Smart cities and technical literacy for an enlightened citizenry and the future

This paper discusses our experiences teaching energy and smart cities concepts as multidisciplinary College of Engineering alternatives to more traditional science courses taught within the framework of a College of Arts and Sciences. This model scales without the limitations associated with most university level courses. The first of these courses has proven to be very popular with our nontechnical students, experiencing tremendous growth over three years. Additionally, the practice that our teaching assistants gain from interacting with their less technical peers has significantly enhanced their communications skillset.