A popular course taught by Dustyn Roberts, Practice Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), is garnering attention for its innovative approach to teaching engineering through the lens of sustainability. Roberts and her course, Bicycles: The Mechanical Advantage, were recently featured in PRISM, a members only publication of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).
The article highlights how Roberts has transformed her passion for cycling into a powerful teaching tool, one that connects engineering fundamentals with real-world impact. Drawing on the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Framework, which she helped develop, Roberts weaves sustainability principles into both introductory and advanced mechanical design courses.
In her Introduction to Mechanical Design course, students learn not only how to design and fabricate mechanical systems, but also how to evaluate their environmental footprint. From tracking personal sustainability attitudes to executing “design for disassembly” projects, Roberts encourages students to think beyond functionality and toward responsible innovation.
Her new course, Bicycles: The Mechanical Advantage, takes these ideas even further. Blending history, mechanics, design, and community engagement, the class offers hands-on learning experiences that extend far beyond the classroom. Students volunteer at local bike shops, repair and reclaim abandoned bicycles in partnership with Penn Police, and even design “smoothie bikes,” stationary bicycles that power blenders, alongside high school students.
The class culminates with a spring trip to the Netherlands, where students experience one of the world’s most bicycle-friendly societies firsthand. For many, the journey reshapes their understanding of engineering’s role in building sustainable, people-first communities.
As PRISM notes, interest in the course has skyrocketed—applications now exceed available seats threefold. “I came home thinking less about the gears and mechanics of a bike and more about what it means to build a world that’s truly people-first,” reflected one student.
For Roberts, that mindset shift is the true goal. Her work demonstrates how something as timeless as the bicycle can be reimagined as a modern classroom for sustainability, innovation, and community impact.
Read the complete feature on Professor Roberts’s course in ASEE’s PRISM publication here.