Indiana University Indianapolis
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

In the spring of 2020, the IUPUI Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) and IUPUI Faculty Council passed resolutions calling for campus-wide carbon neutrality. Additionally, the IUPUI Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and IUPUI Staff Council are currently developing and contemplating passing their own Carbon Neutrality Resolutions. These resolutions, aiming to persuade the IUPUI to create and pursue a pathway towards carbon neutrality by 2040, were started by a similar resolution passed at IU East’s Faculty Council – a small satellite campus of Indiana University. The pioneering efforts of IU East catalyzed what has now become a university-wide, grassroots effort. A Carbon Neutrality Resolution has now been passed by the University Faculty Council (UFC) – a governing body representing the Faculty Councils across all IU campuses. A Sustainability Committee has been formed to oversee the development and implementation of the resolution’s goals.

UFC Resolution: https://ufc.iu.edu/meetings/2019-2020/circulars/U20-2020.pdf



IUPUI Sustainability annually awards $50,000 in grant funding for sustainability projects – called the Greening IUPUI Grant. All students, faculty and staff are invited to apply for funding to bring their sustainability ideas to life on the IUPUI campus. Every year, numerous applications come in from community members representing every school and department. Additionally, all students enrolled in the SPEA V-222, Introduction to Sustainability course, must write an application for a Greening IUPUI Grant. Though submission of these applications is optional, many V-222 students follow through with their project ideas and to this day, many have successfully been funded and implemented.

The 2019 – 2020, projects selected for funding include:
- University Library Green Team’s application for a Seed Library
- Campus Facility Services Grounds Team’s application for electric grounds equipment
- Student’s application to initiate an engagement program to promote sustainability in fraternities + sororities
- Student’s application to explore the development of a living wall in the dining hall
- Student’s application to install hand dryers in her residence hall, North Hall

More on Greening IUPUI Grants: https://sustainability.iupui.edu/resources/greening-iupui/index.html



In celebration of Earth Month 2020, all interns of IUPUI Sustainability participated in engaging the campus community – virtually due to the COVID pandemic that had only just begun. Each intern hosted an educational webinar on topics related to their professional roles and/or personal passions.

Webinar lineup:
- Becoming Carbon Neutral: Strategies from Succeeding Universities
April 10, 2020. Hosted by the Renewable Energy Policy Intern, an undergraduate student

- Eco-Friendly Event Planning
April 13, 2020. Hosted by the Sustainable Events Intern, an undergraduate student.

- Recycling on Campus Simplified
April 15, 2020. Hosted by the Sustainable Waste Management Intern, an undergraduate student.

- How to Win the Energy Challenge at Home: Energy Saving Tips
April 17, 2020. Hosted by the Energy Challenge Intern, an undergraduate student.

- Food Insecurity & How to Grow Plants From Food Scraps
April 20, 2020. Hosted by the Garden Assistant, an undergraduate student.

- Five Ways to Celebrate the 50th Earth Day
April 22, 2020. Hosted by the Sustainability Support Intern, a graduate student.

- Prepping Your Garden Beds: How Good Preparation Augments Soil Health
April 28, 2020. Hosted by the Garden Manager, a graduate student.

- How to Design a Promotional Event Flyer
April 30, 2020. Hosted by the Communications and Marketing Intern, an undergraduate student.

Recordings of all webinars can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpuAYz8JvSBNogrAsxASBQw



On August 29, 2019, incoming freshmen took part in the Summer Bridge Innovation Showcase, developing creative ways to improve sustainability on campus. Ideas presented included electrified campus shuttles, food waste reduction strategies, greenhouse and aeroponic gardening, solar powered lighting, sustainable purchasing, roof top gardens, and more.

Photos of student projects: https://go.iu.edu/3olc


The IUPUI Biology Club utilizes a rooftop greenhouse, situated above the Science and Engineering Laboratory Building, to study and grow a variety of plants. An annual activity of the club is to grow and propagate common house plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetables to sell at a Spring Plant Sale – held this past year from April 23 – 25, 2019.

Promotion of the plant sale: https://go.iu.edu/3old Current research: The Artist’s Role in Civic Innovation; Artists and New Economies; Digital Media Growth; Arts Sectors’ Growth Related to Broader Economy

As part of the second-annual Rolls-Royce Community Cares Day, a group of about 50 Rolls-Royce employees spent two days (September 10 – 11, 2019) working on prepping and planting IUPUI’s first pollinator garden. The pollinator garden was initially designed by an undergraduate student as an Honors College Project. The student worked hand-in-hand with a campus architect, who mentored and advocated for the project to be implemented in real-life. The Rolls-Royce volunteers, under the supervision of the IUPUI Grounds Team and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, closely followed the student’s design in the installation of the pollinator garden.


The Indiana Sustainability Development Program (ISDP) placed 10 IUPUI students in the summer of 2019, and 6 students in the summer of 2020, with partner organizations comprised of corporations, non-profits, and municipalities across the state. These student externs, now called Indiana Climate Fellows, completed a 10-week internship working on sustainability projects unique to each organization’s needs. The students who were placed with municipalities, known as the Resilience Cohort, helped prepare greenhouse gas emission inventories and climate action plans for Indiana cities and towns.

