In November 2024, ABET accreditation criteria for Ecological Engineering (EcoE) undergraduate programs were approved.  These new criteria become effective for the 2025-2026 academic year and represent the minimum educational and faculty standards for EcoE programs.  Concurrently, the AEES Body of Knowledge (BOK) committee has been outlining the foundational knowledge in the field for use in the development of EcoE programs.  In this webinar, we will review the ABET EcoE criteria and the implications of these new criteria for EcoE academic programs and AEES.  Additionally, we will describe the development of the EcoE BOK and the draft document, and how the BOK can support EcoE undergraduate programs.

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About the Speakers:

Tess Thompson is an associate professor and extension specialist in biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech.  Her research and extension programs focus on stream and wetland restoration and she teaches university courses in both fluvial geomorphology and stream restoration. She currently serves on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) for the Chesapeake Bay Program and is a fellow of the American Ecological Engineering Society.

 

Trisha Moore is an associate professor in the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department at Kansas State University. Her research, teaching, and outreach areas include watershed hydrology and water quality, green infrastructure, and ecosystem service provision by natural and engineered ecological systems. Through this work, she has partnered with municipalities, state agencies, non-profits, and Tribal Nations.