Currently, no standard curriculum exists to prepare students for the profession of plumbing engineering design in two-year colleges. This project is filling the void by implementing the PIPED (Program in Plumbing Engineering Design) initiative. In this initiative, the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) is developing: 1) collaborative partnerships with a community college, high schools, and plumbing engineering employers; 2) a national, standardized curriculum that can be a model for community colleges across the country; 3) a national certifying test and certificate for plumbing engineering design technicians; 4) plumbing engineering design books and calculating tools for PIPED; and 5) plumbing engineering lessons that can be integrated into high schools to increase STEM knowledge and increase visibility of plumbing engineering design. The materials are being implemented at community colleges. The PIPED curriculum and coursework incorporates basic science and math, engineering principles, and technical skills such as CAD and BIM (Building Information Modeling). Green concepts such as water conservation, solar energy, and geothermal heating are being integrated into the courses throughout the program for graduates to be adequately prepared for the increasing emphasis on sustainability and LEED certification. The broader impact of this project includes producing a model curriculum in plumbing engineering design that can be implemented in two-year colleges throughout the country and increasing the number of qualified engineering technicians to meet the workforce demand.
