Multidisciplinary Competency
(Interdisciplinary Perspective)
Part 1 & Part 2
Embedded Files
Multidisciplinary Part 1: Perspectives on FSE 150 Grand Challenges for Engineering
My name is Hassonil Jones, and I am studying Chemical Engineering at Arizona State University. I completed FSE 150 during my freshman year as the first part of my multidisciplinary competency. This course introduced me to the four Grand Challenge theme areas: Health, Sustainability, Security, and Joy of Living, and required me to choose one to explore in depth. I struggled at first between Health and Sustainability because of my interest in pharmaceuticals and clean, sustainable energy production. Ultimately, I chose Sustainability because I wanted to pursue research that contributes to cleaner energy systems and long-term environmental resilience.
Even after selecting my theme, the course required me to learn about all four areas through presentations by ASU faculty who are actively conducting research. For the Health theme, Dr. Christopher Plaisier explained how DNA is transcribed into RNA and how this process connects to modern biomedical challenges. For Sustainability, Dr. Bruce Rittmann discussed global energy sources, fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear, and emphasized the urgent need to increase renewable energy adoption. For Joy of Living, Dr. Pavan Turaga presented his work using VR to support individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia. For Security, Dr. Rakibul Hasan highlighted the importance of protecting private data and the consequences of data breaches. These presentations broadened my understanding of how engineering intersects with societal needs across multiple disciplines.
FBI Role Playing
The course also included hands-on activities, debates, and role-playing exercises that helped me engage with each theme. One of my favorite activities was a sustainability-focused role play in which I played an FBI agent investigating a cyberattack on electric vehicles. In this scenario, hacked EVs caused widespread crashes and injuries, leading to a government hearing and a public press conference. My partner and I were responsible for identifying the hacker, but we failed to apprehend the culprit. During the press conference, we still had to reassure the public by stating that the suspect had been caught. This activity taught me how complex crisis management can be and how government agencies must balance transparency, public safety, and public confidence during emergencies.
Another major component of the course was developing a unique solution to one of the world’s grand challenges. My team focused on the problem of insufficient energy storage. Instead of designing a conventional battery, we developed an original concept that stores energy through kinetic and potential energy. Our design used massive concrete slabs that would be lifted and suspended when excess energy was available, then lowered to generate power when demand increased. This project pushed me to think creatively, evaluate trade-offs, and design a system that aligned with my sustainability interests. It also reinforced the importance of originality; we intentionally avoided developing another lithium-based battery to explore a different approach to energy storage.
Electric Vehicles (EV's)
Overall, FSE 150 was a meaningful introduction to multidisciplinary thinking. It helped me understand how different fields approach global challenges, strengthened my interest in sustainable energy, and taught me how to collaborate, communicate, and think beyond traditional engineering solutions. I genuinely enjoyed this course and would recommend it to future freshmen interested in research and innovation.
Interdisciplinary Experience Connected to: SURI Research on Low-Cost LiPON Synthesis.
Interdisciplinary Experience: SURI Research on Low-Cost LiPON Synthesis.
For my second interdisciplinary experience, I completed a research project through the Summer Undergraduate Research Initiative (SURI), in which I investigated a low-cost alternative method for synthesizing LiPON, a solid-state electrolyte used in advanced battery technologies. This project required me to work at the intersection of chemical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, and sustainability. My work compared traditional sputtering, an expensive vapor deposition method, with an ink-based thin-film fabrication process using ethanol, a PVP binder, and blade coating. As shown in my poster, sputtering produces films at “1 µm/hr → High Cost,” while the ink method can achieve “1 µm/s → Low Cost,” demonstrating a dramatic improvement in scalability and energy efficiency.
Throughout the project, I characterized the resulting films using 2D and 3D profilometry, Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). These techniques enabled me to analyze differences in crystalline structure, film uniformity, and ionic conductivity as the temperature varied. For example, my poster notes that the vapor-deposited sample exhibited amorphous behavior, whereas the ink-based samples showed crystalline peaks, indicating that the fabrication method influences the material's structure. I also examined how ionic conductivity varied from 300K to 380K, which helped me understand the electrochemical behavior of solid-state electrolytes and identify areas for future optimization.
This experience was deeply interdisciplinary. It required chemical engineering knowledge to prepare electrolyte inks and understand ionic transport; materials science expertise to analyze thin‑film structure and phase behavior; and electrical engineering concepts to interpret EIS data and evaluate battery-relevant performance. Working across these fields strengthened my ability to integrate methods, tools, and perspectives from multiple disciplines to solve a complex engineering problem.