More about ISDP: https://sustain.iu.edu/isdp/index.html


The IUPUI Office of Sustainability participated in the IU Kids Summer Camp in July 2019, hosting about 15 young people for a sustainability minicamp. The mixed-age group spent three days learning about a range of topics, including energy, food, waste, and natural resources. In partnership with IUPUI’s Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES), the minicamp featured a biodiversity assessment, a day of work in the campus gardens, lessons on renewable energy, and crafting activities using repurposed materials.

More on the IU Kids Summer Camp: https://us8.campaign-archive.com/?u=2afe486618b294e4d0493f1a1&id=a503e293e3


An undergraduate Sustainability student, serving as the Sustainable Events Intern with IUPUI Sustainability, closely assisted in the planning of the 2020 Indiana Sustainability and Resilience Conference (ISRC) – a statewide event designed to gather Indiana’s leading sustainability professionals. The Sustainable Events Intern researched sustainable event practices, created data tracking assets, conducted virtual outreach, and developed a greenhouse gas emission assessment of the event. Additionally, the Communications and Marketing Intern with IUPUI Sustainability created all graphic design assets for the event – including the program, social media assets, t-shirt design, and more. Three additional student interns of the office assisted with the management of the virtual event on the days of the Conference (September 1 – 2, 2020).

More on the ISRC: go.iupui.edu/ISRC


The Energy Club at IUPUI competed in the Solar District Cup 2020 - a collegiate design competition, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, challenging multidisciplinary student teams to design and model optimized distributed solar energy systems for a campus or urban district. The IUPUI team were named one of 35 finalists, advancing to the final round where they presented their projects to judges and industry partners during a live video-conference event on April 26, 2020. Although they did not win, it was a wonderful experience.

More on the Solar District Cup: https://www.herox.com/SolarDistrictCup2020/update/3018


From October 18-21, 2019, a group of 22 undergraduate students participate in an “Alternative Break” (AB) spring-break trip to Pikeville, Tennessee. AB trips are service-learning experiences centered around social issues, one of which is Environmentalism. The student-led trips allow students to connect with different communities and cultures while working to create positive, sustainable change. In partnership with The Cumberland Trails Conference (CTC), an independent, membership based 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation, the students worked to support their mission of helping preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Tennessee, conserve natural resources, provide educational and recreational opportunities, and connect local communities.

Learn more about Alternative Breaks: https://studentaffairs.iupui.edu/get-involved/alternative-break-programs/index.html


The Sam H. Jones (SHJ) program is one of the nation’s largest service-based scholarship programs. The SHJ program is comprised of 7 distinct programs: Alternative Break Scholars, Bonner Leader Scholars, Community Service Leaders, Family, School & Neighborhood Scholars, Fugate Scholars, Paws Pantry Scholars, and Service Corp Scholars. In 2019, the SHJ program had grown to annually encompass more than 200 Scholars. SHJ Scholars attend individual and group meetings that support their involvement in educationally meaningful service experiences. Scholars participate in community service, lead peers in service activities, assist faculty with implementing service-learning classes, and participate in structured reflection activities. The Scholars develop professional skills, civic communication skills and civic identity.

Learn more about the Sam H. Jones program: https://csl.iupui.edu/programs/scholarships/index.html


The Institute for Engaged Learning promotes and supports the equitable progression of undergraduates through pathways of connected and scaffolded curricular and co-curricular, applied, integrative, and experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for lives of commitment and success with skills to communicate, innovate, and engage in local and global communities to address 21st century problems. The Institute offers four pathways for IUPUI students to gain experience on- and off-campus: (1) Civic engagement opportunities with surrounding community partners, (2) Professional work experiences where they can test, apply, and hone their skills, (3) Study abroad where they can explore the world while developing valuable skills, and (4) Conduct research to develop their intellectual curiosity and skillset. The institute is comprised of units and centers that work together to support faculty, staff, and students in these efforts, including:
First-Year Experience programs
Center for Service and Learning
Center for Research and Learning
Gateway Learning Academy
ePortfolio Initiative
RISE
The institute seeks partnerships with other units offering engaged learning experiences in the campuswide effort to ensure that all undergraduate students participate in at least four scaffolded, high-impact engaged learning experiences by the time they graduate.

More on the Institute for Engaged Learning: https://getengaged.iupui.edu/about/index.html


In the fall of 2019, a team of four informatics and computing students, led by professor Zebulun Wood and Drennen Dooms, has been working for University of Massachusetts professor Duncan Irschick to create an educational app for Irschick's library of 3D models of animals, some of which are endangered. "It's an international-level collaboration," Wood said. "Duncan goes all over the world scanning these endangered species, and now Drennen and his team are digitizing them and making a scavenger app that can go to zoos and conferences to generate awareness for Duncan and his mission to digitally preserve all these species that are about to disappear."

Read more: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2019/12/iupui/inside/12-digital-life-capstone-night-endangered-species-augmented-reality-informatics.html

The IUPUI Sustainability internship program employs 12 student interns, almost all of whom are involved with aspects of tracking, assessing and/or reducing the university's greenhouse gas emissions. A few instances of this work include:
- The Energy Intern is charged with promoting energy-saving across campus.
- The Sustainability Support Intern was involved in the gathering and analyzing of data for the assessment of campus-wide greenhouse gas emissions for fiscal year 2019.
- The Sustainable Waste Management Intern is responsible for all waste diversion programs and initiatives on campus, including waste reduction, recycling and composting.
- The Renewable Energy Intern supports the campus' efforts to transition towards renewable energy sources.


