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

Art & Culture: SCLP:3895 "Topics on Sculpture: Art at the Edge of the Landfill." During the course, students looked into artists working with a wide range of materials- ranging from the raw, the found, to the discarded whose practices are evocative, political, and powerful. Post-consumer materials were used for all projects. Students are required to complete their own project using Post-Consumer materials.

Prompt for the Planet: Explores and celebrates the radial explosions, and interconnected root systems just one call for environmentally engaged art can create. In 2022, the event hosted an eco-cabaret, a night of music, poetry, dance, and film set in motion by a prompt from the poet Amanda Gorman.  Another event is planned for September 2024.

Physical Environment: Biology Greenhouse – Biology Department: Their principal activities include the culturing of plant lines for research projects and caring for a variety of plant specimens available to University of Iowa students. They also supply plant materials and growing space for studies and experiments in courses taught by department faculty.

Bee Campus: To help prevent further decline, the University of Iowa has committed to protecting our native pollinator population by becoming a Bee Campus USA affiliate. As a certified Bee Campus, the UI is committed to: Creating and enhancing pollinator habitat by increasing the abundance of native plants and providing nest sites; reducing pesticide use; offering educational opportunities that incorporate pollinator conservation; and providing service-learning projects that enhance pollinator habitat. The UI has a Bee Campus Committee which includes students, faculty, and staff from the UI. The committee is tasked with ensuring the UI meets its requirements to maintain Bee Campus USA affiliation.

JMC:1800 "ENVIRONMENTAL COMM IN THE DIGITAL AGE" During the course, students worked to start the development of a long-term relationship with community and civic organizations in Coralville. Students in the Fall 2021 Environmental Communication class, kicked off this amazing partnership by working with the Coralville City Councillor, to understand public knowledge of and experience with water quality in the community.

Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities: The Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) brings University of Iowa students to communities across the state to collaborate with local leaders on real-world projects. The program offers essential, energizing, and applicable learning experiences to graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, while simultaneously providing valuable services to communities.

Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory (APLL): The APLL facility is a joint collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE), UI Athletics, the Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the Dept. of Biology, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering. The APLL is a cross-campus effort and part of a broader vision as stated in the 2030 sustainability goals that started in 2019. The UI and OSE are creating living laboratories campus-wide; providing opportunities for students and researchers to make the campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Multiple courses use the APLL as an outdoor classroom for applied coursework and student-led research.

Students have had several opportunities to facilitate positive sustainable impact on buildings, including:

Mechanical Engineering students in ME:4086 Mechanical Engineering Desing Project developed a group project to design and build a modular hydroponic system that can be customized for unique campus building spaces as a way to bring live plants into offices and improve well-being.  The students consulted with the Office of Sustainability as a client and created a prototype design that will be handed on to the next design class for further development.

The University of Iowa has three buildings on campus that support green roofs; the Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, the Visual Arts Building, and the Seamans Center, otherwise known as the College of Engineering.  The green roofs assist students in learning about stormwater management, providing insulation, mitigating energy consumption, reducing the urban heat island effect, and providing beauty to an otherwise concrete landscape.

As part of the University of Iowa’s goal to use zero coal by the year 2025, the University of Iowa Power Plant is looking to increase their biomass powered generation capabilities. As part of this process, the University is exploring the construction of a pelletizing facility in the Iowa City area. The MBA student consulting team is tasked with creating a business plan for the pelletizing facility. The business plan will include an estimated cost structure of the facility based on inbound shipment costs, outbound shipment costs, and operating costs as well as an analysis of the most beneficial ownership structure for the University. With the cost structure in place, the team will be able to evaluate the economic viability of various renewable sources compared to the current cost of coal and natural gas. Additionally, the MBA team will anticipate any community concerns that could arise from a facility and will outline a marketing strategy to alleviate these concerns.

Students are also currently evaluating campus laboratories with minus 80 degree freezers and developing a plan to increase the temperature to minus 70 degrees on selected freezers that are plugged into energy monitors.  The energy consumption will be monitored to determine energy conservation potential from increasing freezer temperatures.

The University of Iowa Student Garden has been producing a variety of spring and summer produce that the students provided to the food service for inclusion in meals served to University students, faculty, and staff at the Iowa Memorial Union. The UI Gardeners Club maintains a commercial-size operation on the 1/3rd acre plot on the Hawkeye Campus. The greenhouse was installed in April 2009. Compost from pre-consumer food waste is applied to the garden to prepare and fertilize the soil, creating a full circle of on-campus, locally-grown produce using organic methods of gardening.

The University of Iowa student organization Determined Growers Incorporating Radical Farming will begin planting its on-campus Edible Gardens this spring. The gardens are being planted after several years of planning and fundraising. The Edible Gardens will be made up of four small locations by the Chemistry Building and North Hall along the east side of the UI campus, to fulfill the desire of the students to have gardens that are on the main part of campus, as well as help to meet the requirements of the Bee Campus designation achieved in 2022.

