Lafayette College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

In fall of 2022, students in EVST created The Web, an interactive art installation, to display a vision of an interconnected community, including a proposed “Sustainability” attribute in the Common Course of Study. It was placed in a high traffic but often overlooked area on campus, the web encouraged engagement, interaction, participation, and reflection on the meaning of community, sustainability, and restoration.

In spring 2022, CE 203: Envisioning a Sustainable World students explore the concept of sustainability, the relationships between the natural and built environment, and the sustainable and/or unsustainable aspects of large-scale systems (energy, water, food, transportation, buildings, etc.) that support society. Students research aspects of sustainable systems and/or participate in applied projects in the campus and local community. In spring 2022, students focused on understanding campus initiatives, infrastructure and projects by creating brochures for the campus and local community to increase awareness among these stakeholder groups.

In the fall of 2021, EVST 400 Capstone studied, researched and presented their recommendations for creating a zero waste stadium, which included campus engagement ideas for increased fan participation and understanding of recycling at the stadium.

EVST 400 capstone course in Fall 2019 involved hands on student engagement with our campus with a sustainability themed focus. We focused on supporting the STARS report and exploring how implementing the Climate Action Plan 2.0 could engage a broader sector of our campus community.

In spring 2023, students in CE 203 Envisioning a Sustainable World designed a brochure with plant sale information for the public and an explanation on the importance of producing locally.

In spring 2023, students in Energy Tech and Modern World class (EGRS 352) worked on expanding a composting initiative at Lafayette College to the adjacent Early Learning Center.

In spring 2022, CE 203: Envisioning a Sustainable World students explore the concept of sustainability, the relationships between the natural and built environment, and the sustainable and/or unsustainable aspects of large-scale systems (energy, water, food, transportation, buildings, etc.) that support society. Students research aspects of sustainable systems and/or participate in applied projects in the campus and local community. In spring 2022, students focused on understanding campus initiatives, infrastructure and projects by creating brochures for the campus and local community to increase awareness among these stakeholder groups.

In spring of 2023, the data club engaged on the topic of on-site solar array data.

In spring of 2022, students of ECON 496 analyzed and better understood the challenges of Scope 3 Emissions through their capstone project.

In spring of 2023, students in CE 203 Envisioning a Sustainable World reviewed energy data in key campus buildings to identify how energy audits could contribute to energy efficiency projects.

Professor Brandes in CE and Prof Butler in Biology worked with several students to assess the extent of bird kills on campus due to collisions with reflective window glass. As a result, retrofits were applied to Hugel Science Center and the Williams Visual Arts Building, and bird-safe glass was used in the construction of the new Rockwell Integrated Science Center, Skillman Library, and Acopian (which is currently in construction). A refereed journal paper resulted from this work. Culminating from this was the formation of the Bird Club on campus in spring of 2022, a student group interested in learning more about bird behaviors and decreasing environmental harm.

In spring of 2022, Economics majors of ECON 496 analyzed and better understood the challenges of Scope 3 Emissions through their capstone project to estimate the emissions associated with capital projects and construction on campus.

CE 203 students in 2023 reviewed energy data in key campus buildings to identify how energy audits could contribute to energy efficiency projects.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and class years): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Energy Use in Kirby Sports Center study.

Several classes were involved in the installation and continued observation of the operation of the campus solar array on Kirby Sports Center. The installation of this 540 megawatt-hour array was completed in May 2022: https://news.lafayette.edu/2022/03/01/video-introducing-lafayettes-first-on-campus-solar-array/

In 2022, students in CE 203 completed an audit of the most popular to go dining option on campus and addressed opportunities for advanced sustainability in categories of food, waste, and operations.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Food Access in the West Ward (food desert in Easton) study.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Sustainable Food Practices at Lafayette College study.

In the spring of 2021, students of EVST 315:Food and Sustainable Society worked closely with LaFarm to offer each student 6 on-farm hours of instruction and hands-on experiential education at the cornerstone of theory and practice in farming.

Students in EVST 400 used the Web project to highlight the significance of tree life on campus, collecting and sharing data on the value of trees.

Students in EVST 400 Capstone (Spring 2019) developed a Bushkill Creek restoration plan for property owned by the College along Bushkill Creek. The project would be implemented upon removal of Dam 1 owned by the College. Students worked in teams on three aspects of the project: Site Concept Plan, Ecological Restoration, and Communications/Website.