In the spring of 2019, the successful grant application led to more than $12,000 being invested in the purchase of various all-electric power tools from Greenworks Tools. The arsenal of new electric equipment included two tillers, nine leaf blowers, nine weed trimmers, five chainsaws, two pole saws and two push mowers that forgo gasoline. The Grounds Team is committed to continuing these electrification efforts, by replacing aged equipment with new all-electric tools. Most recently, the campus was awarded an Indiana Department of Environmental Management Grant, which will be used to purchase another electric lawn mower for the campus.


The IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science (CEES) was established in 1997, and seeks to provide interdisciplinary research solutions to environmental challenges facing Central Indiana. The center pursues this mission through applied research in collaboration with community partners, translation of research into action to inform policy-making, and science education and public outreach programs to promote civic engagement and environmental stewardship. Activities include the following core areas:
- Research program that strives to bring together faculty from different academic disciplines to discuss complex issues and pursue large-scale external grants. In this context, CEES is very supportive of research initiatives that cross traditional science boundaries, facilitate science-based decision-making, and feed our science education programming.
- Education and outreach programs are offered as an avenue to share research discovery with the public, and make science real and relevant. In addition to their nature as community service, these activities also provide opportunities for IUPUI students to get involved in science education and STEM pedagogy research.
- Public service programs that immerse participants in experiential projects that address current environmental issues and improve natural areas in central Indiana. CEES provides service learning opportunities and partnerships with various city and state agencies and nonprofit organizations.


The IUPUI Center for Urban Health has a current 360 Dust Analysis project, as part of the global 360 Dust Analysis project. "We spend a lot of time indoors, but we don't know what we are being exposed to -- contaminants can't be seen or smelled." said Gabriel Filippelli, founding director of the Center for Urban Health and professor of earth sciences in the School of Science at IUPUI. "It's important to our health, and especially the health of children, to see if there are things in the indoor environment that are of concern." Filippelli and his team of IUPUI students will conduct an analysis of each sample and email a report to the individual who submitted the dust sample. Participants will be sent detailed information about their dust and helpful suggestions on ways to mitigate any health risk associated with the contaminants found in their home. The results of this hands-on approach to science will both benefit those who send in their sample and inform environmental researchers around the world.
http://www.urbanhealth.iupui.edu/home.aspx

In the fall of 2019, a capstone course in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, consisting of 6 undergraduate students, worked with IUPUI Sustainability to assess the feasibility for the university to achieve LEED O+M for current building maintenance and operation practices. The goals set for student team were to compare LEED O+M scores from other colleges to IUPUI. Along with that goal, the team had to create a Green Report Card to grade how buildings are preforming, in sustainability, against each other on IUPUI’s campus. Lastly, the team had to conduct research and produce recommendations that the IUPUI Office of Sustainability can use to further advance sustainability on campus in regards to building management and operations. After conducting secondary and primary research and analyzing data, the Green Infrastructure Team concluded the following:
- The building managers interviewed by The Green Infrastructure Team expressed a lack of information on LEED O+M checklist components and requirements for gold standards.
- The maintenance of buildings on IUPUI campus were found to be mostly met with respect to the LEED O+M checklist requirements
- The sustainability of a building and the monitoring of utilities on IUPUI campus were found to be a case-by-case basis that differed according to the building.

The second-annual IUPUI Energy Challenge took place from September 30 – October 18, 2019. As it is every year, the Energy Challenge was coordinated and managed by the IUPUI Sustainability Energy Intern, an undergraduate student. The Energy Intern worked closely with Campus Facility Services and Energy Cap software to gather and analyze building energy data, to be communicated to the campus community through a live dashboard on our website. They planned a launch event, titled Turn Down for Watt, where they gathered students, faculty and staff, as well as vendors including Indianapolis Power and Light. The Energy Intern worked closely with the Communications and Marketing Intern to develop graphic design assets, and conduct outreach and promotion. Additionally, they worked with IU Studios – the university’s Communications Office – to produce a series of videos to promote the challenge on the university’s social media accounts. Lastly, they planned a post-event celebration party for the building that won the Energy Challenge.

More about IUPUI’s Energy Challenge: go.iupui.edu/EnergyChallenge


The Renewable Energy Policy Intern, an undergraduate student, assisted IUPUI Sustainability in researching renewable energy options for the university. In particular, this student studied solar energy options for IUPUI – whether that be through purchase of renewable energy certificates, on-site installations, or virtual power-purchasing agreements. The work of this student directly informed IUPUI Sustainability and Campus Facilities Services at a time when renewable energy options were being seriously considered and negotiated upon with our utility, IPL.


The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) conducts energy audits of on-campus and off-campus buildings and provides energy efficiency recommendations back to the respective client. In 2019, the IAC worked on several class projects, where students were able to practice energy analyses on various campus buildings, including:
1. University Library using e-quest
2. Campus Center using e-quest
3. Eskenazi Hall using e-quest
4. Cleman Hall using e-quest
5. Business SPEA Building using e-quest
6. Taylor Hall using e-quest
7. Cavanaugh Hall using e-quest
8. HVAC Control Strategy Lecture Hall

Additionally, the IAC students produced a number of published papers, including:
1. Razban, A., Khatib, A., Goodman, D., Chen, J., Mechanical modeling of air handling unit subsystem in a commercial building, Thermal Science and Engineering Progress 11 (2019) 231-238, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsep.2019.03.019.
- This paper was from a MS student thesis who did his on university campus building. In fact, he identified some issue with AHU system which the campus corrected later.

