Life Support and Sustainable Living (LSSL) Program

The primary goals of the Life Support and Sustainable Living Program (LSSL) are to: (1) provide additional community college and university students and faculty with problem case-based learning experiences by developing potential solutions for actual life support and sustainable living applications for business and industry. Industry partners include: Kaman Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, General Electric, Homeland Security, Hamilton Sundstrand, NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard and the CT Children's Medical Center; (2) prepare participants for the workplace through professional skills education, including leadership, team building, project planning and management, behavioral diversity and critical thinking; and (3) develop problem case-based learning curricula for dissemination to high schools and community colleges. The LSSL Program was successfully piloted in 2007, focusing on Mechanical Engineering Technology with applications in aerospace, aeronautics, and biomechanics. The LSSL Program is inter-institutional and creates a genuine partnership where community college students and faculty are key leaders in the initiatives. All 12 of Connecticut's community colleges and five (5) university partners participate in this Program. Projects have included the design and development of a sleep apnea monitor for premature infants, space suit design modifications, helicopter-delivered pods for natural disaster mitigation, a special needs wheelchair for people with severe disabilities, a new lunar habitat, and the use of alternative energy. The LSSL Program is distinct, as it involves collaboration between education, industry and government partners, along with the integration of professional skills development. The LSSL Program's core pedagogy is based on constructivism using problem case-based learning. The Program challenges teams of faculty and students from community colleges and universities to solve unstructured problems from industry, medicine, and government. The solutions to these problems require the use of mechanical engineering as the disciplinary focus. The humanistic aspects of the proposed projects are being highlighted to entice females and minority populations to pursue careers in technical and engineering related disciplines. Faculty, industry and medical personnel provide mentoring and technical expertise, so that students can explore potential solutions to the real life scenarios. The resulting student ownership and intellectual growth is the hallmark of the constructivist approach of the LSSL Program. On their site, visitors will find information about the program's projects, teams, and news and events.