Law, engineering, and the environment - teaching law and engineering students to work together

This paper will discuss the components of an innovative class taught by the College of Law and the College of Engineering at the University of Utah. The course was conceived by law professor Susan Poulter, who introduced the idea to JoAnn Lighty, Associate Professor in Chemical and Fuels Engineering. The course was initially taught Spring Semester 1995, and was revamped and taught again Spring Semester 1996. It was then decided to offer the course every other year. The course was open to law students (JD and LLM) and engineering students (graduate and senior undergraduate). The paper will discuss the background of the course and material covered as well as the lessons learned from the first year which were applied to the second year. Students appear to enjoy the interaction and discussion among themselves and between the two disciplines.