Kozo Garden: The Kozo plant is harvested annually in the fall at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. The plant is carefully cut, and the bark is steamed, peeled, and dried in this first stage of the paper-making process. The Kozo harvest itself is a one-day event, but beyond that, we have volunteers and sometimes even graduate assistants working out there.

American Conifer Society Reference Gardens: The American Conifer Society began its reference garden program in 2008 intending to create opportunities for people to learn more about conifers and the American Conifer Society. The University of Iowa planted its first dwarf conifer garden at Hancher Auditorium and has since planted more conifer gardens around campus including at the President's Residence, Dey House, Halsey Hall, and the Eckstein Medical Research Building.

UI Campus Arboretum: The campus grounds of the University of Iowa were declared an accredited arboretum in 2021, showcasing an exceptional variety of trees and woody plant species including over 8,000 trees of over 300 total species, historic and rare trees, and several state champion trees including the State Champion American Elm, Dawn Redwood, and Scarlet Oak. While its primary function is to support the educational mission of the University of Iowa, the Arboretum is also open for the public to enjoy. The trees and shrubs in the collection are chosen following the guidelines of our tree collection policy.

Tree Campus USA: Just in time for Earth Month, the University of Iowa was once again designated a 2022 Tree Campus USA award by the Tree Campus Higher Education Program. The award was presented to the Facilities Management Landscape Services tree crew by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources during the annual Community Forestry Awards luncheon on April 12. The UI was the first college in Iowa to win the award in 2009 and is one of only seven Tree Campus USA award winners in Iowa. The UI has earned this award each consecutive year since 2009 through its longstanding commitment to sustainable campus forestry and a rich tradition of student service-learning.

Yes, Cambus is a student-run campus transportation system.

Engineering class working on dumpster sensors, student groups working on signage/bin design, students working on res hall educaiton/infrastructure.

IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering is a world-renowned center for education, research, and public service focusing on hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. Based in the C. Maxwell Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, a five-story red brick building on the banks of the Iowa River, IIHR is a unit of the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. At IIHR, students, faculty members, and research engineers work together to understand and manage one of the world’s greatest resources—water. Students from around the world benefit from IIHR’s comprehensive multidisciplinary approach, which includes basic fluid mechanics, laboratory experimentation, and computational approaches.

The University of Iowa's Office of Sustainability takes on several undergraduate interns each semester. Student interns are responsible for coordinating with student organizations and campus departments to administer sustainable campus outreach activities (coordination & planning). Examples of this are the interns leading the Underrepresented Students in Sustainability program, a mentor-mentee program; the AASHE STARS report is a collaborative effort between the staff in the office and student interns; wellness interns that sit on the University’s Built & Natural Environment wellness subcommittee; and the communications interns team are tasked with engagement with the community through social media to spread sustainability knowledge around campus.

The Center for Diversity and Enrichment prepares students for the role of Iowa Edge Peer Leader; working with African American, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Latino/a, and first-generation college students; development of leadership, group facilitation, presentation, and peer mentoring skills here at the University of Iowa.

American Association for the Advancement of Science – STEM Equity Achievement (SEA Change) program: This initiative, which aims to help colleges and universities advance the institutional transformation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, aligns with UI’s ongoing strategic planning process, and will provide a mechanism for institutional review, accountability, and evolution in DEI on campus.

Underrepresented Students in Sustainability Mentoring Program (USS) - OSE: Students at the University of Iowa proposed USS as a resource for underrepresented students interested in environmental sustainability. USS will connect students with qualified mentors interested in providing guidance and advocacy for the next generation of leaders in the field. USS has three primary goals: Bridging the gap between underrepresented students and qualified professionals who share an interest in environmental sustainability; offering a support system and increasing retention for underrepresented students in sustainability-oriented fields; and preparing underrepresented students to join the next generation of leaders in sustainability & the environment.

Tippie Sustainability Case Competition is an on-campus case competition revolving around sustainability issues facing our society, specifically in the business environment. Students learn how to develop a sustainable business model and identify environmental and social components that factor into the long-term profitability and viability of their business. Throughout the competition, students consult with faculty, business owners, and sustainability professionals to work through their business model canvas. During the finals, students pitch their sustainable business concept to a panel of judges. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners, as well as an opportunity to develop their business inside the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory (BELL).

Living Learning Communities at the University of Iowa are a way for first-year students to meet other people who share their interests. The Green Adventures Living Learning Community in Petersen Hall, is rooted in recreation, an appreciation for the outdoors, and the shared pursuit of sustainability. Residents enjoy on- and off-campus excursions, an active lifestyle, and advocacy for the health of our earth. In 2022, the University of Iowa established its current 5-year strategic plan. One of the identified priorities in the plan is Holistic Well-being and Success. Well-being at UI is defined as a process focused on life-long learning that promotes and sustains optimal health, personal connectedness, meaningful experiences, and a purposeful life. To achieve a culture where well-being is embedded into all facets of our experience, a campus collaborative was formed with subcommittees focused on key areas of priority. One of these subcommittees was the Built and Natural Environments for Wellbeing that is composed of staff, faculty, and students.