Georgia Southern University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Both the BS in Sustainability Science and the Environmental Sustainability Interdisciplinary Minor require a sustainability practicum for degree completion. Students work with a faculty mentor or internship agency to develop and implement sustainability projects in their field of expertise on campus or in the community. Projects are developed individually with each student and require a minimum of 100 hours for completion of the practicum. Projects are presented as a tangible product and/or in a public forum at the end of the semester. Sustainability serves as one of six core values that Georgia Southern University has identified in its Strategic Plan 2019-2024. Indeed, the BS in Sustainability Science and Environmental Sustainability Interdisciplinary Minor, by developing future leaders in this area of focus, directly address the university’s strategic objective 4.5, which is to “Maintain a leadership position in conservation efforts, promoting a University-wide culture of environmental sustainability.” As such, both the major and minor aid the university in fulfilling the strategic plan action items to “Enhance environmental sustainability education on all campuses” (4.5a) and “Increase the number and scope of green programs” (4.5b). The requirement of this capstone experience directly addresses the following action items of the Georgia Southern University Strategic Plan: 2.4d. Encourage and support interdisciplinary training opportunities. 1.4c. Foster critical thinking, problem-solving and written and oral communication skills within both academic and co-curricular programs to prepare students for success beyond graduation. 1.6b. Incorporate career development and professional skills into the student experience with an emphasis on service learning, student employment, co-ops, and internships.

Research Experience for Undergraduates. Provides students with the opportunity to study the potential impacts of global climate change stressors on the sustainability of organisms and ecosystems of the Atlantic Coastal Plain. An immersive, in-residence summer research program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this program provides an opportunity for 10 undergraduate students to be awarded fellowships to actively engage in a 10 week interdisciplinary research experience. Students work in a research setting (laboratory and field) with faculty mentors, receive a $575/week stipend for 10-weeks, participate in professional development workshops throughout the summer, attend field trips and guest lectures scheduled throughout the summer that focus on the organisms and ecosystems of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and present their research at the end of the program in a scientific symposium.

https://cosm.georgiasouthern.edu/icps/programs-of-study/environmental-sustainability-interdisciplinary-minor/
https://cosm.georgiasouthern.edu/icps/major-in-sustainability-science/

https://sites.google.com/georgiasouthern.edu/icps-reu/