In the fall of 2021, EVST 400 Capstone studied, researched and presented their recommendations for: 1) Creating a zero waste stadium, 2) Reforestation at Metzgar fields and 3) Establishing a campus thrift shop to extend the life of gently used clothes and small house items.

In spring of 2022, EGRS 480: Sustainable Solutions capstone project analyzed water usage on campus, which culminated in the identification of 20 locations for additional water refill stations on campus, which were installed in the summer of 2022. Additionally, these students identified ways to decrease water usage for the grounds maintenance across campus.

in 2022, students in CE 203 reviewed the role of packaging purchasing in their audit of Gilbert's cafe, the most popular to go food option at Lafayette.

In the fall of 2020, students in Engineering Studies 101 assessed a life cycle inventory of various products. Classes investigated: pens vs. pencils, blackboard vs white board, steel chair vs plastic chair, sponge vs cloth, plastic vs. straw mulch vs. wood chips as row cover at LaFarm, chalk vs. whiteboard marker.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Impact of fashion choices – Impact per wear study.

In the spring of 2023, students from CE 203 studied and shared the benefits of a 15 minute community concept and the impact on emissions and quality of life derived from different modes of transportation.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Sustainable Campus Parking study.

In the spring of 2023, mechanical engineering students created a device to educate and help Lafayette community members sort trash from recycling.

As part of the ECON 340 Environmental and Resource Economics class in spring of 2019 and fall of 2019, taught by Hongxing Liu, in total 44 students worked on their individual projects covering a range of topics on Lafayette campus, such as food waste composting, having a pollinator garden on campus, recycling clothes.

Senior Honors Thesis (Rebecca Blocker CE ’20). Rebecca worked on a project for AeroAggregates, the only large-scale manufacturer of recycled foamed glass aggregate in North America. This material has a variety of uses in civil infrastructure, including as base material for the green roof at Rockwell Integrated Sciences Center. Rebecca performed laboratory tests to evaluate the strength of foamed glass and is developing a unique test to measure in-place density.

In the fall of 2021, EVST 400 Capstone studied, researched and presented their recommendations for: 1) Creating a zero waste stadium, 2) Reforestation at Metzgar fields and 3) Establishing a campus thrift shop to extend the life of gently used clothes and small house items.

In the spring of 2022, students in BIOL 233 Environmental Problem Solving analyzed the composting program at Lafayette and proposed recommendations for future strengthening of the program through local partnerships and infrastructure improvements.

In spring of 2023, mechanical engineering students designed an improved wash station for LaFarm.

In spring of 2022, EGRS 480: Sustainable Solutions capstone project analyzed water usage on campus, which culminated in the identification of 20 locations for additional water refill stations on campus, which were installed in the summer of 2022. Additionally, these students identified ways to decrease water usage for the grounds maintenance across campus.

As part of the ECON 408 Cost-benefit Analysis class in fall of 2018 and fall of 2019, taught by Hongxing Liu, in total 27 students worked on their individual projects covering a range of topics on Lafayette campus to promote sustainability and accessibility, such as buying more local food, involving Easton students with LaFarm, renovating Simon center.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their smart growth along Bushkill Drive study.

CE 203 2018 and 2019 (Envisioning a Sustainable Future) Semester Project (teams of 4 students from a range of majors and rank): Students performed research, data collection, and analysis to develop a poster and oral presentation of their findings from their Land Preservation Versus Development in the Lehigh Valley study.

As part of the ECON 408 Cost-benefit Analysis class in fall of 2018 and fall of 2019, taught by Hongxing Liu, in total 27 students worked on their individual projects covering a range of topics on Lafayette campus to promote sustainability and accessibility, such as buying more local food, involving Easton students with LaFarm, renovating Simon center.

In the fall of 2021, EVST 400 Capstone studied, researched and presented their recommendations for: 1) Creating a zero waste stadium, 2) Reforestation at Metzgar fields and 3) Establishing a campus thrift shop to extend the life of gently used clothes and small house items.

As part of the ECON 408 Cost-benefit Analysis class in fall of 2018 and fall of 2019, taught by Hongxing Liu, in total 27 students worked on their individual projects covering a range of topics on Lafayette campus to promote sustainability and accessibility, such as buying more local food, involving Easton students with LaFarm, renovating Simon center.

The classes and projects listed above are individual examples, but they do not even begin to represent an exhaustive list.