Engineering students game to green the automobile supply chain

Solutions to environmental problems associated with human endeavor are generally interconnected with many factors, including technological and economic constraints - often requiring a systems engineering approach. To create a culture for change in industry, students must begin to understand how to assess the tradeoffs among economic, technical, and environmental factors if they are to become socially, as well as fiscally, responsible designers and leaders. Because of their unique learning style and technology expertise, the "Millennial Generation" will bring significant learning and teaching challenges to the classroom. This project brings the growing concerns of environmental awareness and diverse learning styles together in an innovative learning model to educate future engineering leaders. This research will explore the extent to which students increase their understanding of complex tradeoffs among environmental, economic, and technological issues in the auto industry through repeated play of a collaborative cross-disciplinary computer game.