My SURI research directly supports my GCSP Sustainability theme. Solid-state batteries are safer, more stable, and more energy-dense than conventional lithium-ion batteries, making them essential for renewable energy storage and clean transportation. However, their widespread adoption is limited by high manufacturing costs. By developing and evaluating a low-cost, scalable method for producing LiPON, my work contributes to the long-term sustainability goal of making advanced energy storage technologies more accessible and environmentally responsible. This project also reinforced my interest in clean energy research and helped shape my academic and professional goals in sustainable materials, advanced manufacturing, and energy systems.
Overall, this interdisciplinary research experience taught me to approach problems from multiple scientific and engineering perspectives, strengthened my technical skills, and deepened my commitment to sustainability-focused innovation. It was one of the most meaningful parts of my GCSP journey and continues to influence the direction of my career.
Multidisciplinary Part 2: ASB 300 Food & Culture
Multidisciplinary Part 2: ASB 300 – Food & Culture
ASB 300: Food & Culture was a deeply interdisciplinary course that helped me understand how food connects anthropology, history, sociology, identity, and global systems. The course description states that “what and how we eat is deeply cultural, it reflects our human pasts and shapes our planet’s future,” and this idea guided every assignment. Through six modules, ethnographic fieldwork, and personal cultural analysis, I learned how food systems reveal complex relationships between people, environments, traditions, and global power structures. This course required me to apply anthropological methods, historical analysis, cultural theory, and reflective writing, making it a strong interdisciplinary experience that broadened my understanding of human culture and sustainability.
What I Did and Learned
The course began with an exploration of how food shapes identity. In my first major assignment, I analyzed my family’s Super Bowl ritual meal, a tradition filled with BBQ, macaroni and cheese, mustard potato salad, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. This assignment required me to connect personal experience with global food history. For example, I learned that BBQ traces back to the Taino people and the barbacoa tradition, while apple pie has roots in medieval England and carries emotional meaning in my family because of my grandfather’s WWII service. As I wrote, this meal “allows me time to bond and spend time with my family and friends,” and each dish carries cultural significance passed down through generations. This assignment helped me situate my own identity within broader cultural and historical food systems.
Another major component of the course was my food ethnography at Thai Basil, where I conducted a two-hour field observation. I documented the restaurant’s diverse clientele, the cultural authenticity of the staff, and the sensory environment. My field notes describe how Thai Basil attracted “people from every ethnic background,” and how the staff, many of Thai descent, created an atmosphere of warmth through gestures such as smiling and bowing. I analyzed gender roles in restaurant labor, age-based food behaviors, and how families used meals to strengthen social bonds. As I wrote, diners “wanted to use the food and setting to build family bonds and connect better with one another,” showing how food functions as a social and cultural connector.
This assignment required me to “carefully collect and systematically analyze cultural data,” one of the course’s core learning goals. I learned how to observe human behavior, interpret cultural meaning, and apply anthropological concepts to real-world settings. The ethnography also helped me reflect on my own biases, as I wrote about how my upbringing, with my mother as the primary cook, shaped my expectations of gender roles in food labor.
Why ASB 300 Was Interdisciplinary:
ASB 300 blended multiple disciplines:
Anthropology: ethnographic methods, cultural analysis, identity
History: origins of food traditions, global food systems
Sociology: gender roles, family dynamics, social meaning of meals
Global studies: migration, cultural exchange, globalization of cuisine
Health and environment: food systems, sustainability, cultural impacts
The course required me to integrate these perspectives to understand how food shapes, and is shaped by culture, power, and global systems. This interdisciplinary approach helped me see food not just as nourishment, but as a lens for understanding human behavior, identity, and global interdependence.
Connection to My Sustainability Theme
ASB 300 connects directly to my Sustainability theme by showing how food systems influence environmental health, resource use, and cultural resilience. Modules like “Changing Food, Changing Us” and “Food, Culture, and Health” emphasized how global food production affects land use, climate, and ecological sustainability. My ethnography at Thai Basil also highlighted global supply chains, cultural exchange, and the environmental impact of food consumption patterns.
Understanding these systems helps me think critically about sustainability in my own field. As a chemical engineer working toward clean energy and sustainable materials, I need to understand how cultural practices shape consumption, how global systems distribute resources, and how communities adapt to environmental pressures. ASB 300 taught me that sustainability is not just technical, it is cultural, social, and deeply human.
