Barnard College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

"Environmental Science professor Brian Mailloux teaches Environmental Measurements course which conducts hands-on measurements to learn environmental methods. One of the projects focuses on determining the air flow rate of buildings on Barnard's campus to understand air quality. Students measured air flow after adding a known concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and CO2 to the room and observing changes of PM2.5 and CO2 over time.

A student's senior thesis project measured carbon dioxide and methane in exhaled breath to understand the potential contribution to green house gas emissions. The student measured individual CO2 and CH4 of people in the Diana Center lobby and students in the Senior Thesis class. "

Environmental Science professor Brian Mailloux teaches Environmental Measurements course which conducts hands-on measurements to learn environmental methods. One of the projects focuses on determining the air flow rate of buildings on Barnard's campus to understand air quality. Students measured air flow after adding a known concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and CO2 to the room and observing changes of PM2.5 and CO2 over time.

Professor Jonathon Snow in the Biological Sciences department houses a colony of bees on the rooftop of a central building on campus. In collaboration with students, Snow studies the cellular stress responses of these bees, in various contexts, in order to understand Colony Collapse Disorder and the environmental factors that cause it. Students work in Snow's lab, during school semesters and summers, and aid with Snow's research, as well as develop their own research projects relating to the bees.

The Barnard College garden club removed Aquatic invasive species (AISs) from the Diana roof and added more native plants to increase the diversity and support pollinators.

As part of Brian Mailloux's Big Data with Python class, students use Python programming to analyze a data set. A student worked with Auxiliary Services & Receiving to utilize their mail tracking system to understand the temporal variability and volume of packages over the school year.

Eco Reps work with the Office of Sustainability & Climate Action in order to collect unwanted clothing and dorm goods in the spring during move-out, and resell them in the fall, in a two part program called Give & Go Green and the Green Sale. Through this program, students acquire hands-on experience implementing circular economy solutions in order to reduce consumption and waste on campus. Students are responsible for organizing collection, organizing transportation, moving and storing the goods, and holding the sale in the fall.

Professor Brian Mailloux, Professor JJ Miranda, and students have been monitoring COVID-19 levels in select dormitory and on-campus buildings by retrieving sewage samples from each building. This project allows administrators to monitor the spread of the virus on campus. Students help retrieve the sample bottles, filter, concentrate, and run their analyses on the decontaminated samples in the lab. https://barnard.edu/news/testing-waters

Professor Brian Mailloux, Professor JJ Miranda, and students have been monitoring COVID-19 levels in select dormitory and on-campus buildings by retrieving waste water samples from each building. This project allows administrators to monitor the spread of the virus on campus. Students help retrieve the sample bottles, filter, concentrate, and run their analyses on the decontaminated samples in the lab. https://barnard.edu/news/testing-waters

Student Government Representatives to the Climate Action Committee, made up of students, faculty and staff, are involved in the planning of community engagement events used to get feedback on our made towards our Climate Action Vision. These events have included a Campus Conversation Series with a Citizens' Assembly (2020-21) and Community Dialog (2023).

Student groups on campus collaborate with the Office of Sustainability & Climate Action in order to collect unwanted clothing and dorm goods in the spring during move-out, and resell them in the fall, in a program called Give & Go Green. Through this program, students acquire hands-on experience implementing circular economy solutions in order to reduce consumption and waste on campus. Students also set pricing of the sale to ensure that it is an equitable option for students of all backgrounds to be able to furnish their dorms. Students are responsible for obtaining sponsors, organizing transportation, moving and storing the goods, and holding the sale in the fall.

The Office of Campus Sustainability and Climate Action offers Climate Action Grants to students, faculty, and staff. Members of the Climate Action Committee, a committee consisting of staff, faculty, and students elected by Student Government, review each application evaluate and identify priority projects to fund.

Students also have the opportunity to apply for grants which are community focused. The application requires students to provide a detailed budget and timeline, providing valuable hands-on experience.

The mission of Barnard’s Health Promotion Program is to promote the health and wellness of the Barnard student body through peer education, educational programming, individual health behavior consultation, campus-wide health campaigns, community outreach, and advocacy. The Wellness Spot supports wellness as an integral component of learning. Our programs aim to help students achieve their academic and developmental potential while at Barnard, and to prepare them to make positive health decisions throughout their lives so they can fully engage in the world.

The Wellness Spot has a Peer Educator program to provide information to the Barnard and Columbia communities about a range of health and wellness issues. The peer education program began at Barnard in 1986. Well-Woman was established in 1993 to bring together preexisting small topical peer educator groups to form one comprehensive group. In May of 2022, Well Woman changed its name to The Wellness Spot.

The peer educators talk about any and all health and wellness issues that impact our community, including self-care, body image, nutrition, sexual health, stress management, sleep, sexuality, identity, community, mindfulness, relationships, and more.
https://barnard.edu/TheWellnessSpot/about

Professor Brian Mailloux, Professor JJ Miranda, and students have been monitoring COVID-19 levels in select dormitory and on-campus buildings by retrieving sewage samples from each building. This project allows administrators to monitor the spread of the virus on campus. Students help retrieve the sample bottles, filter, concentrate, and run their analyses on the decontaminated samples in the lab. https://barnard.edu/news/testing-waters