Valentin Grecu

Four Perspectives of Applied Sustainability: Research Implications and Possible Integrations

How is applied sustainability being understood and implemented in academics’ and practitioners’ circles? Participants to the workshop “Sustainability Performance Assessment” within the ICCSA 2017 conference are confronted with this overarching question, which they address from their specific backgrounds and theoretical standpoints.

Assessing Sustainability: Research Directions and Relevant Issues

The growing research debate concerning sustainability and its applications in interdisciplinary domain represents a conjunction point where basic and applied science (scientific computation and applications in all areas of sciences, engineering, technology, industry, economics, life sciences and social sciences), but also qualified practitioners, compare and discuss advances in order to substance what we consider a the future perspective: “applied sustainability”. A relevant issue in order to compare and benchmark different position is the “sustainability performance assessment”. It means to discuss in a general view critical aspects and general issues in order to propose research directions and common parameters (indicators) to exchange and disseminate results and milestones in “sustainability” applications.

Augmented Reality Applications in the Transition Towards the Sustainable Organization

Business companies are increasingly aware that the world where they operate in is facing increasing environmental, economic and social challenges, thus there is a trend in most companies to align their processes and services with a sustainability agenda. Customers, shareholders, financial partners, governmental agencies, NGOs, globalization and internationalization of environmental and social standards exert new pressures on them to do so. Industry is widely recognized as being essential for wealth creation and development, although it is at times considered a source of environmental degradation and social concerns. Thus, industry must play an important role for the transition towards the sustainable society and a better future, as it is such an important social actor These factors, combined with genuine self-commitment have led to important contributions from the business sector to the development of sustainable energy and transport infrastructures, and in designing and implementing new sustainable technologies. This paper proposes Augmented Reality (AR) applications as a pertinent solution to the challenges that organizations face in their transition towards sustainability. AR allows companies to improve the efficiency of the product development, shorten the manufacturing and delivery times at a cost which is compatible with the demand. By using AR team members with different skills and roles from a product development team can view and interact with the required digital content without having to develop new specialized skills or purchase new software or hardware.

Political Challenges, Best Practices and Recommendations for Energy Sustainable Municipalities

Integrated system solutions, together with improved management of municipal infrastructure and environments, are essential to address energy challenges. A number of aspects should be examined and developed, including eco-cycle models demonstrating integrated solutions for energy, waste and water, integrated land use and transportation, ecosystems planning, sustainable building design, and strategies to reduce air pollution. It is imperative to apply the principles of sustainable development and support smart solutions today if we are not to compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs tomorrow. We should think of urban systems as living organisms and find synergies between urban processes in a mutually beneficial union. Human beings are social beings, and urban environments provide a wide range and choice of social, educational, cultural and economic opportunities. This paper presents the challenges related to sustainable development and proposes solutions for municipalities that aim to become sustainable.

Creative Teaching Methods for Educating Engineers

Active learning has received considerable attention over the past several years. Often presented or perceived as a radical change from traditional instruction, the topic frequently polarizes academic staff. Todays students are bombarded with plenty of information and are distracted by technology gadgets (such as smart phones) or suffer from attention deficit disorder [10]. Thus, academic staffs are challenged to capture students attention and to engage them in the didactic process. The paper presents two innovative teaching methods experimented in the seminaries of the Production Planning course that has been taught at the Faculty of Engineering of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu and the impact of these methods on the students knowledge assimilation and academic performance. The proposed teaching methods, namely charades games and movie making activities, were implemented and evaluated. The research tools used for this study were: direct observation, comparative analysis of students academic performances, before and after the implementation of the methods, and course evaluation forms, filled in by the students. The experimented teaching methods were considered by the students both fun and challenging and were confirmed as promising pedagogies. Thus, we recommend that active learning techniques, such as charades games or movie making activities, be used in conjunction with traditional lecture formats in university courses. These activities show promise as active learning techniques which foster student interest, help students apply material to real world situations, and may be remembered by students well after the course ends.