| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 64.13 |
| Liaison | Michael Kensler |
| Submission Date | Feb. 4, 2022 |
Auburn University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Sarah
Hamilton Associate Professor and Director Academic Sustainability Program |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
The Academic Sustainability Program provides support and coordination for student research in sustainability on campus. The program maintains an online directory of all faculty engaged in research relating to sustainability (http://acadsustain.auburn.edu/people/faculty-directory/), posts regularly about on-campus research activity via Twitter and Facebook, maintains a listserve open to anyone interested in academic sustainability programs on campus, and emails Sustainability Studies minors and students enrolled in SUST courses with opportunities and news. Students use these resources and referrals from the Program Director to locate and connect with faculty about possible projects and independent study courses.
The Program also has provided ad-hoc funding support for research and travel by students engaged in sustainability-related research, and for supplies for pilot research projects by students.
Examples of support for student research:
(1) Graduate student in the Department of Consumer and Design Sciences, received funding from the ASP for her research on Sustainable Apparel Purchase Intentions, 2020-2021.
(2) Undergraduate students with interests outside of the normal course offerings work on various research projects through independent studies administered by the Sustainability program (first offered Spring 2020).
(3) Funding provided for materials costs for various student projects in SUST 5000: Senior Capstone in Sustainability.
(4) The program maintains an online showcase for student work in the Sustainability Studies Minor's Capstone course, and in other sustainability-affiliated courses, in order to publicize and reward outstanding research and presentation work. http://acadsustain.auburn.edu/research/student-work/
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
1. The Academic Sustainability Programs provides support and coordination for faculty research in sustainability on campus. The program maintains an online directory of all faculty engaged in research relating to sustainability (http://acadsustain.auburn.edu/people/directory/), posts regularly about on-campus research activity via Twitter and Facebook, and communicates constantly with faculty across the university with regard to their projects, needs, and future plans. Faculty use the directory and referrals from the Program Director to locate and connect with collaborators and consultants who are outside of their home departments or colleges.
2. The Program Director writes letters in support of multidisciplinary research grant proposals on sustainability, which are submitted to outside funding agencies, and consults with interdisciplinary research teams on grant applications and project planning.
3. The College of Liberal Arts provides competitive collaborative interdisciplinary research and humanities grant support for its faculty, consisting of up to $2,000 to support interdisciplinary research projects (for travel, supplies, and other project related expenses). Several awards are given each year, largely to sustainability-related projects. Website: https://cla.auburn.edu/faculty/faculty-resources/research-creative-scholarship-grants-and-other-support/cla-grants-and-research-creative-scholarship-support/competitive-collaborative-and-interdisciplinary-research-and-humanities-grant-guidelines/
4. The College of Liberal Arts also operates an Engaged Scholars Program, supporting superior faculty in the College of Liberal Arts in their collaborative work with other faculty, students, and/or community partners to advance the outreach mission of the college and the university. All three of the 2019-2022 Engaged Scholars are affiliates of the Academic Sustainability Program, and work on a variety of projects including sociology and social work among African Americans, community theater centered on social justice, and rural community planning. Website: https://cla.auburn.edu/faculty/faculty-resources/research-creative-scholarship-grants-and-other-support/cla-grants-and-research-creative-scholarship-support/cla-engaged-scholars-program-guidelines/
5. The Creative Work and Social Impact Scholarship Funding Program is operated by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development. This program provides funding for research that is specifically aimed at societal challenges and values both theoretical and applied domains to produce core knowledge and address persistent and complex issues to create a better world and improve the lives of all individuals. Research in this domain often engages a diversity of stakeholders with the goal of bringing beneficial effects and valuable changes to the economy, society, education, public policy, health, and/or quality of life. Website: https://cws.auburn.edu/ovpr/pm/CWSIS/home
6. The Spirit of Sustainability Awards are awarded annually by the Office of Sustainability to students, alumni, staff, and faculty who make significant contributions to sustainability on campus and in the broader community. The awards are granted to multiple faculty members each year for their exceptional commitments to sustainability-related research and outreach. Website: http://sustain.auburn.edu/people/ssa/#:~:text=The%20Auburn%20University%20Spirit%20of,any%20point%20along%20the%20Sustainability
Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
Auburn University employs a dedicated librarian to support sustainability research and learning. The librarian maintains a Library Guide website that connects faculty and students with important books, journals, recent scholarly articles, organizations, and other resources that support scholarship in sustainability. He has developed a different website relating to each of the major systems considered in sustainability: food, water, transportation, energy, built environment, green business, etc. The librarian also offers individual consulting services to faculty and students to support their specific projects, as well as regularly presenting about library resources to students doing research projects in sustainability courses, and groups of professors in our faculty sustainability training workshop.
See the Sustainability Library website:
https://libguides.auburn.edu/c.php?g=519068&p=3550034
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research 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.