Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.81
Liaison Austin Eriksson
Submission Date Nov. 29, 2021

STARS v2.2

California State University, Northridge
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Sarah Johnson
Sustainability Program Analyst
Institute for Sustainability
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Student sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
The Office of Research and Graduate Studies hosts an annual Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, "CSUNPosium". This is a student conference featuring oral and poster presentations. The purpose is to showcase excellence in scholarly research and creative activity conducted by CSUN students across all academic disciplines. Presentation tracks are organized by interdisciplinary themed sessions rather than by discipline.

Students are also supported to work on sustainability-related research projects through the Institute for Sustainability and Facilities Planning. Examples include: development of surveys, development and analysis of commuting data, sustainable fashion company analysis, sustainability literacy and culture assessments, biodiversity assessments, solar panel efficiency, healthy and sustainable food marketing assessment, water conservation and irrigation efficiency maps, campus sustainability mapping, climate change research, and zero waste analyses.

Students have presented at conferences including AASHE, CHESC, SCAG, WPA, and This Way to Sustainability.

Faculty sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
Faculty Associates are provided stipends through the Institute for Sustainability to conduct studies and research. Examples are: effective sustainability messaging, sustainable packaging design, plant intercropping, analysis of commuting trends, climate science education, sustainable fashion, and more.
Sustainability Faculty Innovation Awardees: www.csun.edu/sustainability/institute-for-sustainability/faculty-innovation-fellows

Recognition of interdisciplinary, transdisciplnary and multi-disciplinary research 

Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
No

A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
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The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
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Library support

Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The Library provides reference services, research consultations, materials in many formats, access to databases for conducting research, and course-related instruction for students and faculty. Librarians create subject guides and course-specific webpages hosted by the Library and provide content in the campus learning management system to support student learning. In addition, the Library co-collaborates to fund the Research Fellows Program that has the following benefits: facilitating a network of people to catalyze initiatives; launching new collaborations; expanding and strengthening the talent base of researchers; linking researchers with other disciplines and industry; applying knowledge to relevant area problems; initiating a more vibrant research focus for the campus; spotlighting the diversity of research; catalyzing new research; and mentoring new scholars.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.