2. Momeni, M. , Wu, D., Razban, A. and Chen, J., “Data-driven Demand Control Ventilation Using Machine Learning CO2 Occupancy Detection Method”, Proceeding of ECOS 2020, the 33 International Conference on efficiency, optimization, simulation and environmental impact of energy systems, pp. 2047-2058, June 29-July 3, 2020, Osaka, Japan.
- This paper was from a MS student thesis who did his on campus auditorium building.

More on the Industrial Assessment Center at IUPUI: https://iac.university/center/IP


A Sustainable Energy Analysis education program is provided through the the IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES). Description: Students investigate the concept of globally and locally sustainable energy by examining electric energy consumption and renewable (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, and wave/tidal) and nonrenewable (coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear) energy resources. Using a given criteria, students calculate their school’s electric energy consumption and predict the feasibility of using on-site renewable energy resources to meet a portion of the calculated electric energy consumption. Using GPS units, Vernier LabQuest scientific handhelds, light sensors, anemometers, and forestry calipers, the students collect site location, wind, solar and biomass data measurements at different locations around their school grounds. Data measurements are compiled on a large school ground map, analyzed, and conclusions are drawn about the practicality of utilizing sustainable energy resources.

In 2019, IUPUI Sustainability employed a Garden Manager (graduate student) and Garden Assistant (undergraduate student) to be entirely responsible for the planning, planting, and maintenance of our two campus gardens. These students not only care for the garden, but also handle a number of other associated responsibilities, including marketing and promotion, recruiting volunteers, and communicating with campus partners like IUPUI Food Services, Paws’ Pantry and the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI.

More on IUPUI campus gardens: https://sustainability.iupui.edu/operations/food/index.html


In 2020, IUPUI Sustainability hired 2 Sustainable Dining Interns through the Community Engagement Associate Program. These interns are solely responsible for running the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI. These undergraduate student employees are charged with rescuing food from going to waste, transforming it into healthy meals, and serving it to those experiencing food insecurity on campus. They work closely with a local nonprofit organization, Second Helpings, as well as IUPUI Food Services, to coordinate the pickup of rescued food. They inventory their food and maintain a pantry, where they plan weekly meals. Working with university chefs and kitchen staff, they cook meals in the university’s commercial kitchen (following ServSafe regulations). Most recently, the Campus Kitchen student leaders launched a new program called Paws’ Express, in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs. Paws’ Express are prepackaged on-the-go meal service offered at the university’s food pantry, Paws' Pantry.

More about the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI: go.iupui.edu/campuskitchen
More about Paws’ Express: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2020/02/iupui/jagnews/19-paws-express.html


IUPUI Food Services partners with Healthy IU, Office of Sustainability, and University College to bring a farmers market to IUPUI - known as the Fresh Produce Market (FPM). The on-campus produce market is held monthly and includes chef demonstrations, recipes and prepared kits on local food items from IUPUI’s Urban Gardens and the Fresh Produce Market inventory. The FPM is managed monthly by volunteers, which typically include IUPUI Sustainability, IUPUI Food Services, and Health IU interns, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Volunteers learn about the produce and where it comes from, and practice sales and customer service skills during these shifts.

Learn more about the Fresh Produce Market: https://healthy.iu.edu/campus-programs-services/iupui/programs-workshops/descriptions/produce-market.html


An IUPUI course on Urban & Suburban Gardening, Biology N225, is offered biannually and utilizes the Central Garden's 15 raised beds to provide hands on experiential learning. This course is aimed at teaching college students basic botany and principles of gardening. The course cultivates enthusiasm in the students, to become knowledgeable gardeners and attract their peers and their children to get more involved in the sustainable practice of gardening.

Learn more about the N225 course: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2020/02/iupui/inside/26-urban-gardening-tips-produce-market-beekeeping-seed-library-arbor-day.html


Students at the STEM Education Innovation & Research Institute (SEIRI), in partnership with Butler University, received funding for a project titled, “Cultivating Scientific Literacy and Action through Place: Using a Campus Farm as an Interdisciplinary Learning Hub.” The project is exploring the impact of place-based, experiential learning in the context of school gardens and campus farms. The project will expand how college agriculture spaces can integrate STEM with the humanities, and foster cross-curricular scientific literacy, civic mindedness, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The project will explore efforts to critically assess the impact of agricultural spaces on students, faculty, and host institutions; and how such spaces can provide a holistic framework for learning STEM. SEIRI is helping implement and assess a cohesive program of interdisciplinary urban agriculture-themed PBE modules in four Butler University courses using a campus farm as a hub for learning and collaboration. Specifically, SEIRI is implementing pre- and post- module surveys, observations, and focus groups to assess impacts related to 1) student course engagement, content knowledge, critical thinking, place attachment, and civic mindedness; 2) faculty teaching and research; and 3) distribution of institutional resources. Future applications will test efficacy of this approach in non-STEM courses and at other institutions.

