Apply to the School of Engineering

Sustainable Futures

As the world’s population grows, the grand challenges of maintaining the progression of civilization while simultaneously enhancing the quality of life become more pressing. The planet we live on has such finite resources that its growing population is depleting them at an unsustainable rate. This course addresses the urgent need for sustainable practices in product design and development. The class will cover various renewable energy resources, evaluate real-life case studies in all four engineering principles at The Cooper Union (chemical, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering), from consumer products to infrastructure systems, and identify the environmental footprint throughout the lifecycle stages. Students will explore the principles of lifecycle assessment (LCA) and circular economy to understand their impact on environmental sustainability. Utilizing collaborative group projects, students will engage in creating circular economy solutions, implementing LCA software tools for analyzing product design, and developing strategies to minimize waste and gas emissions. The course aims to equip students with a critical understanding of sustainable development challenges and the skills to innovate for a greener future.

Students learn:

  • Fundamentals of sustainability and renewable energy; LCA methodologies, circular economy principles and their applications.
  • Learn and use of industry LCA software (openLCA) to quantify environmental impacts.
  • Teamwork and collaboration, including strategies to collect and analyze data, develop sustainable strategies for product design, and visually and verbally present the results.
  • Analyze case studies to extract sustainability lessons, and create new solutions.

Instructors: Professor Hejintao Huang and Cooper Union Undergraduate Teaching Assistants  

Participants: Students currently enrolled in 10th or 11th grade in the 2023-2024 school year.  

Session information: This six-week program offers one session starting Monday, July 8, 2024.  Classes meet Monday - Thursday, 9 am to 3 pm.

Prerequisites:  none

Teaching method: In person. The instructor and teaching assistants will lead students through lectures, discussions, and hands on activities at 41 Cooper Square.

Materials: All materials are included.  Students can opt to bring a personal computer. 

Cost: $3950
Apply now: https://connect.cooper.edu/apply/ 
Read the Summer STEM FAQs     

Course Code: STEM24-1

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.