Activities

Sponsored by the Solid Waste Sustainability Hub, an educational seminar titled 'AI for Industry: Driving Productivity and Sustainability' was held on October 17, 2024, at Fort Whiting Auditorium in Mobile, AL. The seminar featured speakers from academia and industry, who provided real-world examples of how AI is enhancing daily tasks, improving sustainability, and optimizing wastewater treatment. Both students and high shoolers are supported to attend this event.

Dr. Shenghua Wu attended the 2024 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) annual conference in Portland, Oregon, from June 23 to 26, 2024. It was an excellent event to connect with thousands of engineering educators, learn from each other, and strive for excellence in engineering education.

Dr. Wu also shared experiences in creating a solid waste sustainability hub with many colleagues and sought continued efforts to educate students about recycling and sustainability, as well as how to incorporate these topics into the curriculum.

Two graduate students, Abeeb Oyerele and Basant Bhatt, along with Dr. Shenghua Wu, visited a chemistry class at Monroe County High School in Monroeville, AL, on Friday, May 10, 2024.

Dr. Wu introduced the class to topics such as solid waste management, sustainability, and carbon emissions. This was followed by Abeeb's presentation on plastics and waste, and Basant's discussion on microplastic issues in the Gulf Coast region.

These outreach activities were designed for a one-hour high school class, accommodating both students and teachers to enhance their understanding of solid waste recycling, reusing, reduction, and rethinking. The students actively engaged with the materials. 

College students who served in the Solid Waste Sustainability Hub and the Society of Sustainable Engineering (SSE) graduated in May 2024. At the farewell gathering, Dr. Shenghua Wu presented the "green" graduation cords to those students who have embraced sustainability in their careers, promoting recycling and education, and building a learning environment that inspired many students. Industry supporter Steve Stewart and the past president of SSE Marty Cade also attended the event.

We wish these students the best of luck and hope they continue to carry their sustainability mindsets into their professional careers!

The presentation titled "Enhancing Students’ Environmental Skills Through Solid Waste Sustainability Hub" was delivered at the 13th Annual South Alabama Conference on Teaching and Learning (CoTL) from May 8 to May 10, 2023, in Mobile, AL. 

We shared our rich educational learning modules and activities that promote solid waste recycling, and they have gained interest from educators in the Gulf Coast region.

Professor Matthew Patterson provided a guided tour of the unique glass studio located at the University of South Alabama for our Ambassadors on March 22, 2023. This Glass Studio is the only one of its kind in the state of Alabama, and the only one at a public institution in the Southeast region. 

During the tour, students were able to observe the intricate process of creating a glass jellyfish, and discussed potential channels and challenges to reuse recycled glass. The kiln is capable of producing temperatures in the thousands of degrees, enough to melt glass. It would be difficult to imagine how intense this heat would feel during the summer months! 

From March 9-11, 2023, Dr. Wu assumed the role of head judge for the Sustainable Solution Competition held during the 2023 Gulf Coast ASCE Symposium at the University of South Alabama. This marked the first time in which the competition had taken place in USA, with over 400 students attending. ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition is designed to enhance students' comprehension of sustainability and teach them how to incorporate sustainable solutions into engineering-related problems. This year's competition required students to revitalize a single downtown block on Engineer Street, transforming the underutilized area into a communal gathering place, and reimagining the surrounding spaces to create a cohesive and walkable corridor. 

University ambassadors and engineering students hosted an event promoting sustainability and plastic recycling at USA's E-Week Open House on February 16, 2023. Over 200 K-12 students participated from 8 am to 1 pm and enjoyed interacting with college students. The event aimed to educate students about the importance of sustainable practices and showcased innovative recycling technologies. It was well-received and deemed a success.

16 Ambassadors of various majors (civil engineering, mechanical engineering, computing, history, and business) across the campus participated the 3-hour learning module and training on Saturday, Jan 29, 2023. 

Four faculty members designed the mini-course with four learning modules to help students better understand the solid wastes and sustainability concept. A certificate of award and a specially designed T-shirt were provided to students. Let's go sustainable! 

The Office of Marketing and Communications in the University of South Alabama interviewed the director of solid waste sustainability hub and published a newsletter of "A Sustainable Lifestyle" on November 18, 2022. (Photo credit: Lance Crawford)

Link to the  News:  https://www.southalabama.edu/departments/publicrelations/pressreleases/111822sustainability.html 

Ms. Sara Boccardo gave the tour at the Mobile Recycling Center (Address: 7450 Hitt Road, Mobile, AL 36695) for faculty members and students on Tuesday November 15, 2022, where many types of daily wastes (plastic, glass, paper, and aluminum cans) can be recycled in the right place. 

More about recycling practice in Mobile AL: http://mobilerecycles.com/ 

Dr. Shenghua Wu joined the Florida State University team to conduct a 3-day survey (from November 16 to November 18, 2022) on the material debris in several counties in South Florida after Hurricane Ian. It was the first Category 4 hurricane that impacted Southwest Florida since Charley in 2004. A significant amount of debris was created. 

More about Hurricane Ian: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/hurricane-ians-path-of-destruction 

Debris Removal: https://www.leegov.com/hurricane/storm/debris