More on this project: https://seiri.iupui.edu/externalawards/iusefarmhub.html

The Sustainable Landscapes Intern, an undergraduate student intern of IUPUI Sustainability, has led a year-long assessment of our campus’ tree canopy. This student has surveyed all of campus, assessing the health and size of each tree. This data is the inputted into a GIS system, a process that calls for the student intern to work closely with our campus GIS Applications Analyst and Campus Facilities Services.


This is a hefty task for one person, so the Landscapes Intern recruited a number of helpers over the past year – including other office interns, class groups, the Rolls-Royce volunteers, the Kids Summer Camp group, and coordinated a service-learning event in partnership with CEES, where 60+ students helped assess trees. Additionally, the Sustainable Landscapes Intern even managed his own student intern – an undergraduate student who took on the role of Environmental Stewardship Intern during the summer and fall of 2019.


For Arbor Day 2019, the Sustainable Landscapes Intern helped plan a tree planting titled, 50 Trees for 50 Years – in celebration of the university's 50th anniversary. Student, faculty and staff volunteers planted an assortment of 50 Swamp White Oak, Tulip Poplar, and Sycamore trees along University Blvd between the Tower and Lockefield Green.


On October 15, 2019, the Sustainable Landscapes Intern planned and coordinated a tree planting in partnership with the Campus Facilities Services and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. The student intern recruited and oversaw a group of 35 student volunteers in planting 40 native trees along Lansing Street.


For Arbor Day 2020, the Sustainable Landscapes Intern produced and edited a series of videos titled, the Arbor Day Celebration Series. In leu of in-person events due to the COVID pandemic, the student intern produced 5 videos on topics including:
Pollinator Showcase
Iconic trees and greenspaces
Tree pruning
Tree mulching
Virtual tree planting

The Arbor Day Celebration Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzxCdamm0TvQePLKQikR65KFRo8h2GYqE


IUPUI Campus Facilities Services employs two student hourly workers that assist with grounds maintenance, while gaining experience in lanscaping practices. They both work about 20 hours per week.

IUPUI's Office of Sustainability and Campus Facility Services have created a Campus Tree Advisory Committee to participate in the Tree Campus USA program. Tree Campus USA colleges and universities strive to engage their student body as well as their broader community to establish and sustain healthy community forests for the benefit of current and future residents.There are five standards that must be met for Tree Campus USA recognition: (1) Campus Tree Advisory Committee, (2) Campus Tree Care Plan, (3) Campus Tree Program with Dedicated Annual Expenditures, (4) Arbor Day Observance, (5) Service Learning Project. IUPUI has been named a Tree Campus USA every year since 2012.

In 2018-2019 a SPEA Graduate Capstone project was completed on developing an on-campus High-Performance Landscape Assessment. A high-performance landscape (HPL) is described as “landscapes that can perform many functions at once…must provide cleaner air, a cooler environment and sinks for stormwater, in addition to more opportunities for healthy activities including more extensive walking and biking.” Recommendations were made as a set of criteria and corresponding metrics that would be most relevant for ascertaining high-performing landscapes on educational campuses such as IUPUI. The triple bottom line concept of sustainability – environmental, economic and social – was employed as a guide in the criteria and metrics selection. In addition to the educational context for defining the criteria, the variables are performance-focused as IUPUI landscape projects are largely already established. However, the variables can still be used to inform future design practices. The proposal and recommendations were shared with the IU Capital Planning, Landscape Architects for consideration and development of future landscape design.

IU Procurement is administered centrally for all IU campuses. Sustain IU has a Sustainability Intern focused on Sustainable Technology + Procurement: Over the past few years, the Sustainable Technology and Procurement Working Group has extended its reach from department-oriented projects (printing, e-waste and power use) to more University Administration and student move-in focused issues. Our goal for this coming year is to explore ways to intervene in IU’s supply chain with ecological, just, and economical solutions to IU’s day-to-day product needs. This may include garnering administrative support for sustainable procurement, investigating end-user interventions, exploring contract negotiations for sustainable purchasing, and effective project management and planning support for all items listed above. This intern will be responsible for setting Working Group meeting agendas with the group’s co-chairs, leading monthly meetings, and tracking progress in a work plan. Additional responsibilities might include helping to organize public events such as documentary film screenings and investigating procurement incentives for Green Lab equipment.

In the fall of 2019, IUPUI Sustainability partnered with a professor and research assistant from the School of Informatics and Computing on a project to synthesize travel data. IUPUI Sustainability has access to travel data, but without technical expertise, has no way of synthesizing it for use in our STARS reporting. The graduate research assistant helped the office sift through the air travel data to produce mileage that could be reported.


The Transportation Active Safety Institute (TASI) is a collaborative University, Industry, and Government consortium to facilitate research, development, evaluation and assessment of transportation active safety systems. As a cross- campus research center, faculty members from more than 10 departments and schools at IUPUI, Indiana University Bloomington, and Purdue University West Lafayette are involved in TASI’s research activities. TASI’s main activities are: Vehicle testing and evaluation, Human Factors in active safety systems, Crash data analysis and risk benefit analysis, Scientific research on automation of selected driving functions, Crash prevention technologies, Connected vehicles Faculty and students in the Transportation Active Safety Institute (TASI) within the School of Engineering and Technology were featured in the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet show aired on May 21st, 2015 for their world’s advanced pedestrian crash mannequin system. This system can be used for testing and evaluation of pedestrian pre-collision systems for vehicle emergency braking systems and self-driving cars. The Transportation Active Safety Institute (TASI) developed and delivered the world’s first advanced articulated mannequin system to the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Vehicle Research and Testing Center for mannequin technology evaluation for standardized tests. One of TASI’s sponsors Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center has also acquired TASI’s pedestrian mannequin system for their research and development efforts.

