Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.23
Liaison Heather Albert-Knopp
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2022

STARS v2.2

College of the Atlantic
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Dave Feldman
Professor of Physics and Mathematics
Environmental Science
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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:

College of the Atlantic has a dedicated Environmental Fund, part of which is directed to the support of student research. The primary use of these funds is to support summer Energy Fellows. These positions, which are open to all qualified COA students, allow students to carry out energy and sustainability projects on campus and in the local community. Recent projects have analyzed the heating needs on campus and investigated the legal and financial framework needed for a local community-owned solar photovoltaic installation. The Environmental Fund also has supported students attending conferences on sustainability and waste reduction.

Additionally, the college annually has provided around $10,000 to support student participation in the annual meetings (Conferences of the Parties, or COPs) of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Students participate fully in the COP and publish reports and analyses on their blog, www.earthinbrackets.org.


Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
No

A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
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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?:
Yes

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

COA is by definition an interdisciplinary college and faculty. As such, it is an expectation that our non-departmental faculty work towards making contributions to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research and teaching. This is assessed during faculty reviews as part of the faculty member's contribution to the intellectual depth and diversity of the college.


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:

College of the Atlantic's Thorndike Library supports sustainability research and learning in a variety of ways. We have a subject guide titled Sustainable Food Systems that focuses on library and learning resources. The library developed this guide with assistance from students and faculty involved with sustainable food systems studies at the college. The library also has an extensive collective of books and other resources that support classes emphasizing sustainability. These classes deal with topics such as climate change, composting, renewable energy solutions for coastal islands, and more. Our regular online databases and library collections provide support for sustainability research. Materials that are needed for research that are not readily available in the library can be acquired through the Inter-Library Loan service as part of MINERVA, a state-wide consortium of libraries in Maine.


Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
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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.