Sarah Brownell Headshot

Sarah Brownell

Principal Lecturer

Dean’s Office
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

585-475-4076
Office Location

Sarah Brownell

Principal Lecturer

Dean’s Office
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

585-475-4076

Currently Teaching

EGEN-289
1 - 4 Credits
Topics and subject areas that are not among the courses listed here are frequently offered under the special topics title. Under the same title also may be found experimental courses that may be offered for the first time. Such courses are offered in a formal format; that is, regularly scheduled class sessions with an instructor. The level of complexity is commensurate with an undergraduate engineering course at the 200 level.
EGEN-495
3 Credits
In this alternative capstone project course, students from diverse disciplines work in collaboration with community partners on projects that are defined and supported by residents with community organizations in Rochester and around the world. Community organizations have extensive knowledge about their environment, passion for their work, power to make change in the lives of individuals and their community, and the ability to inspire others…but have not typically enjoyed as much access to the resources of Universities as industry and government. This course seeks to strengthen connections and build relationships between the University and community groups. Students receive team coaching from a Collaborative Community Capstone guide as well as advising from an expert in their discipline as they work on their project. The traditional capstone experiences of teamwork, planning, project management and application of disciplinary learning are supplemented by coaching around best practices for authentic community engagement that is sensitive to cultural, economic and power differentials, grows trusting relationships, and promotes project outcomes that support community wellbeing. In this course, students will gain strategies and confidence in working with diverse partners using democratic principles, consider the ethical and social implications of their civic participation and professional work, and join an inspirational team of people working together for a better world—all while completing their capstone requirements. Each semester the course will follow a Plan, Do, Check, Act, Reflect process. Students taking the course as an alternative to Multidisciplinary Senior Design will take the course twice, doing additional work on the same project.
ENGT-289
1 - 4 Credits
Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in intended to augment the existing curriculum. Special Topics courses are offered periodically. Watch for titles in the course listing each semester.
ITDL-205
3 Credits
We face grand challenges in the 21st century that will test our collective intelligence and resourcefulness — global change, new diseases, the need for access to clean water, technological developments that are changing us and our relation to the world. We have the opportunity to transform our future through innovation and leadership, but we need to improve our critical thinking, innovate towards possible solutions, and work across disciplines to meet these common challenges. This course is therefore open to all students with the curiosity, imagination, and commitment to meet such challenges. We need engineers, scientists, public policy specialists, and humanists — individuals from every field of study and endeavor –– to contribute to global efforts to meet these challenges. One of the most important challenges of our time — and one identified by the National Academy of Engineers as among fourteen Grand Challenges— is that of providing access to clean water to people across the globe. This course focuses on this grand challenge though interdisciplinary links between the liberal arts and engineering. Students will work in teams to analyze the scope of the clean water problem, examine real case studies, trouble shoot observed problems, and propose alternative solutions. Given the social and cultural contexts within which the need for clean water access arises, this course encourages students to think holistically about sustainable solutions rather than narrowly about the technical quick fix.

In the News

  • February 2, 2024

    college student watching professor looking at a stack of wood lengthwise.

    Students lean into technology and design to improve the environment

    Students in Campus Ecology explored how culture, art, science, and design influence their views and understandings of nature. They also discussed how interdisciplinary collaboration and leaning into the intersection of technology, the arts, and design could improve communication and understanding of ecological concepts and sustainability goals.

  • December 8, 2023

    side by side portraits of college professors Betsy Dell and Makini Beck.

    RIT leading STEM co-mentoring network

    Betsy Dell, professor in the College of Engineering Technology, and Makini Beck, assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Individualized Study, are leading a National Science Foundation-funded project to support minoritized women students in STEM through a co-mentoring network.