewed in full on the Engineering Council’s website, at http://www.engc.org.uk/

 

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge: SM3p, SM3m, SM4m, SM6m, EA5m

 

1 SM3p/SM3m - Ability to apply and integrate knowledge and understanding of other engineering disciplines to support study of their own engineering discipline and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them effectively

 

2 SM4m - Awareness of developing technologies related to own specialisation.

 

3 SM6m - Understanding of concepts from a range of areas including some outside engineering, and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them effectively in engineering projects.

 

4 EA5m - Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies

 

 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge: D1p, D1m, D2p, D2m, D4p, D4m, D5p, D5m, D7m, D8m, ET2p, ET2m, ET3p, ET4p, ET4m, EP4, EP4m, EP6m, EP8p, EP8m, EP9p

 

5 D1p/D1m - Understand and evaluate business, customer and user needs, including considerations such as the wider engineering context, public perception and aesthetics.

 

6 D2p/D2m - Investigate and define the problem, identifying any constraints including environmental and sustainability limitations; ethical, health, safety, security and risk issues; intellectual property; codes of practice and standards.

 

7 D4p/D4m - Apply advanced problem-solving skills, technical knowledge and understanding to establish rigorous and creative solutions that are fit for purpose for all aspects of the problem including production, operation, maintenance and disposal.

 

8 D5p/D5m - Plan and manage the design process, including cost drivers, and evaluate outcomes.

 

9 D7m - Demonstrate wide knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations.

 

10 D8m - Demonstrate the ability to generate an innovative design for products, systems, components or processes to fulfil new needs.

 

11 ET2p/ET2m - Knowledge and understanding of the commercial, economic and social context of engineering processes

 

12 ET3p - Knowledge and understanding of management techniques, including project management, that may be used to achieve engineering objectives

 

13 ET4p/ET4m - Understanding of the requirement for engineering activities to promote sustainable development and ability to apply quantitative techniques where appropriate

 

14 ET7m - Understanding of the key drivers for business success, including innovation, calculated commercial risks and customer satisfaction

 

15 EP4p/EP4m - Understanding of the use of technical literature and other information sources.

 

16 EP8p/EM8m - Ability to work with technical uncertainty.

 

17 EP9p - Understanding of, and the ability to work in, different roles within an engineering team.

 

18 EP10m - Ability to apply engineering techniques taking account of a range of commercial and industrial constraints.

 

 

Personal and Key Transferable/ Employment Entrepreneurship Skills and Knowledge: D6p, D6m, EP11m, G1p, G1m, G2p, G2m, G3p, G3m, G4p, G4m

 

19 D6p/D6m Communicate effectively to technical and non-technical audiences and have the ability to present ideas effectively;

 

20 EP11m - Understanding of different roles within an engineering team and the ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader.

 

21 G1p/G1m - Apply their skills in problem solving, communication, working with others, information retrieval and the effective use of general IT facilities

 

22 G2p/G2m - Plan self-learning and improve performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD

 

23 G3p/G3m - Monitor and adjust a personal programme of work on an on going basis

 

24 G4p/G4m - Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader

 

IDEO, Design Thinking, 2019, https://designthinking.ideo.com/

 

SolidSolutions, SolidWorks Video tutorials, 2019, https://www.solidsolutions.co.uk/solidworks/Tutorial-Videos/Search.aspx

 

MakerSpace, What is a Maker Space?, 2019, http://makerspace-etec522.weebly.com/what-are-makerspaces.html

 

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) UK, Prototyping, 2019, https://vimeo.com/349906028

 

Rushing, Steve, 2016, 25 daily rituals of history’s most successful, 

 

https://medium.com/the-mission/25-daily-rituals-of-history-s-most-successful-d87f1cf43077