California State University, Channel Islands
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

In 2020, a student capstone project focused on engaging the campus community in California's Clean Air Day. The project consisted of developing and disseminating an educational campaign about air quality, as well as getting individuals on campus to take a Clean Air Day pledge. Through this capstone, while learning about air quality, the student also learned about what communication and engagement techniques were most effective to reach the target population.

In 2022, a capstone project focused on developing and administering a survey to the campus community to assess sustainability literacy, culture, and behaviors. The students surveyed fellow students and employees.

Several CSUCI courses include service learning components that engage the public and provide students opportunities for applied learning related to sustainability. One example is a Land Use Planning and Open Space Management course (ESRM 464). This is an interdisciplinary course where students explore theory, policy and practical application relating to a number of locally-relevant environmental issues, impacts, strategies, and processes of contemporary land and sea management. The students work in teams with various community partners to: generate a better understanding of these environmental issues in practice; learn to work with and tailor one's efforts to the needs of a specific organization; and draw on concepts of planning and management to aid local organizations. The teams of students work to address a current question, issue, or need faced by the local partners. Students then research, analyze, and ultimately generate deep insight about potential solutions for the partner organization.

Several capstone projects completed by Environmental Science and Resource Management students also focused on public engagement. The capstone projects included subjects such as surveying the community knowledge and attitudes toward sustainability and coastal issues, and surveying the community about purchasing of seafood. Students also completed projects to analyze the accessibility of the California coast, investigate the impacts of climate change on surf breaks, and using image recognition software to identify marine debris on local beaches.

In 2021-2022, several English interns engaged in technical writing internships focused on writing elements of the university's inaugural Climate Action Plan. For this internship, the students conducted extensive research on the university's past sustainability initiatives, anticipated climate impacts for the campus, university policies relating to sustainability, and proposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The students expanded their understanding of climate change, how it impacts the campus, and made substantial contributions to the university' Climate Action Plan.

As part of a physics class, students positioned air sensors in various locations throughout campus to measure air quality. Students analyze the data collected by the sensors every two weeks to assess changes in air quality and identify potential causes, such as wind events, harvest events at neighboring farms, agricultural spray events, etc. This activity enables students to measure the fluctuations in air quality and begin to connect certain activities with their air quality impacts.

CSU Channel Islands regularly takes classes of students for tours of the LEED certified building on campus. Students are asked to identify the sustainable building features and have a discussion about the costs and benefits of green building practices.

In 2020 students in a GIS course utilized energy data for buildings on campus to create a story map illustrating which campus buildings are the most energy intensive.

Students work with Assistant Professor of Biology, Ruben Alarcon, to manage a small garden on the campus grounds where they grow food for the university's food pantry. The students experiment with different varieties of fruits and vegetables, learn about proper planting times, the value of pollinators, and the importance of growing organic food for the campus community.

In 2022, students developed and administered a survey on campus to understand people's feelings and behaviors relating to meat consumption and evaluate openness to reducing meat consumption on campus. The students reviewed survey results and developed specific, actionable ideas to reduce meat consumption in campus dining locations.

In early 2022, CSUCI celebrated the annual Bio Blitz activity, calling all students on campus to serve as citizen scientists. CSUCI students of all majors were invited to wander around campus anytime between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the designated day and take photos of any plants, flowers, fungi, insects, birds, or trees that catch their eye. The iNaturalist app was is used to identify what they’ve seen and upload it to their global citizen science database of plants, flowers, fungi, trees, insects and animals found on and around the CSUCI campus – and the world. Three Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) students organized the BioBlitz as their senior research (Capstone) project. The student researchers collect the photos and data, study it, and add it to a growing database of all the biodiversity on and around campus. Each year, BioBlitzters add to the database so scientists and student scientists will accumulate a wealth of increasing amounts of data through the years.

In October 2022, volunteers gathered to continue reviving Round Mountain, a small mountain on the west side of the CI campus. The mountain boasts a historic identity as “Sat’wiwa” (the bluffs), a sacred site where the native Chumash inhabitants gathered for the winter solstice and set up shrines to celebrate harmony, healing, forgiveness, and compassion. The centuries-old tradition died out nearly 200 years ago. CSUCI students, staff, faculty, and alumni joined with Chumash descendants and members of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council for the inaugural Round Mountain Day of Service. Armed with picks, rakes, and hand tools, the volunteers began clearing a path to the top of the mountain. Throughout the day, volunteers learned about Chumash history and the significance of the site. After spending the morning clearing overgrown brush from the four-foot-wide trail, volunteers returned by bus to campus to enjoy lunch and share reflections and observations. They hope to restore Sat’wiwa as a sacred Chumash shrine and, later, open the trail and mountaintop to the public as a cultural and recreational site.