More on Tasi: http://www.tasi.iupui.edu/


O'Neill SPEA Capstone Project for Agency: IUPUI Parking and Transportation Services In an effort to reduce single-occupancy vehicle use on campus, IUPUI Parking and Transportation Services asked the Capstone group to assess transportation alternatives for IUPUI students, staff and faculty. The group reviewed IUPUI’s Master Plan, surveyed the campus population to determine transportation needs, completed both transit and land use analyses, assessed transportation alternatives, and made recommendations. Those included an automated people mover, carpooling, transit use, and bicycle use. The group also suggested ways to fund and expand those options.

The Sustainable Wate Management Intern, an undergraduate student employee of IUPUI Sustainability, is responsible for managing all waste reduction and diversion efforts on campus (recycling and compost), including developing outreach and conducting data analysis to track progress of waste diversion initiatives. The Sustainable Waste Management Intern is responsible for hosting two annual food waste audits at Tower Hall’s buffet-style dining hall. These took place on April 15 – 19 and Oct. 7 – 11, 2019. As part of the waste audits, this student is responsible for recruiting and managing volunteers, tracking food waste data, and communicating it to the campus community. In 2019, the Sustainable Waste Management Intern created a new incentive program called the Clean Plate Challenge. Intended to motivate students through positive feedback, the Clean Plate Challenge tracks the number of clean plates students bring back and those who produce no food waste at the end of the food waste audit week receive prizes.


The Sustainable Waste Management Intern oversaw two waste audits of the IU Natatorium's zero-waste swim meet the weekend of February 8 – 9, 2020. The student intern’s responsibilities included strategic placement of waste diversion stations, recruiting volunteers for waste audits, tracking and communicating waste data to the campus community.


The fall of 2019, an O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs capstone group, comprised of 4 graduate students, completed a project for the Indiana Food Scrap Initiative (IFSI). IFSI endeavors to eliminate food waste in Indiana by understanding the barriers and realizing opportunities to reduce, reuse, recover, compost, and digest food waste. However, the organization has reached a critical juncture in its operations, where its leaders and stakeholders must determine how the initiative can be sustained in the long-term. The student group analyzed the materials IFSI provided and conducted additional research on similar models and policies that other states have in place. Through examining the current program’s materials, documents, and program model, the capstone team outlined their perception of the program, explored policy ideas that IFSI could pursue, recommended beneficial changes to the physical program model and ways IFSI can implement more sustainable measures to then pursue the areas of policy.


The third-annual RecycleRIDE was held on April 26, 2019. The event is planned and coordinated by the O’Neill School Student Council, a governing body of undergraduate students. In partnership with the Pacers Bikeshare, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and IUPUI Sustainability, the event is designed to pick up litter around downtown Indianapolis and divert as much as possible through recycling. Last year, the ReCYCLE Ride set an event record. Teams picked up 430 pounds of trash from around the city. They were able to recycle 147 pounds of that. That’s twice as much as in the past two years, combined.

More on the 2019 Recycle Ride: https://blog.oneill.iupui.edu/2019/03/18/recycle-ride-helps-clean-up-indys-streets/

The IUPUI Sustainability Energy Intern:
- Assists Sustainability along with Campus Facility Services (CFS) in providing energy & water efficiency education and outreach opportunities to faculty, staff, and students across campus.
- Facilitates the IUPUI Energy Challenge to engage the campus community in energy education and reduction. Assist with the promotion of campus energy and water efficiency awareness and education campaigns and develop a portfolio of Energy Challenge events.
- Works to develop a water use dashboard that can be used as an education and reduction tool, eventually to be added as an element of the annual Energy Challenge.
- Updates and enhances the campus Energy Challenge website and standard operating procedure.
- Expands the energy dashboard beyond the residence halls to show the energy used in buildings across campus and the associated emissions.

Partnership for Excellence in Research & Learning (PERL)
Citizens Energy Group has launched its Partnership for Excellence in Research and Learning (PERL) initiative. IUPUI students participate in PERL, a partnership with universities and industry partners to foster greater student engagement through collaboration on real-world projects. Primarily, PERL seeks to: Encourage graduating students to remain in Indiana and the Indianapolis area after graduation to fulfill the workforce needs of Citizens and its supporting businesses; Create more professional development opportunities for students as emerging talent and future business leaders; and Create an improved exchange of industry and collegiate data that will better address research, technology. and industry challenges - ultimately resulting in more valuable, efficient, and sustainable business and community solutions.

