Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.58
Liaison Andrew DeMelia
Submission Date Oct. 24, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Bryant University
IN-2: Innovation 2

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Sierra Flanigan
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
EcoMotion/Coalesce
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:

Each  summer  Bryant  University  partners  with  the  China  University  of Geosciences  (CUG)  in  Wuhan  to  execute  an  intensive  and  immersive  cultural  and scientific  tour  of  the  Western  United  States.  The  primary  function  of  this  travel  trip revolves  around  creating  opportunities  for  geology  students  to  study  the  geological, climatic and environmental formations of one of the most interesting outdoors areas in 
the world. The group this year included 22 total participants, half from Bryant University
and half from CUG, beginning on July 29  and concluding on August 8th.

This  past  year  (2013)  students  spent  time  in  Yellowstone  national  park examining  rock formations, geysers and wildlife. Following this the group drove up the University of 
Montana in Missoula, MT for a customized tour of their extensive lab and fossil collection. The next stop was Clarkia, ID and primarily science-research based. At
the  Clarkia  Fossil  Site  each  student  was  tasked  with  digging  plant  fossils  with  a
particular  focus  on  identifying  metasequoia  leaves  to  support  environmental  science research at Bryant University. Finally, the group drove to Portland, OR to see and learn
about the  Lan Su  Garden.  The  Lan Su  Garden  is  a  replica  of  an  infamous  garden  in 
Suzhou,  China,  and  is  home  to  a  wide  variety  of  unique  plant  life.  This  cultural  and environmental studies trip across the U.S. included driving approximately 1300 miles

Metasequoia fossils that  were found  were  ultimately  brought  back to Bryant for 
analysis.  As  metasequoia have  not  evolved  substantially  over  time,  they  serve  as  a 
strong scale for assessing the normalcy of temperature change over time. The outcome 
of  this  trip  scientifically,  in  addition  to  the  excellent  international  and  scientific 
experience,  is  improving  upon  the  knowledge  of  climate  change  and  ultimately 
publishing results from these excursions.


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise:
The website URL where information about the innovation is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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