State University of New York at New Paltz
AC-10: Support for Research

At this time, SUNY New Paltz does not have a specific program that encourages student research in sustainability exclusively. The Office of Academic Affairs provides support for faculty-mentored student scholarship through the Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Program (RSCA). RSCA Programs include the Academic Year Undergraduate Research Experience and the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.

SUNY and the Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) have created the SUNY/RF Networks of Excellence to facilitate system-wide collaboration. The networks bring together professors and harness institutional expertise from across campuses to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Each network assembles scientists and scholars from varied campuses to engage in a joint program of research on a specific topic. By bringing together the varied expertise distributed across campuses into a collective network, SUNY can better position itself to become a national and international scientific leader, compete for research grants, and educate the next-generation workforce. The vision of the Network of Excellence in Energy, Environment, Education and Economics (SUNY 4E) is to identify and bring together faculty and facilities across SUNY in partnership with key academic institutions, the private sector and national labs, in unparalleled trans-disciplinary teams that lead the nation and the world in key transformative research areas that have a broad, positive and lasting impact on society. The 4E Network of Excellence will focus on research areas related to energy and the environment with associated economic considerations and the enhancement of educational opportunities across the SUNY system and beyond. http://sunynetworksofexcellence.org/suny-4e Andrea Frank (Photography), Aaron Knochel (Art Education), Anne Galperin (Graphic Design), and Lisa Mitten (Sustainability) received a SUNY 4E grant. For several years in a row, the SUNY Office of Sustainability has awarded mini-grants to support general sustainability research projects and green infrastructure research projects. SUNY New Paltz faculty members Salvatore Engel-DiMauro (Geography), Michael Sheridan (Business), and Huicheng Chien (Geography) have taken advantage of this program. For more information on the SUNY Small Grant Sustainability fund, visit http://system.suny.edu/capital-facilities/office-of-sustainability/initiatives/. At SUNY New Paltz, the Sustainability Committee funded five faculty research initiatives during the 2013-14 academic year. SUNY System Office of Sustainability, the Provost Challenge Grant, and the Department of Environmental Conservation has awarded SUNY New Paltz faculty and staff funding for sustainability research. The Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office of Campus Sustainability, and the Center for Research, Regional Engagement and Outreach have supported faculty members in pursuing funding for outside research.

The Collection Development department at Sojourner Truth Library selects print and electronic resources to support interdisciplinary sustainability research in Environmental Studies, Art Studio, Geography, Physics, Engineering, Political Science, Biology, and Sociology. Liaison librarians submit requests for resources on behalf of faculty and students in their liaison areas. In addition, the library subscribes to numerous databases and journal collections that support research in sustainability studies. These resources include ScienceDirect, SciFinder Scholar, Environment Complete, BioOne, and ACS Journals. A Sustainability Librarian represents the library faculty and administration on the campus Sustainability Committee, and promotes sustainability themes in library and campus programming.