Auburn University
ER-16: Faculty Engaged in Sustainability Research

Professor Michael Hein in the Department of Building Science, College of Architecture, Design and Construction, has developed pervious concrete mixtures, and student projects in his courses are using them to create pathways and parking lots at the Donald E. Davis Arboretum on campus. The pervious concrete allows water to penetrate into the soil underneath, reducing flooding and the transport of pollutants into streams during stormwater events: https://fp.auburn.edu/heinmic/ Assistant Professor Lisa Kensler in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, College of Education, has researched the effectiveness of leadership programs in green schools, in a project that assesses the impacts of placing sustainability officers in selected schools, funded by the U.S. Green Building Council: http://education.auburn.edu/news/2011/june/green.html Professor Hanqin Tian, Director of the International Center for Climate and Global Change Research in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, has determined complex effects of urbanization on carbon and nitrogen cycles, and ultimately on global climate change, in both the southeastern United States and in China: https://fp.auburn.edu/sfws/tian/ Professor Sushil Bhavnani in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, led a team of student researchers to develop a biodiesel/solar hybrid two-person commuter vehicle, which features an array of solar panels under the engine hood that opens like a clam shell to charge the car’s battery system when parked: http://wp.auburn.edu/soa/