Oregon State University
AC-10: Support for Research

The Student Sustainability Initiative has four grant programs that fund student projects and research that improve sustainability and offer learning experiences to OSU students. For FY13, $21,600 was made available for Project Grants plus an additional $5,000 for Travel Grants. SSI also offers a Wage Grant program, with a budget of $8,000, which directly supports undergraduates and graduates student employment. Grants are available to students in any major. For FY14, a research grant program is being developed and will focus on pairing undergraduate students with researchers who have latent research opportunities. Undergraduate research is emphasized because of the lack of access to that portion of the student population. Projects must benefit OSU students and SSI's mission "to advance student efforts in creating a culture of sustainability at OSU through action, education, and opportunity."

OSU led in the formation of Oregon BEST (Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center). An independent, nonprofit organization established by the Oregon Legislature, Oregon BEST builds on Oregon’s reputation as a national innovator in sustainability, natural resources, the sustainable built environment, and clean energy. Oregon BEST's charter is to help Oregon businesses compete globally by transforming and commercializing university research into new technologies, services, products, and companies — all of which translate into new jobs for Oregon’s green economy. Oregon BEST focuses on the following two strategic areas: * Sustainable Built Environment Products and Services * Renewable Energy Generation Oregon BEST ensures Oregon is a global leader in the green economy. More than 190 Oregon BEST Member Faculty at four universities offer a shared-user network of research expertise and lab tools that help Oregon companies, universities, and students succeed. PROPOSAL MATCHING PROGRAM Oregon BEST's Proposal Matching Program provides matching funds to research and equipment acquisition proposals seeking competitive external funding. This program leverages the state's investment in renewable energy and green building research by making proposals from Oregon faculty more competitive and increasing the level of outside funding of these areas. COMMERCIALIZATION GRANT PROGRAM The Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant Program accelerates the commercialization of technologies developed by universities and small businesses in Oregon collaborating with Oregon BEST’s member faculty. RESEARCH FACILITY INVESTMENTS Oregon BEST invests strategically in university research facilities that advance Oregon BEST's mission of economic development and job creation through research and development of sustainable built environment and renewable energy technologies from the Oregon University System (OUS). These investments help Oregon's research faculty, clean-tech industry, and students gain access to cutting-edge research tools and expertise. Oregon BEST has made facilities investments in seven Oregon BEST Signature Research Facilities that form a statewide network of shared-user facilities. This network represents almost $5 million in new lab resources brought online by Oregon BEST since early 2009 that are available to Oregon faculty and industry. The seven Oregon BEST Signature Research Facilities include: * SuNRISE Photovoltaics Laboratory at the UO * Oregon Process Innovation Center (OPIC) for Sustainable Solar Cell Manufacturing at OSU * Green Building Materials Laboratory at OSU * Green Building Research Laboratory at PSU * infraStructure Testing and Applied Research (iSTAR) Laboratory at PSU * Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory at the UO in Eugene and in Portland * Facade Integrated Technologies (FIT) Testing Facility at the UO.

The primary goal of OSU’s Strategic Plan Phase II is to provide outstanding academic and research programs that further strengthen performance and pre-eminence in the three interdisciplinary Signature Areas of Distinction: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems; Improving Human Health and Wellness; and Promoting Economic Growth and Social Progress. Three years ago, the University formed academic divisions to provide greater opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching and research which advance the signature areas. Around 60 new faculty positions were hired to build capacity within these divisions. OSU is targeting future hires and reorganizing its academic units to become more interdisciplinary. Many existing faculty are assigned to work in interdisciplinary fields, and are required to do interdisciplinary work. Given OSU's interdisciplinary focus via signature areas, faculty are evaluated positively when they do interdisciplinary research.

The Valley Library at OSU has research guides and other materials that support the research community. The research guides include subject matter specific to natural resources, environmental science, and social aspects of sustainable natural resources, to name a few. Additionally, ScholarsArvhive at OSU makes available and stores the scholarly work of the Oregon State University community. Extensive sustainability-related material are contained within this resource: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/