Lafayette College
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Lafayette College’s Sustainability Impact Fellowship program catalyzes institutional change by providing undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to work on transformative sustainability initiatives. Each summer, Fellows undertake challenging projects that are designed to create impact, offer an extraordinary learning experience, and advance the college’s embodiment of our sustainability values. They work work with a campus client(s), the Office of Sustainability staff, and occasionally alumni, faculty, and other departments with additional expertise on the topics.

Fellows focus on campus solutions with justice and equity at their core and aim to catalyze:
-Zero waste and circular value chain innovations within campus operations
-Biodiversity and regenerative ecosystems through our built and natural environment
-A culture of sustainability that embeds awareness, engagement and action into our everyday experiences
-A just transition to a low carbon future that ensures we foster equitable solutions by fostering diverse voices and experiences into our carbon neutrality progress
-A sustainable food loop that illustrates how closed loop systems drive regenerative of valuable natural resources

Fellows work full time at $10/hour and during the summer are provided housing.

In the spring of 2023, the Office of Sustainability hired three fellows- Biodiversity Fellow (2nd), a Reuse and Redistribution Fellow, and a Sustainable Office Program fellow. In the summer of 2022, the Office of Sustainability hired two fellows:
Campus Biodiversity Fellow - Maddy Lebish ('23)
Objective: Develop mapping and educational tools focused on biodiversity and regenerative ecosystem mapping for visitors and campus stakeholders by
-Finalizing species identification placards for placement across campus.
-Researching and creating content to illustrate tree and plant inventory for physical materials and online materials.

Sustainable Procurement Fellow - Jackie Cal ('23)
Objective: Research peer institutions and procurement methods to draft procurement policies for campus departments that drive tangible shifts in our practices that lower our GHG emissions and increase diversity in supply chains purchasing.

Landis-Sustainability FellowProgram
Fellows work full time during the summer to conduct research on the topic of food insecurity and sovereignty with a community partner. The focus of research is to understand best practices and assess areas for improvement for city partner's to close the food insecurity gap and foster sovereignty in the west ward of Easton. Faculty advisor: Prof. Ben Cohen. Administrative Advisors: Chelsea Morrese, Landis Center for Community Engagement and Delicia Nahman, Office of Sustainability.
EXCEL Scholars Program
EXCEL Scholars earn $9 to $11 an hour. They may work full time during the summer (10 weeks) and interim session (3 weeks in January). They may also work part time (8-10 hours per week) during the academic year.

During the summer and interim session, EXCEL Scholars are also provided free college housing in the residence halls.

Besides the stimulating academic challenge that the program provides, EXCEL Scholars have the opportunity to apply techniques and knowledge that they learn in class to specific problems (Research opportunities are available in engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences). This kind of hands-on experience is an asset for students applying to graduate schools or seeking professional employment.

EXCEL Scholar 2022 - Olivia Najjar (’23)
Olivia's research, performed under the guidance of Prof. Sunderlin of the Geology Department, focused on measuring and mapping microplastics within beach sands across the North American continent. For each sand sample that they collect, they run it through multiple filtrations in order to extract any present microplastics. Olivia hopes to demonstrate the pervasiveness of plastics and draw attention to just how much plastic surrounds us daily, even in the most natural of settings. Read more about her research here: https://news.lafayette.edu/2022/09/06/measuring-and-mapping-microplastics/

Additionally, during the summer of 2023 Bergh fellows have been empowered to work on food justice with professors across departments.

Each department at Lafayette has scholarship guidelines that outline procedure for tenure review. The following are departments which state in their scholarship guidelines that they give positive recognition to multidisciplinary research during faculty tenure decisions. The relevant guidelines are also listed.
Africana Studies- In considering candidates for tenure and promotion, the Africana Studies Program recognizes the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Africana Studies. We affirm that interdisciplinarity has been a foundational aspect of Africana Studies and that such scholarship contributes to the strength and vigor of Africana Studies research, scholarship and teaching.
Anthropology and Sociology- the department values publications in refereed journals in each discipline (e.g., Cultural Anthropology, Social Problems, Symbolic Interaction) as well as in refereed multidisciplinary journals (e.g. African Identities, Journal of Mediterranean Studies, Journal of Poverty, Society and Natural Resources).
Electrical and Computer Engineering- It is expected that the primary focus of a faculty member's research will fall within a recognized sub-discipline of ECE. However, interdisciplinary research and engineering and education research that complement this primary focus can be a valuable component of a faculty member's scholarly portfolio.
Environmental Studies - The Program values publications related to environmental topics broadly construed (urban/rural planning, environmental law, environmental ethics, environmental health, etc.) in refereed journals reaching disciplinary and multidisciplinary audiences (e.g., Society and Natural Resources, Global Environmental Change, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Political Ecology).
Film and Media Studies - As an interdisciplinary field, it is common for scholarly work in FAMS to move beyond and between established disciplinary boundaries-this fact is desirable and must be taken into account when identifying peer reviewers.
Foreign Languages and Literatures - We also recognize that interdisciplinary research contributes to the vitality of scholarship, curricular development and teaching in the discipline.
Music - Specific examples of significant scholarship in music might include interdisciplinary and/or collaborative research.
Women and Gender Studies - We recognize that interdisciplinary scholarship contributes substantially to the vitality of women's and gender studies scholarship and teaching.

The Lafayette College Library has a strong collection of environmental and sustainability books, journals, databases and streaming movies. Librarians at Lafayette work closely with faculty in geology, environmental studies, biology and engineering on providing information literacy support for courses that focus on sustainability. This can be as basic as teaching a session on how to find environmental and sustainability resources or go much further with the librarian embedded in the course. Embedded librarians work with faculty in course design, including selecting many of the readings. The librarian also attends class meetings, interacts with the students, runs the library sessions and meets with all the students individually to go over their research paper proposals and bibliographies to help them refine their topic for their paper. Surveys have demonstrated that a librarian’s involvement in the course improved students’ ability to locate, use and evaluate relevant information.