Value to My Academic and Professional Goals
This course strengthened skills that directly support my academic and professional goals:
Global and cultural awareness
Ethnographic research and data collection
Analytical writing and argumentation
Understanding of global systems and cultural diversity
Ability to connect human behavior to sustainability challenges
These skills are essential in fields like advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and semiconductor technology, industries that operate across cultures and require engineers to understand global perspectives. ASB 300 helped me become a more thoughtful, culturally aware engineer who can design solutions that respect human diversity and global interconnectedness.
Overall Reflection
ASB 300 was a powerful interdisciplinary experience that helped me understand how food reflects identity, culture, and global systems. Through personal reflection, ethnographic research, and cross-cultural analysis, I learned how to approach sustainability from a human-centered perspective. This course broadened my worldview, strengthened my communication and analytical skills, and deepened my understanding of how culture shapes the way we live, eat, and build sustainable futures.
Assignment #1: Food Ethnography
Restaurant: Thai Basil Arrival Time: 6:00 PM Time ordered: 6:08 PM
Appetizer time: 6:14 PM Food time: 6:39 PM Departure Time: 7:37 PM
Appearance:
I believe that during my time there, I encountered people from every ethnic background. The diversity of the people who frequent Thai Basil is vast.
Most people who dined in were around 35-60 years old
The exception was that there were families of 4-5 people who also frequented, with children ages 8-15.
The people who ordered takeout seemed to be 20-30 years old. This seemed to make sense because most younger people like to eat at home rather than in restaurants, and I couldn’t tell if any of the people picking up food worked for DoorDash, Grubhub, etc, so that could also be the reason.
People who dine in also appeared to be of Asian descent.
Christmas lights were used in the back-room area and half of the main room to create a warm and calming vibe.
The back room was fascinating. There were six tables, and instead of chairs, cushions were placed on top of wooden bases.
In the back room, there were also cushions on the sides near the walls, resembling more of a back cushion. As shown in the image below, someone can lie on their side to relax rather than simply sit.
The waitresses who worked at Thai Basil seemed to be of Thai descent.
Verbal Behavior:
The waitresses who worked there had an accent, but it wasn’t very thick so I was still able to understand everything they said.
When the waitress interacted with me, she was very polite. I would smile and give a slight bow in my direction after the conversation was done.
Most of the people who dined in the restaurant spoke English. One lady was on the phone for 45-50 minutes. When she first entered the restaurant, she was on the phone. When I left the restaurant, she was STILL on the phone.
The lady on the phone was trying to arrange transportation from Phoenix to Manila to Dubai, or Phoenix to LA to Dubai. Either way, she was trying to get someone or herself to Dubai, and she wanted it to be as cheap as possible.
The lady on the phone repeated the same thing over and over again. I think that it was because the person on the other side of the phone spoke a different language or was hard of hearing.
I couldn’t tell if any of the workers spoke different languages, because they seemed to talk very softly when talking with each other.
Physical Behavior:
Water was brought to the table at regular intervals (approximately 10-15 minutes). I believe this is because when I choose a spice level, I typically opt for hot.
If I didn’t need water, the waitress would look over in my direction, smile, and nod/bow.
The menu only contained ethnic dishes.
I ordered the beef yellow curry with fried rice.
The curry was served in a sauce boat, and the rice was served in a normal bowl.
They had the normal landline phones that rang when people called in to place their orders.
People who ordered takeout always got their food within 3-5 minutes.
Human Traffic:
Within the first 30 minutes of being at the restaurant, I noted that most of the people who frequent the establishment order takeout; however, this proved not to be true over the last hour.
The count was 7 people dining in and 12 people ordering takeout in the first 30 minutes.
By about the 70-75 minute mark, 15 people dined in, and 15 people ordered takeout.
By the time I was ready to leave, the final count was 20 people dining in and 19 people who had ordered takeout.
I found this very interesting because I feel like there should have been more people who ordered takeout rather than dine in.
Sensory Impressions
When I entered the restaurant, the first thing I heard was the sound of light, cultural music. I couldn’t tell what language the music was in, but what was interesting was that some English words were thrown into the songs.
While I was there, I smelled many different things, but I think the strongest smell was that of the spices in the curry. I'm not just saying this because I had the curry, but because the place to me smelled like curry.
One thing I didn't like about the place was that the tables were slightly sticky (almost as if tape had just been removed, but there was still a sticky residue in the area where the tape had been).
