Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.51
Liaison Aimee Lemrise
Submission Date Nov. 23, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Derick Chick
Graduate Asssistant
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a program to encourage student sustainability research that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s program(s) to encourage student research in sustainability:
The Green Fund supports advancing sustainability on our campus through research, efficient design, energy and waste reduction, aesthetic upgrades, and education and outreach. Every student, faculty, staff, and campus unit is eligible to apply for a Green Fund project grant. Awards are granted annually/semi-annually by the Green Fund Committee, which is composed of one faculty, one staff, and the three student members of the Sustainability Council. -In 2014-15, student researcher Navya Madineedi researched and evaluated methods to reduce the energy consumption by the HVAC system of the Life Sciences II building. The first step was calculating the current energy used by the HVAC system for preconditioning the supply air. This was done for both heating season (winter) and cooling season (summer) based on the hourly surface temperature data. Cost for the energy used was calculated using the FY16 rates for steam, chilled water and electricity. The research recommended follow-up steps including a calculation of the energy conservation potential of each of 3 recommended methods. Based on the results, suitable retrofit strategy will be proposed. This was supported by the Green Fund.

The website URL where information about the student research program is available:
Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty sustainability research that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s program(s) to encourage faculty research in sustainability:
The Green Fund supports advancing sustainability on our campus through research, efficient design, energy and waste reduction, aesthetic upgrades, and education and outreach. Every student, faculty, staff, and campus unit is eligible to apply for a Green Fund project grant. Awards are granted annually/semi-annually by the Green Fund Committee, which is composed of one faculty, one staff, and the three student members of the Sustainability Council. -In 2015-16, a faculty member, Reza Ahmadi, completed a research project on our campus solar array titled, "Revamping Campus Solar Array Utilization for Research, Education, outreach, and Energy Product Production" which suggested an online monitoring website that is under the work by PSO will increase the feasibility of the sustainable energy utilization among campus or community members. This can potentially lead to several social movements towards adoption of sustainable energy sources on or off campus. This was the first phase of a potential project which,in the second and third phases, would involve outreach activities that can result in positive social impacts in the community level. This was supported by the Green Fund.

The website URL where information about the faculty research program is available:
Has the institution formally adopted policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
Yes

A brief description or the text of the institution’s policy regarding interdisciplinary research:
When in the decision making process, faculty members from other academic units when candidates under consideration have taught a number of students from those units, or who have served on a number of doctoral committees in those units, or have engaged in interdisciplinary teaching or research with members of those units.

The website URL where information about the treatment of interdisciplinary research is available:
Does the institution provide ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's library support for sustainability research and learning:
The theme for Saluki First year 2012-2013 was Sustainability. Though this year has passed, support for sustainability research still exists through this site, which provides information on research and learning on topics such as: -Climate Change & Global Warming -Deforestation & Sustainable Forestry -Farming & Agriculture -Local Foods -Organic Food -Water Conservation -Reclaiming Our Food -Saluki Idea Competition -Sustainability at SIU -Local Sustainability Events

The website URL where information about the institution's library support for sustainability is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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