One of the IUPUI projects was a Predictive Maintenance Capstone Project
Citizens Energy Group is providing the Mechanical Engineering Technology students at IUPUI a senior capstone project in which they will evaluate Citizens Water Operations Predictive Maintenance Plan and make recommendations for improvement based on industry best practices. The Predictive Maintenance Plan proactively identifies the need for operation and maintenance (O&M) of pumps, motors, engines, reduces O&M associated costs and can help prevent catastrophic asset failures. Students will have the opportunity to observe pump sound as well as touch and vibration testing with Citizens Energy Group Technicians. An additional list of IUPUI PERL student projects can be found at:
https://www.citizensenergygroup.com/Our-Company/In-the-Community/perl-initiative/iupui

PROMPT Student Researcher, Ashabul Alam, conducted a study into the funding and operational model of various Campus Kitchen organizations across the country, with the goal of informing the future of the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI. Ashabul studied and interviewed 16 Campus Kitchen organizations around the country, compiling data on best practices for funding, leadership structure, service sites, partnerships, and campus alignment. His research will not only be impactful in guiding the future of the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI, but also other more than a dozen Campus Kitchen organizations across the country.

Read the full report: go.iupui.edu/campuskitchen


"The Polis Center at IUPUI Indianapolis is a self-funded research unit of the IUPUI School of Informatics and Computing that utilizes collaborations and understanding in the communities as entrepreneurial and practical, effective, and cost-efficient way for communities to enhance their capacity for meaningful change. We develop the nation’s largest community information system, SAVI, as an interactive data and mapping resource for individuals and organizations in Central Indiana, and our annual Spirit & Place Festival is an example of our efforts to promote Central Indiana as a leading example of how communities can work together to encourage civic engagement and enduring change. We work with professional and scholarly communities, especially through the application of digital technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other geospatial tools. Major efforts include projects with national and state departments of homeland security, notably in helping communities with hazard mitigation and planning. We also have significant partnerships in health geoinformatics, linking clinical and community information to understand issues relating to public health and enlisting community organizations in effective interventions. In collaboration with research centers in the U.S. and internationally, we have helped to lead the development of the new field of spatial humanities, which uses geospatial technologies to understand the role and meaning of place in modern society.
In all of our areas of emphasis, we have earned a national reputation as a dynamic learning environment with highly professional staff who excel in collaborative, practical, and effective solutions for the communities in which we live.
https://polis.iupui.edu/
http://profiles.savi.org/topics/index.html

Many students are engaged in this work across countless units of the university, whether through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; student advocacy groups; or the Multicultural center which exists to provide a voice for equity by connecting students across identities through self discovery and dialogue, empowering students to advance social change through such programs as; The Multicultural Leadership Empowerment Program; The Norman Brown Diversity and Leadership Scholar Program; MULTICULTURAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION WORKSHOPS and PEER Mentorship program.

The IUPUI Multicultural Center’s Multicultural Peer Educators (MPEs) are undergraduate students committed to promoting multicultural and social justice education through understanding of self and others, while increasing awareness and knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion-related issues through intentional and meaningful dialogue. Our MPE’s receive top-notch training from the MC Staff to conduct an array of workshops for IUPUI students.; Social Justice Education (SJEd) at IUPUI finds ways to help the community explore issues of power, privilege and oppression in an effort to create a more equitable campus, city, and world; The Culturally Responsive Teaching Learning Community (LC) is an opportunity for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars to critically reflect and engage issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom.; The IUPUI Cultural Dinners, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Harvey Milk, and Asian Heritage, honor civic leaders within underrepresented communities and highlight students within the IUPUI community for their accomplishments and leadership as members of these communities. In addition, the dinners invite national leaders of underrepresented communities to keynote and discuss contemporary social issues of their respective communities.

MoneySmarts U—Indiana University's financial education platform that can teach you what you need to know about money, when you need to know it. MoneySmarts U is a financial education platform created by Indiana University and financial wellness expert Peter Dunn (aka Pete the Planner®). Our goal is not to have you just be able to define new financial terms but instead help you understand the ins and outs of personal finance to guide you toward making informed financial decisions. The IU Money Smarts Team are IU student Peer Educators led by the IU Office of Financial Literacy. Here are some of the financial topics they can help you with: Budgeting and saving money, Managing credit cards, Handling student debt, Building and establishing credit, Dealing with identity theft, Tackling student loan repayment, Preparing for graduation.
Since inception of IU Money Smarts, there has been a $126.4 Million reduction in student borrowing since 2011 and a 19% Decrease in Student Borrowing across all IU campuses.
https://moneysmarts.iu.edu/index.html

IU Ventures, formerly the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation, has announced new programs designed to foster connections among investors, IU faculty, students and entrepreneurs throughout the global IU community to support, invest in and grow innovative new enterprises with IU affiliations. IU Ventures is fully dedicated to serving as a connector for IU faculty and students and IU-affiliated entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and donors in order to advance products and ideas that have market potential. "We want to be a connector and a catalyst of this resource to help foster continued innovation from members of the IU community who can make real, positive impact on the state, nation and world." An extension of IU's Bicentennial Strategic Plan goal for the application of knowledge and discovery to advance the quality of life and economy of the state, the region and the world. https://iuventures.com/


The IU Kelley School of Business' Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (JCEI) has developed The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, a collection of co-curricular services, events, and initiatives focused on helping student entrepreneurs develop and launch business ideas and new startups. Check out some on campus resources that can help nurture your idea and startup; Startup Business Coaches, Spine Sweat Experience, Clapp IDEA Competition, The Hoosier Hatchery, Shoemaker Innovation Center, Startup IU, University Venture Connect
https://kelley.iu.edu/faculty-research/centers-institutes/entrepreneurship-innovation/students/have-a-venture-idea/index.cshtml


JCEI has offices for cross-campus initiatives in the IU School of Medicine, Maurer School of Law, and College of Arts & Sciences, and affiliations with the Jacobs School of Music and the School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
Our programs provide students with a wide range of experiences and classroom opportunities designed to develop their entrepreneurial perspective. Students work with some of the world’s most recognized entrepreneurship authorities including department faculty in management & entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing in the Kelley School, and faculty from the School of Public & Environmental Affairs.