The first thing I noticed was the bar area, where they had a few statues that resembled a Buddha statue. They also had dividers with a leafy design that reminded me of my time in Asia, as shown in the image below.
My food was delicious. I got the “hot” yellow curry, and it had the perfect blend of spiciness and sweetness.
Personal Space:
The restaurant was pretty spaced out and not too close together.
The booths seemed to be built for shorter people because I'm 6’ 5, my knees were hitting the bottom of the table. I was squished in, unlike other restaurants I’ve been to.
The lights in the establishment were unique. They looked old-fashioned, but also unlike any lights I had seen.
They also had Christmas lights to help give the place a warmer and more inviting vibe.
The seats of the booths had thick cloth draped over them. I’m not entirely sure what the fabric's purpose was, but I found it fascinating.
Impressions:
Overall, I had a pretty good time. The service was quick, the food was delicious, and the vibe was nice and peaceful. Despite feeling awkward about taking notes while in the restaurant, the time flew by, and I ended up enjoying it a lot.
Assignment #2: Ritual Meal
The Meal.
In my family, the most memorable ritual meal is prepared and eaten for Super Bowl Sunday. This meal is significant because it gives me time to bond with my family and friends. Additionally, it is significant to show our love for one another through the food we prepare. This meal is held in celebration of family and friends gathering to watch and support (or oppose) their favorite (or most hated) American Football team. The ritual meal is held during the Super Bowl, which is held on the second Sunday in February. The meal is usually held at my mom’s house in Mesa, Arizona. If the meal isn’t held at her house, it’s held at my aunt's house in Tolleson, Arizona.
Food and Ingredients:
The ritual meal consists of several items: macaroni and cheese, BBQ, mustard potato salad, apple pie, mashed potatoes, and bread rolls (the only item not prepared but purchased at the store). My dad made the BBQ on the grill outside. He would first glaze the meat with a special sauce he made with smoked paprika, barbecue sauce, Cajun seasoning, garlic, and a splash of vinaigrette. After the meat was cooked, he would reapply the sauce. While my dad was cooking the BBQ, my mom would cook the potato salad, mashed potatoes, and the apple pie. The mashed potatoes were made normally. I helped peel the potatoes, and my mom would mash them up, add butter, pepper, cheese, and sour cream. My mom made the potato salad; the only ingredients she mentioned were mustard, potato slices, red peppers, and white onions. When it comes to apple pie, I was never told the secret of how it's made. However, I do know that it contained cinnamon, canned apple slices, egg, nutmeg, and brown sugar.
Meaning
Each food item originates from a different place and time. BBQ originated back in early America, a thousand years ago. Over the last 1,000 years, BBQ cooking styles and techniques have been evolving. The most significant changes occurred in the early 1500s and again in the mid- to late 1600s. In the early 1500s, before the arrival of the Columbian Caribbean, a tribe called the Taino used barbacoa to simmer their meat over green-wood fires. These Taino people came to be known today as Cuban, Puerto Rican, etc. To my family and me, this dish represents the love and care my dad has for us. Additionally, it represented to my father one of the few things he had been taught by his dad (my grandfather) before my grandfather passed away when my dad was 20. Both mashed potatoes and potato salad, of course, are made with potatoes as a base. However, they originated in different regions: mashed potatoes originated in France and England in the mid-to-late 1700s, while potato salad originated in Germany around the same time. In France, a man named Antoine Parmentier created a recipe for mashed potatoes that became the new standard for home-cooked meals. The potato salad recipes were brought to America by some German immigrants. My mom’s mustard potato salad recipe is an adaptation of the classic potato salad, which uses mustard as its base instead of mayonnaise. The mashed potatoes and potato salad are special to me because they remind me of my mom’s love for me and her willingness to do anything to keep me safe. Apple pie has the longest history of all the foods that we make for our Super Bowl meal. Apple pie has recipes dating back to England in the late 1300s. Apple pie is a dish invented by combining Dutch “toppings” with French techniques. It was brought to America by European settlers in the mid-to-late 1700s. To my mom, her apple pie recipe means a lot because her father (my other grandfather) was sent to fight in WWII and told her he would fight for “mom and apple pie.” During this period, this phrase was widely used among soldiers, essentially meaning they would fight for their country and return home to enjoy a freshly baked apple pie once more. This is no different for my mom, which is why the recipe holds such special significance for her and our family.
Assignment #3: Food Ethnography (Analysis)
JonesHJ_2 (1).pdf
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