California State University, Los Angeles
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

2014-15 CSU Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) grant program provided a unique opportunity to partner faculty and facilities management staff in using the campus as a forum for the exploration of sustainability concepts and theories. Students were given the opportunity to study the Cal State LA Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility (H2 Station) as a working model of global sustainability with the course redesign of HNRS 330 Global Climate Change: The Science and Responsible Societal Response. Students studied the science of global climate change, its impact on society, and the science,
technology, and societal role in alternative energy in supporting global sustainability.

The College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST) Professional Practice Program (PPP) establishes corporate and university partnerships with its Senior Design Projects. The purpose of the Senior Design Project Program is to provide students with a capstone experience in which they apply their theoretical knowledge to real applications. The program encourages students to work with a real client (either the university, a company or other industry partner) to solve a client-defined problem. The result may be a physical prototype, software package, or operational algorithm. Regardless of project type, student teams are expected to meet the needs of their client, and deliver a product at the end of the academic year. Projects involve teams of four or five engineering/computer science, or technology students, a faculty advisor, and a technical liaison from the sponsoring company, working on a real customer problem for a full academic year. This year, Cal State LA has been a client on a number of student design projects, including the "Design of Energy Efficient Buildings" and "Design of Palmer Wing HVAC". https://www.calstatela.edu/ecst/ppp

1. Cal State LA was recently awarded a 2015-2016 Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) grant for our Sustainable Energy and Transportation course redesign. Three new activities were proposed to upgrade the course with living labs topics, which collectively will allow students to enhance learning through creative, analytical and hands-on experiences:
a) Organize 2-3 trips around the campus physical plant locations. Students will be encouraged to create and narrate videos that will discuss various technologies deployed by the physical plant. The best videos will be posted using social media.
b) In 2016 Cal State LA is implementing the Energy Information System that will be reporting 15 minute intervals for electricity for the campus as a whole and individual buildings. Students will be using the campus data to analyze power consumption, cost, purchasing agreements.
c) The Engineering Building is equipped with three solar PV arrays. One of them is built from old PV modules that significantly underperform. With the CALL infrastructure funding, a new array will be installed with the help of students. Completed system will be monitored on-line. In addition, this work will complement a Photovoltaics Applications course, which is next in the sequence.

2. The concept of sustainable energy research, as realized by CEaS, involves a multi-disciplinary effort to address issues of making existing energy technologies more efficient while pursuing emerging alternate energy technologies that are not reliant on fossil fuels. We conduct transformative research to promote energy diversity, efficiency, and sustainability while training diverse and talented engineers and scientists to catalyze change in this field. We also engage policymakers, schools, and the public to ensure that the technological advances are robust, widely understood and adopted. http://ceas.calstatela.edu/

Cal State LA has created the Sustainable Energy and Transportation Technology Program to apply a multi-faceted approach to teach sustainable energy systems and engage students in applied research to mitigate the problems of fossil fuel energy dependence and air pollution. The program is centered upon the University’s Sustainable Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, an integral part of the technology portfolio needed to achieve clean air health standards, and was made possible by funding from the University’s ongoing partnership with SCAQMD. The station actively pursues public outreach, education and community partnerships, including an internship program offering students a living-laboratory environment to study zero-emissions fuel cell vehicles.

1. The Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good was launched in 2014 to work on behalf of the students of Cal State L.A. and residents of Los Angeles to generate positive change across Southern California. The goal, as envisioned by President William A. Covino, is to transform the University into a hub of civic engagement and public service for our communities, our city, and our region. We are dedicated to service learning and neighborhood transformation and seek to be a catalytic force in the lives of students, faculty and the people who live in the communities we serve. http://www.calstatela.edu/engagement

2. The Office of Service Learning links academic teaching, learning and community service by engaging students, faculty, and community partners in collaborative relationships that embrace diversity and social justice. OSL supports a campuswide culture of community engagement that contributes to student success and prepares students to serve the changing needs of a global society.

The Office of Service Learning provides:

Faculty development for teaching and curriculum design
Support for student and faculty community-based research
Support for research on the pedagogy and practice of community engagement
Staff and student support for academic service learning
http://www.calstatela.edu/engagement/osl

3. Established in 1966 by Associated Students, Inc., and the Division of Student Affairs, the Educational Participation in Communities (EPIC) program was created in the wake of the Watts Rebellion of 1965 to help address critical community needs by placing student volunteers in local nonprofit organizations. One of the oldest such programs in the California State University system, EPIC has long been in the forefront for more than 45 years, developing community partnerships, coordinating the University’s community involvement activities, and connecting hundreds of students annually to community-based organizations where students develop leadership and commitment to service. Passionate and dedicated students are the heart of the EPIC program and have always been the foundation of EPIC’s work in the community.

Our mission is to promote community service learning by creating opportunities for university students to implement classroom theory in real life situations. Through community service, EPIC inspires and enables university students to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens by volunteering in a wide range of agencies serving a broad spectrum of communities throughout the Los Angeles area. With the support of the administration, staff, and community partners, students are the keystone of the program and the basis for its continued success in serving the community. http://www.calstatela.edu/engagement/epic#overlay-context=engagement

4. Civic U is a non-credit certificate program offered by the Pat Brown Institute in association with Cal State LA’s College of Professional and Global Education, in partnership with the the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

After the successful Civic U 1.0 for neighborhood councils in 2015, the City of Los Angeles asked the Pat Brown Institute to develop a graduate program in civic engagement. In February 2016, Civic U 2.0 was held at the new Cal State LA downtown campus at 801 South Grand Avenue. http://www.patbrowninstitute.org/what-we-do/civic-university/