CSU Channel Islands regularly offers service learning opportunities for students to work with the landscaping team to learn about integrated pest management and how to design and maintain pollinator habitats. The campus has intentionally planted a wide variety of native plants on campus grounds that are used by professors to teach students about the flora that is native to this region without having to leave campus.

Students are also participating in restoration efforts at the Santa Rosa Island Research Station in collaboration with the National Park Service.

In 2020, students in a GIS class used data from the campus commuting survey to create a GIS story map illustrating where students and employees are commuting to campus from. Their map highlighted hot spots, areas with denser population of CSUCI students and employees, as places to focus future expansion of mass transit routes or to target routes for future campus shuttles.

CSUCI has a research station on Santa Rosa Island in the Channel Islands. Although uninhabited, the islands’ ecologically sensitive shorelines are littered with marine debris ranging from lobster traps to Starbucks cups. The debris can come from stormwater discharge, illegal dumping, mainland beachgoers and commercial fishing operations. Under a NOAA grant awarded in 2020, students from the Santa Rosa Islands Research Station (SRIRS) and multiple academic programs at CSUCI are working with student veterans and members of historically underrepresented groups to remove and assess the debris from seven remote beaches through September 2023. Volunteers have already taken multi-day trips to the islands to collect debris, a process involving long, rugged hikes up rocky cliffs carrying debris-laden backpacks.

Associate Professor of Environmental Science & Resource Management Clare Steele, Ph.D., and student researchers identify the polymer types in plastic debris samples to pinpoint sources. All the data collected since 2016 will be used to inform policy changes to reduce marine debris.

Professor of Art Matthew Furmanski, who has participated in the SRIRS Marine Debris Program since its beginning, was pivotal in the collaboration between his program and SRIRS on the project. This year, Furmanski and Jose Galvan Martinez, an Art major and former SRIRS intern, spearheaded the efforts to incorporate the recovered debris into sculptures and mixed media pieces and organize the second “Channel Islands Marine Debris Art Show” to educate the community about the environmental problem. They recruited artists from CSUCI and the community, and Galvan Martinez led a workshop in collaboration with Vita Art Center in Ventura where K-12 students created additional pieces.

In ESRM 205, Principles of Sustainability, student groups were asked to take on a project to address a sustainability issue on campus. One group of students focused on assessing campus water use and recommending strategies to conserve more water. The students reviewed water consumption data, fertilizer use, and the amount of water-dependent landscaping on campus. The students developed recommendations for ways to convert grass areas to drought tolerant landscaping, among other water conservation strategies.

In 2021-2022, several English interns engaged in technical writing internships focused on writing elements of the university's inaugural Climate Action Plan. For this internship, the students conducted extensive research on the university's past sustainability initiatives, anticipated climate impacts for the campus, university policies relating to sustainability, and proposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The students expanded their understanding of climate change, how it impacts the campus, and made substantial contributions to the university' Climate Action Plan.

In 2022, a student engaged in an internship to assist with data collection and analysis for the university's STARS report. The student reviewed the STARS technical manual, communicated with data sources throughout campus, conducted research on the university websites, hosted meetings with stakeholders, and assisted with answering credits in the STARS report.

In October 2022, volunteers gathered to take the first step in reviving Round Mountain, a small mountain on the west side of the CI campus. The mountain boasts a historic identity as “Sat’wiwa” (the bluffs), a sacred site where the native Chumash inhabitants gathered for the winter solstice and set up shrines to celebrate harmony, healing, forgiveness, and compassion. The centuries-old tradition died out nearly 200 years ago. CSUCI students, staff, faculty, and alumni joined with Chumash descendants and members of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council for the inaugural Round Mountain Day of Service. Armed with picks, rakes, and hand tools, the volunteers began clearing a path to the top of the mountain. Throughout the day, volunteers learned about Chumash history and the significance of the site. After spending the morning clearing overgrown brush from the four-foot-wide trail, volunteers returned by bus to campus to enjoy lunch and share reflections and observations. They hope to restore Sat’wiwa as a sacred Chumash shrine and, later, open the trail and mountaintop to the public as a cultural and recreational site.

Bio Blitz: https://www.csuci.edu/news/releases/2022-bioblitz.htm