Loyola University Chicago
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Loyola University Chicago has created a network of research opportunities in order to help all community members (students and faculty) wishing to be involved develop a greater appreciation for others while building sustainable communities. For students these opportunities are provide through the Loyola Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (LUROP) or hosted by the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES): http://luc.edu/sustainability/research/studentfellowships/
Carbon Undergraduate Research Fellowship:
Undergraduate science and math students from Loyola University Chicago are invited to apply to the prestigious Michael and Dorothy Carbon Fellowship Program. This program offers a full two-year, interdisciplinary research opportunity for undergraduate science students to increase scientific literacy, critical thinking, and verbal and written communication skills while developing a student's leadership potential and sense of social responsibility. Up to eight Carbon Fellows are funded each academic year. Students receive a stipend of $7,000 per year to help offset their student costs.
Undergraduate Research Fellowship:
The SES Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program brings innovative research opportunities to students at Loyola University Chicago. Fellows conducts interdisciplinary research on issues related to unsustainable natural resource uses in the greater Chicago land region. SES encourages research projects to combine elements of ecosystem structure and function, impacts on human health, public policy, behaviors, and other environmental factors. In addition, one fellowship specifically focusing on a biodiversity project at Loyola’s Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) will be considered. Up to five Fellows are funded each academic year.
Students will receive a $1,000 stipend and up to $1000 for research supplies, if needed.
Eligible Students: Loyola Undergraduate students in any college or school

A large list of undergraduate student research opportunities, including a number that focus on sustainability topics can be found here: https://www.luc.edu/celts/programs/undergraduateresearch/fellowships/

TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH AWARD– provides support for innovative, trans-disciplinary research projects where investigators from different disciplines/Schools work jointly to create new conceptual and translational approaches to complex (societal) problems, that could transform fundamental understanding of systems in a given field. The concept of synergy must be considered (i.e., the program as a whole is greater when individuals from different disciplines come together to tackle the complex problem).

JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)-FOCUSED RESEARCH AWARD – provides support for pilot or preliminary investigations aimed at understanding and/or addressing one or more of the various societal inequalities where specific groups of individuals (e.g., across racial/ethnic, gender, socioeconomic lines) are impacted inequitably. Examples of studies that fit this award mechanism would include research on racial, ethnic, or gender-based disparities in social/political/economic areas (including, but not limited to, health, education, social mobility, civic engagement), or disparities on the basis of different abilities/disabilities and sexual orientation; research on the mechanisms through which racial, ethnic, or gender-based inequalities are mitigated or maintained; research that deepens our knowledge of the factors contributing to or reducing social inequalities.

Information about these programs can be found here: https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/ors/pdfsanddocs/2022%20FALL%20ORS-Newsletter.pdf

These programs are housed in the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy and the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS). The FCIP encourages excellence in teaching by facilitating the role of faculty in the formation of the student as a whole person. The Center promotes the implementation of creative teaching strategies that reflect the intellectual, social and spiritual context of today's students. The Center for Experiential Learning provides a number of professional development programs for faculty and staff in collaboration with Loyola’s Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy. http://www.luc.edu/experiential/featuredinitiatives/facultydevelopmentprograms/

Support for faculty promotion and tenure is generally addressed in the Faculty Handbook (link below) but also at the individual school level.

Loyola Libraries maintains the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) Research Guide, which is designed to highlight major print and online Environmental Sustainability resources available through the Loyola University Chicago Libraries, which can be found here: https://libguides.luc.edu/c.php?g=49744&p=320537

Center for International Business
The Center for International Business (CIB) is dedicated to the study and practice of sustainable and ethical global business, economics and management.
https://www.luc.edu/quinlan/about/leadershipcenterslabs/cib/

Faculty Handbook - https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/academicaffairs/pdfs/Faculty-Handbook-LoyolaUniversityChicago_2015.pdf
Describes commitment to sustainability and promotion/tenure guidelines.