University of Houston
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Senior Marketing and Communications students in Mike Emery's class create a final marketing project each semester to promote special sustainability initiatives and events. Mike Emery, the Director of UH Marketing/Communications, works with the Office of Sustainability to identify sustainability projects and programs that need assistance with student engagement and advertisement. Students provide recommendations for outreach efforts and present ideas to the Office staff to improve future sustainability projects, acting as a professional consultant-client relationship. Student-to-student connection consistently increases participation in events such as Earth Week.

University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design students Caleb Matheson and Darci McGee recently received the Merit Award from the AIA Fort Worth Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards for their project, Lewis Center, a tribute to the life and work of the late congressman John Lewis.

The project was born from Professor Emily Moore's studio assignment to design a social justice center that would revitalize a community. The Lewis Center orients itself towards serving surrounding communities of the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta, Georgia – a significant historical region containing markers and monuments from the Civil Rights Movement.

Matheson and McGee sought to create a space celebrating John Lewis and perpetuating his mission of getting into "good trouble" for the sake of social justice. The word "dreams" as a metaphor, packed with imagery and having significance within the civil rights movement, was the Lewis Center's inspiration.
https://uh.edu/architecture/newsroom/news-articles/3-2021-fort-worth-merit/

Bruce Race, PhD joined the Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture and Design to establish the Center for Sustainability and Resilience (CeSAR). He teaches the ARCH 5500–QUAD ZERO Studio (net zero energy, GHG, waste, and water) and the Eco-Districts seminar. These courses provide an opportunity for students to explore designing high performance cities and buildings. This class emphasizes community engagement and design innovation grounded by real world experience. Dr. Race’s research, supported by student study of the UH campus, focuses on development of low-carbon cities.
https://www.uh.edu/uh-energy/about-uh-energy/energy-fellows/bruce-race/

Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design Professor Dijana Handanovic and seven undergraduate Architecture students joined forces with Houston’s Awty International School and non-profit organization Schools for Children of the World (SCW) to raise money and build a new school in a rural Buenos Aires village, fifteen miles from Comayagua, Honduras.

Professor Handanovic and the students – Sarah Neiman, Morgan Mendenhall, Chris Nguyen, Sarah White, Andrew Medina, Edgar Castillo, and Steven Griffin – built a physical model of the Honduras school building envisioned by SCW. The students also produced several graphic representations, which were initially scheduled to be displayed at the annual Awty International Festival before the event’s cancelation due to COVID-19.
https://www.uh.edu/architecture/newsroom/news-articles/hines-college-students-help-build-school-in-honduras.php

Yan Yao, an University of Houston associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and his lab discovered a new material that has proven an effective anode for acid and alkaline batteries, including emerging aqueous metal-ion batteries, offering the promise of safe, long-lasting batteries that work across a range of temperatures. Their use of quinones are inexpensive, earth-abundant and easily recyclable material. These batteries are effective for the use of energy storage which can help progress electric cars, wind and solar power along with other clean energy technologies. Yao continues his work mentoring students on new projects related to aqueous batteries.
https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2021/january-2021/01112021shan-seawater.php

Food insecurity, or the inability to afford enough nutritious food to fuel a regularly healthy lifestyle, is a growing concern on college campuses nationwide. In an effort to address this significant barrier to student success, the University of Houston has opened the Cougar Cupboard in partnership with the Houston Food Bank’s Food for Change market network. The cupboard is available to all enrolled undergraduate or graduate students who may need access to additional food. Student volunteers also rotate stock from the pantry and compose any past good produce.

The Cougar Cupboard is stocked full of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen and refrigerated foods, and dry goods. Students can receive up to 30 lbs. of free groceries every week from Cougar Cupboard or one of the other 14 Food for Change markets in Houston. To utilize the Cougar Cupboard, students must attend a one-time market orientation hosted by Cougar Cupboard staff and complete a short application for the Houston Food Bank’s Food Scholarship Program.
https://uh.edu/dsaes/cougarcupboard/

Classes taught at the UH Coastal Center (UHCC) include courses in ecology, environmental sciences, geophysics and architecture. See the News & Events “Events” tab for recent and upcoming courses.

