University of Alabama at Birmingham
EN-3: Student Life

UAB has a student group for undergrad and grad students to pursue sustainability initiatives on the campus: Green Initiative. We also have a club, Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, whose primary role is to support our 2017 Solar Decathlon competition but thereafter will pursue ways to do other DOE-related initiatives on the campus and in the community.

The UAB Community Gardens serve all faculty, staff, and students on a first come, first-served basis. They are individual plots worked by the leasee. Several of the plots are affiliated with courses on campus, such as the School of Public Health's Food Security and Nutrition Course and the Universities Fighting World Hunger club.

UAB iLab is an entrepreneurial space run by student leaders to address community issues and drive economic development with strong sustainability elements.

The UAB Sustainability Investment Fund is an annual grant program for undergrad and grad students to submit ideas related to sustainability on campus. The application requires a budget for the project, and students are involved in the selected projects' execution. THe Board that selects the winners each year includes student representatives from the main governing bodies as well as at-large appointees.

UAB Earth Week includes a festival on the green, a household hazardous waste collection, and a seminar from UAB's endowed polar and marine biology professor who specializes in climate change publications.

UAB Sustainability annually holds a screening of the SELC's Southern Exposure film series, which are student-made films about topical sustainability issues in Alabama. The majority of attendees are students.

UAB Outdoor Pursuits, hosted through the UAB Rec Center's Adventure Rec program, leads outdoor excursions all over the United States. All trips are led by trained staff who administer Leave No Trace principles with participants.

The University Honors Program did a required interdisciplinary course (9 credit hours) titled “Science, Technology, and Society” in Fall 2013. It featured a different lecturer each class: David B. Allison, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Quetelet Endowed Professor of Public Health, Associate Dean for Science, School of Public Health, UAB. Rev. Sally Alloca, Executive Director, Promoting Empowerment and Enrichment Resources. Suren Aslibekyan, M.Eng., Chief Engineer, Mars, Inc. David Buys, Ph.D., Post-doc, Division of Preventive Medicine, Dept. of Medicine, UAB. Renato P. Camata, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics, UAB. Ashley Floyd, Director of National Fellowships and Scholarships, UAB. Harriet W. Giles, Ph.D., Managing Director, Auburn University International Hunger Institute. Tracy Hamilton, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, UAB. James R. Hansen, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of History, Auburn University. Paula Gray Hunker, Ph.D.,World Food Programme Senior Policy Advisor, Auburn University. Jason Kirby, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil, Constr., and Envir. Engineering, UAB. Heather Lee, Program Coordinator, Sparkman Center for Global Health, UAB. James McClintock, Ph.D., University Professor, Dept. of Biology, UAB. John McMillan, Commissioner of Agriculture, State of Alabama. James McMinn, M.D., Director, McMinn Clinic, Birmingham, Alabama. Steve Merritt, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, UAB. Andre Millard, Ph.D., Professor, Dept. of History, UAB. Greg Mumford, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, UAB. Jacqueline Nikles, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, UAB. Rosie O' Beirne, Director of Digital Media and Learning, College of Arts and Sciences, UAB. Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, UAB. Scott L. Phillips, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Music, UAB. Brian Rice, University Honors Program student and Oxfam CHANGE Leader. Talat Salama, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil, Constr., & Envir. Engineering, UAB. Kristina Scott, Executive Director, Alabama Possible-Alabama Poverty Project. Frank Stitt, Owner & Executive Chef, Highlands Bar & Grill, Bottega Restaurant, Chez Fon Fon Kate Thornton, Ph.D., Director of Hunger & Sustainability Issues, Auburn University. Tim Townes, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics, UAB. Paulette Van Matre, Executive Director, Magic City Harvest, Birmingham, Alabama. Christopher Waldron, Ph.D., Asst. Professor, Dept. of Civil, Constr., & Envir. Engineering, Gary Warner, Ph.D., Director of Research in Computer Forensics, Dept. of CIS, UAB. Mary Whall, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, UAB

The UAB Sustainability program offers annual internships (between 3 and 10) for undergrad and grad students to support various programs. Ex, biking infrstructure, solar decathlon, earth day planning, Tree Campus USA commitments, etc.