IUPUI's JagStart Student Entrepreneurs program offers coaching and mentoring support to students looking to start their own entrepreneurial venture or develop an innovative new product
https://research.iu.edu/innovation-commercialization/navigating-commercialization-process/student-opportunities/jagstart-student-entrepreneurs.html


In the fall of 2020, the Sustainable Dining Interns, in partnership with students from IU Bloomington, successfully applied for and were awarded a five-thousand-dollar grant from CoBank to support and improve upon the operations of the Campus Kitchen at IUPUI and Campus Kitchen at IU Bloomington.


A team of IUPUI graduates has received a total of more than $112,000 from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology for developing artificial intelligence technology that helps improve the safety and efficiency of police officer work. Members of the IUPUI Zenext team include: Bhavani Prasad Rao Ejanthkar, Aamir Khan, Swarnamouli Majumdar, Mayur Srivastava and I Ting “Tiffany” Tseng. The team’s faculty mentor is Lou Lenzi, a professor of practice in the School of Computing and Informatics.IUPUI says the team worked with the Carmel Police Department throughout the development process.

Learn more: https://www.wishtv.com/news/inside-indiana-business/iupui-team-wins-112k-for-voice-controlled-tech/

Two IUPUI students drew upon the wisdom of Mother Nature to create biologically inspired designs that could be used to create a safer football helmet. Their research paper, titled “Cellular Helmet Liner Design through Bio-Inspired Structures and Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanism Lattices,” has been published in the Society of Automotive Engineering International Journal of Transportation Safety. The students, approaching their research from two disciplines – one in Informatics and Computing, the other Engineering and Technology – used biomimicry to design a safer football helmet modeled after the cellular structure of the pomelo fruit’s thick peel.

More on their research: https://soic.iupui.edu/news/dehart-design-safer-helmet/


Health and Wellness Peer Health Educators (PHE) are trained to assist with programming and outreach to educate students about relevant issues related to health and wellness that affect our campus community. Peer Educators receive training on health topics such as stress management, sexual health, diet and nutrition, physical activity, in addition to organizational training for program development, public speaking, and evaluation. In 2019, there were 12 PHE who logged 378 volunteer hours between August 24, 2018 – February 20,2019 during classroom presentations, condom club trainings, office hours, and outreach tables.

In 2020, the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion (HWP) transitioned the Peer Health Program (PHE) from a student volunteer model to a student employee model. Currently, HWP employs five students, four undergraduate, one graduate, at a typical student wage. The responsibilities of the PHEs remain pretty similar to before; attending a weekly meeting, training throughout the semester, office hours, presentations and programming. Health and Wellness Promotion will use traditional promotional channels to recruit students for the spring semester and beyond. Ryan, alongside his Graduate Student Worker, Hannah Putnam, will also be teaching a course in peer health education and leadership in spring 2021. This is a course that has been taught by a member of the HWP staff for a couple years.

More about Peer Health Educators: https://studentaffairs.iupui.edu/health/index.html


The Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (SOC) is a free, student-run clinic that provides primary care-based medical, dental, social and legal services for the uninsured and underserved in the Indianapolis community. Led by IU School of Medicine, this clinic strives to close the health care gap in the community by coordinating a medical presence to address a wide variety of conditions including infections, musculoskeletal complaints, high blood pressure and depression. In 2019, the SOC saw 4,126 patient encounters, 2,904 volunteer encounters, and

More about the Student Outreach Clinic: https://medicine.iu.edu/indianapolis/service-learning/outreach-clinic


A successful Greening IUPUI Grant application by a professor and students from the IUPUI School of Health and Human Sciences led to the funding and implementation of a new fitness garden, located outside the south entrance of the IU Natatorium. The 5,095-square-foot installment features easy-to-use gym equipment with 33 fitness stations and sets of equipment, picnic tables and benches for classroom use, and greenery. Designed for wheelchair accessibility, the all-weather equipment offers fitness opportunities in core strength, balance, power, and upper- and lower-body exercises.

More about the IUPUI Fitness Garden: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2020/08/iupui/inside/10-fitness-garden-school-of-health-and-human-sciences.html


Healthy IU employs several graduate students who are actively engaged in campus research surrounding active transportation and employee incentives for health programs. In spring 2018 these students are planning a "Sustain and Move IU" campaign and employee bike share incentive grant. Healthy IU's 2020 Plan & Objectives are a guiding document for Healthy IU services, and are based on a gap analysis using the Fairbanks School of Public Health Survey Data and CDC Scorecard.

INShape IUPUI: Meet with senior-level physical education students to assess your wellness indicators, establish goals, and design a personal exercise program—just for you! Students can also work with you in a personal trainer capacity.

Campus Recreation offers a variety of sport and fitness opportunities for all levels and interests and employs students to assist with these services.

The IU Natatorium is a world class facility offering membership, lap swim, punch pass, and swim lesson opportunities. They also employ students to support the services offered.
https://healthy.iu.edu/about/progress.html