Dalhousie University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

1. Research embedded in the curriculum. Some examples include:
• MGMT 5000 – Management Without Borders – “This course places management in its broadest context and helps students from diverse disciplines explore the complex social, economic, ecological, political and technological forces shaping 21st century leadership in the public, private and non-profit sectors. The course is characterized by a strong emphasis on teamwork and effective problem solving in inter-professional environments. The major focus of the course is the MWB group project. Interdisciplinary teams of 4-6 students will spend the semester working on live projects hosted by organizations from across Nova Scotia.”
• SUST 3002 Environment, Sustainability & Society Internship: “SUST 3002 is an experiential learning class which provides students with a hands-on engagement experience to pursue questions of personal and academic interest relevant to the field. In this course, students work on a specific project at an approved community partner, for approximately six to eight hours per week over a 10-12-week period (60-80 hours)”
• ENVS/SUST 3502 Campus as a Living Laboratory: “In this course, the Dalhousie campus serves as a living laboratory for identifying, evaluating and assessing indicators of progress toward greater campus sustainability. Working in groups, students apply problem solving models to case studies using qualitative and quantitative research methods and make recommendations for improvements on campus based on their analyses.”
• SUST 4000 Environment, Sustainability & Society Capstone – “Students work in multidisciplinary groups with community partner organizations to identify real problems and develop meaningful strategies to address them. Groups work with advisors and experts and create detailed plans of action based on strong research and analysis.”

2. Elizabeth May sustainability and environmental research symposium - provides a forum for exchange of ideas on recent advances in research, theory and practice in environment and health research. The event includes a poster session, keynote speaker, and awards. Students are encouraged to share their work by participating in the Science Atlantic Environment Conference.

3. The College of Sustainability has several student grants for conference travel to support the costs associated with internships and research.

Elizabeth May chair in sustainability and environmental health -

The office of the Elizabeth May Chair in Sustainability and Environmental Health serves as a resource to academia. The annual Sustainability and Environmental Research Symposium (SERS) provides a forum for exchange of ideas on recent advances in research, theory and practice in environment and health research.

The College of Sustainability provide supports to faculty members in their teaching team by providing part of the cost of conference registration and travel when they are presenting their research.

The Office of the Vice-President of Research & Innovation provides central initiatives such as a sustainability researcher survey and SDG grant identification, A Strategic Framework and reporting framed by the SDGs, and SDG researcher exchanges and policy development forums.

Interdisciplinary research is considered when performance is been evaluated for tenure and/or promotion decisions.

The Dalhousie Libraries provide support for sustainability research and learning in the following ways:
-The library has prepared online subject guides (SUST 1000 and SUST 1001) that focus on library resources for students in first-year sustainability courses:

SUST 1000 guide: http://dal.ca.libguides.com/sust
SUST 1001 guide: http://dal.ca.libguides.com/sust1001

These guides provide links to relevant databases, electronic encyclopedias, instructional tutorials, citation guides and other resources that are relevant not just for first-year students but for students in the subsequent years of the undergraduate sustainability programs.
-A library research training session is provided to approximately 80-100 students of the course SUST 3502: Campus as a Living Lab. Also, in past years, at least one of the library’s locations (the Killam Memorial Library) has served as a site in which students from this course have conducted project work, including: sustainability audits on the content of waste bins and of lighting in the stack areas, printer paper usage and water consumption. The library also invited students from the course to display their project posters in the library lobby, where they could be viewed by fellow students and members of the public.
-Since the establishment of the university’s College of Sustainability in 2009, a librarian has served as a member of the College’s Curriculum Committee. Via new course proposals from faculty members, librarians are made aware of new areas of sustainability research and teaching, have been involved in the preparation of library collection assessments in support of the courses, and based on the course content, select library resources in these areas.
-Although the library does not have a formal policy that relates to the acquisition of materials related to sustainability, since the establishment of the College of Sustainability, the library has made a concerted effort to acquire print books and e-books related to sustainability topics. Through an annual transfer of funds from the College, the library purchases titles on a wide range of relevant topics including: food, energy & water security, agriculture, biological ecosystems, urban planning, green business practices, environmental history, ethics, policy and governance issues, sustainable campuses, and eco-tourism.
-The library subscribes to numerous journals that publish research articles related to sustainability. Some of the specialized titles include:
o Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
o Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
o Environmental Progress and Sustainable Energy
o International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
o International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
o International Journal of Sustainable Energy
o International Journal of Sustainable Transportation
o Journal of Cleaner Production
o Journal of Industrial Ecology
o Journal of Sustainability and Green Business
o Journal of Sustainable Agriculture
o Journal of Sustainable Forestry
o Journal of Sustainable Tourism
o Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability
o Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems
o Renewable Energy
o Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review
o Sustainability (Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)
o Sustainability Energy
o Sustainability Science