| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.20 |
| Liaison | Sarah Gilly |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2020 |
Stevens Institute of Technology
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.60 / 4.00 |
Dibs
Sarkar Professor Civil Environmental and Ocean Engineering |
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
Students from the Stevens Sustainability Coalition (SSC) helped conduct the sustainability learning assessment for this report. They will continue to work with Stevens faculty and staff to engage the Stevens community in improving and implementing sustainability initiatives on campus.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
Stevens has on ongoing working relationship with Jennifer Gonzalez, the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Hoboken. This relationship is leveraged to provide learning opportunities for students, while allowing Hoboken to benefit from input from academia, which happens to also be a large stakeholder of the City. The existing lines of communication between Jennifer’s team and the University led to a PhD student’s involvement in Blue+Green Sixth Street – a coalition of business owners, schools, and community & faith-based organizations along 6th Street with a mission to create an innovative “eco-district”. By attending these meetings, the student is exposed to community organizing and is given the opportunity to participate in the brainstorming by offering expertise on innovative solutions. More info on Blue+Green Your Street / Blue+Green Sixth Street can be found at the following link.
https://outsidenewyork.wordpress.com/
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
Students and faculty work closely with facilities and campus operations to test new research ideas and implement them into the existing infrastructure.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
Students and faculty work closely with facilities and campus operations to test new research ideas and implement them into the existing infrastructure.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
Students and faculty work closely with facilities and campus operations to test new research ideas and implement them into the existing infrastructure. Students frequently use actual campus utility data to review and assess building HVAC systems.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
1. Stop Food Waste Campaign
Every April, Stevens Dining runs a Stop Food Waste campaign during which student volunteers manage a table in the dining hall and weigh food waste from their peers' plates.
2. Sustainability Student Ambassador
The dining hall coffee vendor (which is Rain Forest Alliance Certified) has a student ambassador.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
1. Bike Friendly University Certification
A student intern worked with the Traffic Demand Management Manager to collect data required for the Bike Friendly University Certification application and helped brainstorm ways to improve Stevens' rating. Students will continue to be involved in the annual application process.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
Students and faculty continue to be involved in recycling programs on campus, increasing the amount diverted from waste. Students and faculty have also conducted research on e-waste recycling on campus.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
1. EPA Rainworks Challenge
Through the students developed a GI master plan for the campus, and some of the suggestions from past reports have been implemented on campus.
2. Living Laboratory for Stormwater Green Infrastructure
The Living Laboratory for Stormwater Green Infrastructure is strategically placed in three campus sites on the Stevens Institute of Technology campus. At the North building, there are 40 green roof tables, a rain garden and four bioretention planter boxes. The rain garden on Eighth Street and Hudson is intended to stop nuisance flooding generated by runoff from a roof. The ABS rain garden is intended to reduce the volume of runoff from the ABS building roof. These create different forms of urban bioretention solutions. The leading professor and her students are working with multiple entities to find green infrastructure solutions to the runoff problem in the local Hoboken area, where Stevens is located. Hoboken needs water management solutions that work in a highly developed urban location. That means putting small scale water retention systems everywhere, for a cost-effecitve solution to keep rainwater out of the sewer as opposed to buidling bigger treatment plants and sewer systems.
Dr. Fassman-Beck’s Living Laboratory for Stormwater Green Infrastructure (GI) is a research and demonstration site on the Stevens Institute of Technology campus. With 47 individual GI systems, custom-built from the ground up to measure real-world results, the Living Laboratory is dedicated to engineering GI solutions for urban stormwater challenges. The Living Laboratory’s current inventory includes 4 bioretention planters, 38 pilot-scale green roof systems (plus 2 “conventional” pilot-scale roofs), and 3 rain gardens, along with ~100 sensors. Generating quantitative hydrologic and water quality performance data to advance GI design, modeling, and policy is at the heart of the Living Laboratory. Multi-disciplinary efforts engage Software Engineers for Big Data manipulation and Stevens’ Center for Innovation in Engineering Science and Education to engage the next generation of sustainable development professionals via K-12 STEM education initiatives.
Stevens and the Living Laboratory is a Regional Center of Living Architecture Excellence, in partnership with the Green Infrastructure Foundation and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.