Students in any UH campus can register for a limited number of courses at other campuses. This allows students from any campus to take summer courses at the UHCC. See http://uhsystem.edu/students/student-pathways/.

UHCC scientists like Chelse Prather are active in promoting “pocket prairies” that help students of all ages experience the prairie wherever they might live. See a short video from Texas Parks & Wildlife that features Chelse at https://youtu.be/rMYvhJ_AZMs/.
http://www.eih.uh.edu/education/

Professor Funda Sahin has been studying the often-overlooked benefits of purchasing sustainable products. The results of her research were highlighted in Bauer Business News along with her work with students on this topic. http://bauerticker.uh.edu/bbf/benefits-of-sustainable-products/

A group of University of Houston students enrolled in Energy & Sustainability with similar interests in water conservation investigated a potential water-saving solution for the University of Houston with the guidance of their professor. Their research project evaluates the structure, costs and laws of the current on-campus water management system and analyzes sound technical methodologies and water conservation strategies that could be implemented within the campus. A website was published that reviews their findings: https://uhwater.weebly.com/

In 2021, the C. T. Bauer College of Business partnered with a startup hackathon to virtually host an event that challenged college students from across the United States to create a sustainability startup in just a few days.

Bauer College’s nationally ranked Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship partnered with 4 Day Founder (4DF) for the inaugural event, which was open to any college student identifying as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC), designed to build a safe community for future founders of color to innovate.

Over the four-day virtual hackathon, 11 teams developed startup ideas promoting sustainability. The randomized teams each brainstormed an idea, created a logo, presented an elevator pitch, researched the market, drafted a one-pager and competed in a pitch competition. The hackathon was supplemented by panel discussions with BIPOC entrepreneurs on “Being an Effective Leader,” “Financing Your Million Dollar Idea,” and “Diversity in Business.” Students attended sessions about the business model canvas, public speaking, and how to make a startup pitch deck.

https://www.bauer.uh.edu/news/2021/bauer-college-co-hosts-climate-focused-hackathon/

The Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) REACH program promoted the University's commitment to diversity and the creation of a global learning community. They help bring individuals and groups of students together to engage with and learn from one another. REACH peer educators have multiple opportunities to develop foundational leadership skills and refine personal and professional strengths. After attending a three-hour learning intensive orientation, ambassadors are fully prepared to represent the CDI mission of diversity and understanding. A year long appointment, ambassador job responsibilities include attending CDI meetings, representing CDI at other departmental meetings, creating and maintaining a positive and educational social media presence, and educating the campus about diversity and inclusion values.

Positive outcomes include general office and intercultural experience training for CDI ambassadors, campus networking, and increased intercultural competence for the campus as a whole. Students can also earn a REACH certification to document their skills and service.

https://www.uh.edu/cdi/student-opportunities/reach/
https://www.uh.edu/cdi/diversity_education/rise/
https://www.uh.edu/dsa/realignment/

NOTE: Due to the implementation of Texas Senate Bill 17, DEI activities have ceased, and REACH is no longer active on campus as of September 1st, 2023.

Learning to lead yourself is just as important as learning to lead others. Through LeadWELL, students will learn the importance of self-care and balance as it relates to leadership. Topics such as time management, stress management, self-care and more will be explored. Development of these skills are crucial to a healthy life and organization.

By participating in LeadWell, participants will be able to:

Understand the role that personal wellness and well-being play in leadership.
Learn the how topics like self-care and balance, healthy communication, time management can impact wellness.
Identify changes they may be able to make in their daily life to increase well-being.

To complete the LeadWell program, students must complete the 2 core courses, 2 elective courses, and a capstone reflection paper.
https://uh.edu/csi/leaduh/leadwell/

https://uh.edu/uh-energy-innovation/uh-energy/energy-research/faculty-research/