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

Cal State LA's College of Natural Sciences recently instituted the "Urban Ecology Center" or UEC. The UEC mission is to support the advancement of transdisciplinary research, education, and professional development with a focus on promoting sustainable, equitable, and fair economic drivers, land-use practices, and public policies.

Cal State LA's Center for Engagement, Service & the Public Good serves as an umbrella for a wide-range of programs and projects which engage students, faculty and communities to promote the public good. In 2019, Cal State LA was awarded a two year contract with the Office of the Governor's Americorp Civic Action Fellows Program. In this program, we deployed more than 30 Cal State LA students who contributed 450 service hours to nonprofits in the Southeast Los Angeles region. The fellows were engaged with a range of projects to promote sustainability in vulnerable communities with organizations including TreePeople, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, and the Alliance for a Better Community.

Beginning in Fall 2022, Cal State LA is expanding its Civic Action Fellows Program by serving as the lead agency in a multi-campus Consortium. Now called the "California College Corps Program," students from Cal State LA, Cal Poly Pomona, Rio Hondo Community College and East Los Angeles Community College will recruit 200 students to work on projects in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles Region. Projects will focus on one of three primary areas: K-12 education, Climate Justice, and Food Insecurity.
The Office of Community Engagement 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 Community Engagement 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

Toward a Sustainable Campus: Development of an Environmental Energy Portfolio Management Tool for Cal State LA. To assist campus with its carbon reduction goals an Environmental Energy Portfolio Management Tool will be developed. This integrated energy efficiency and renewable energy sustainability tool will be developed to analyze the impact of supporting mechanisms on various GHG emissions reduction measures. A data driven assessment will be achieved by taking a modular, scalable approach. This approach considers energy inputs and outputs in all levels. The ultimate goal of the project is to establish a baseline for the University’s energy consumption and a roadmap towards cost-effective steps to reduce energy demand and maximize on-site use of renewable energy, while also reducing the University’s carbon footprint .

The CSU Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) grant program provides 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. Projects have included the study of the campus Hydrogen Station and Central Plant.

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/sustainability/Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20Library/LA-Blekham.pdf
https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/sustainability/Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20Library/LA-Rudd.pdf

Design of an Efficient Heating and Cooling System: Residential energy usage for heating and cooling is highly suboptimal with inefficient control and distribution. A subscale testbed at Cal State LA is being used for experiments to determine the effectiveness of HVAC (Heating Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) innovations and architectures. The objective of this project is to upgrade the current testbed cooling and heating system, implement additional sensors, and improve measurement and distribution of airflow throughout the subscale testbed eight rooms. The goal is to better control heat and cooling loads with ventilation ducts that are easily accessible and configurable.

http://www.calstatela.edu/ecst/seniordesign/capstone-senior-design-program-2018-2019-project-summaries#dragon

Campus as a Living Lab Grant 2017-18, Sustainable Spaces: Redesigning Campus Landscapes as Interactive Learning Environments. The goal of this project is to create an interdepartmental learning community that will involve students in the design of sustainable and productive green spaces on campus. Students will learn sustainable design principles within the context of their various disciplines in order to create interactive and educational demonstration gardens and outdoor lab spaces. Faculty from History, Biology, Geosciences and Engineering will redesign their courses to include signature assignments incorporating sustainability concepts such as natural resources management, native ecology, edible landscaping, herbal medicine, social equity and climate studies. Our goal is that students will develop a sense of connectedness to their campus environment which will foster a sense of community, facilitate social and recreational needs, and offer spaces for personal renewal and relaxation.

Purchasing worked with Engineering to sponsor an Undergraduate Directed Study (ME 4990) class researching the use of Styrofoam as packaging material in shipments to the campus. The engineering students studied alternate materials and made a final recommendation.

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.

The Department of Marketing has a course titled Community-based Social Marketing. In Spring 2019, student teams developed projects focused on reducing single-use plastics on campus. Students were offered an overview of past and present efforts related to this issue on campus by the Energy & Sustainability Manager. They were then tasked with developing 5 different solutions to problems related to single-use plastics, along with creating written reports and presentations.

Wave Measurement System: Soil erosion is a common natural phenomena in water reservoirs and natural lakes that leads to economic and natural losses. An important variable for erosion control techniques is the wave energy, measured in terms of the wave amplitude and water velocity. This project was tasked with developing a wave measurement device to measure water height and wave period using pressure sensor technology. The device would be attached to the waterway floor, encapsulated in a water tight structure, and would measure and record wave action. Periodically, the device would be retrieved and the collected data downloaded for calculating wave speed and wave energy from the measured wave height and length.

http://www.calstatela.edu/ecst/seniordesign/capstone-senior-design-program-2018-2019-project-summaries#dragon

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

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

FIN 4470 - Student Investment Fund. Development of skills through managing real investment funds in the securities markets, including establishing an investment plan, analyzing investment opportunities, making recommendations and trading decisions.

https://www.coursicle.com/calstatela/courses/FIN/4470/

i don't think this is my area of expertise, but there is increased work on well-being that comes out of the president's office and student affairs. you might speak with octavio villapando's staff to get information.