| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 43.68 |
| Liaison | Jeane Pope |
| Submission Date | June 23, 2020 |
DePauw University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Malorie
Imhoff Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
Our Science Research Fellows program and Environmental Fellows Program both require research experience for students who are in the program. As a number of our science faculty are doing sustainability related/focused research, students here have the opportunity and the encouragement to work with faculty to do research in these areas.
Recent practicum experiences from students in the Environmental Fellows Program include:
RESEARCH AT THE MONTEVERDE INSTITUTE IN COSTA RICA
Donna is an Environmental Biology major and a student director for the Sustainability Leadership Program. She completed her practicum at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica, where she studied Spanish and researched the soil quality of pasture land. Donna also spent a summer participating in National Science Foundation funded research on red maple seed production and viability in response to nutrient addition in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and has interned with Bee Public and the Patachou Foundation in Indianapolis, as well.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN COLOMBIA
Connor is an Urban Studies major and member of the Sustainability Leadership Program. Connor worked on a UN-sponsored project to propose a plan to increase the sustainability and livability of Moravia, a neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia. The goal was to find replicable ways to green and improve the neighborhood so that other neighborhoods could follow Moravia's lead. During his practicum, Connor gained valuable experience working in a community based organization and with the government planning department to effect changes in the city.
SUMMER RESEARCH AT DEPAUW
Vy Le is an Environmental Geoscience major with a minor in Chemistry. She is a member of the Sustainability Leadership Program. Vy interned at Buzzi Unicem-Alternate Fuels, where she helped conduct chemical tests on hazardous waste materials that are used as supplemental fuels to coal in the cement manufacturing process. Vy completed a second practicum experience conducting summer research at Depauw with Prof. Fred Soster on suspended sediment transport and sources in the Big Walnut Creek Watershed in Indiana. The research will have implications for sediment control strategies that could help alleviate environmental problems related to runoff in the Gulf of Mexico.
PEACE BUILDING IN JORDAN
Nicole Pasho is a History major with a minor in Environmental Geoscience. She is a member of the Sustainability Leadership Program, serving as project leader for the DePauw Environmental Policy Project two semesters. During that time Nicole coordinated an event titled "What Are We Thinking? Elections and Environmental Policy" and organized a group to attend the People's Climate March in Washington D.C. She was introduced, during a May Term, to the field of peace building and bridging communities with PeacePlayers International in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Nicole completed her practicum experience with EcoPeace Middle East as a summer intern with the "Good Water Neighbors" project in Amman, Jordan.
DECONSTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE DEPAUW CAMPUS FARM HOUSE
Cecilia is a History major and Honor Scholar. She completed her practicum by researching the local and environmental history of the DePauw Campus Farm House and assisting with its deconstruction alongside Professors Jennifer Everett (Philosophy) and Jim Mills (Geosciences). Cecilia is also a member of the Sustainability Leadership Program and served as the Sustainable Energy project manager for two semesters.
More Environmental Fellows Program practicum highlights can be found here: https://www.depauw.edu/academics/honors-fellows-programs/environmental-fellows-program/practicum-experiences/
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
Through the Faculty Development program at DePauw, faculty are able to write proposals to obtain funds to do research. Because of the focus of the Environmental Fellows Honors Program in particular, the faculty involved either as Steering Committee members or as contributors to the program (through the courses they teach), are encouraged to do research in sustainability focused/related areas.
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?:
A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The DePauw Libraries have created a lib guide for the campus farm: https://libguides.depauw.edu/c.php?g=715403&p=5090304
DePauw librarian Mandy Henk also published a book on sustainability and the library, available here: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=10972
History Major and Environmental Fellow Cecilia Slane '20 created a "Sustainability Archive" at the library through her role as student director in the Sustainability Leadership Program. This archive is meant to capture past sustainability projects on DePauw's campus and will continue as a research and educational tool for years to come.
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information about the Environmental Fellows Honors Program and the associated field experience requirement can be found at http://www.depauw.edu/academics/honorsfellows/environmental-fellows-program/
Information about the Environmental Fellows Honors Program and the associated field experience requirement can be found at http://www.depauw.edu/academics/honorsfellows/environmental-fellows-program/
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