The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is pleased to announce the awardees of its fifth cohort in the Engineering for One Planet Mini-Grant Program (EOP-MGP). The program will award $8,000 and expert mentorship to each of the 24 teams of educators from across the country to pursue new ways to integrate social and environmental sustainability learning outcomes into their curricula. ASEE received more than 150 applications for the initiative this year, a record number.
The EOP-MGP is supported by The Lemelson Foundation as part of its Engineering for One Planet (EOP) initiative, which seeks to establish sustainability as a core tenet of the engineering profession by equipping all future engineers with the skills and knowledge to support the health of the planet and the lives it sustains. The program leverages the EOP Framework— a faculty-vetted, ABET-aligned set of student learning outcomes co-developed with hundreds of academic, industry, nonprofit, and public sector stakeholders—to inspire curricular change. The Framework includes 94 learning outcomes spanning social and environmental sustainability topics, such as systems thinking, social responsibility, and life-cycle assessment, as well as related professional skills such as communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Since its launch in 2022, the EOP-MGP has supported 69 awardees from institutions across the United States. Collectively, these efforts have contributed to the creation or redesign of more than 350 engineering courses aligned with the EOP Framework, reaching over 16,000 students. Cohort V builds on this momentum, supporting 24 additional teams working to advance sustainability across engineering education.
EOP recognizes the importance of including people from historically marginalized and low-income communities who are disproportionately affected by climate and environmental challenges as partners in creating change. A key goal of the EOP-MGP is to engage and elevate diverse faculty and institutions. At least seventeen of the 24 selected teams are based at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). The cohort also includes two community colleges. The selected teams represent a wide range of institutions, disciplines, and geographic regions.
Founded in 1893, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. ASEE develops policies and programs that enhance professional opportunities for engineering faculty members and promotes activities that support increased student enrollments in engineering and engineering technology colleges and universities. ASEE also collaborates with national and international organizations to advance its mission.
Founded in 1992 by prolific U.S. inventor Jerome “Jerry” Lemelson and his wife Dorothy, The Lemelson Foundation is dedicated to advancing social and economic prosperity through invention. Guided today by members of the Lemelson family, the Foundation recognizes the urgent need for innovative solutions that balance technological progress with planetary health. To meet this need, the Foundation launched the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) initiative in 2020. EOP is a strategic effort to foster a future where engineering is not only a driver of innovation but also a powerful catalyst for environmental sustainability and social equity.
Based in Portland, Oregon, The Lemelson Foundation has committed over $350 million in grants and investments to organizations worldwide, cultivating the ingenuity of those who will ensure technological advancement and environmental stewardship are intrinsically linked.