| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.91 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth MacKenzie |
| Submission Date | June 25, 2024 |
University of Iowa
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Emma
Duncan Grad Student Intern Office of Sustainability and the Environment |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
The UI office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE) aims to support resesarch on campus and offers several resources for students. Student interns may conduct research with OSE directly or be supported through a partnership with the UI Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) which funds sustainability research for interested students receiving OUR Fellowships.
The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies is a crucial part of the research and infrastructure of the University of Iowa. Programming connects scholars across campus and engages students and the larger public. This year a Design Workshop for Environmental Studies Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration was held as part of the Envisioning Interdisciplinary Environmental Research. Teams of 2-5 participants applied and were awarded an honorarium for participating. The goal was to imagine ways that our campus might serve as a "living laboratory" for environmental research.
https://obermann.uiowa.edu/design-workshop-environmental-studies-cross-disciplinary-collaboration
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
The Office of the Vice President for Research offers assistance to faculty interested in conducting research. Assistance can range from administrative grant management to providing internal seed grants; many of these grants are sustainability-focused.
https://research.uiowa.edu/wanted-bold-ideas-developing-nih-climate-change-and-health-center-iowa
https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/meet-the-climate-change-collaboratory-researchers/
The Climate Change and Sustainability Research Networking Event is a coming together of employees interested in climate change, sustainability, and environmental research. The goal of this networking event is to bring together individuals from a range of backgrounds to get to know others and think about interesting ways of connecting your research agendas.
Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The University of Iowa values and recognizes the benefits of interdisciplinary research. Promotion and tenure decisions are conducted by each department. Many departments give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, trans‐disciplinary, and multi‐disciplinary research during faculty promotion and tenure decisions.
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The University of Iowa library provides research guides in various departments including Civil and Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, and Toxicology. https://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/sb.php?subject_id=29879
UIowa libraries are part of the Iowa Library Association, which in turn is partnering with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. The Main Library on campus is an active member of this initiative that aims to uncover ways that their libraries and communities will understand, lessen, and adapt to the effects of climate change. These include a custom CO2 calculator to help them estimate their current institutional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so they can measure progress in reducing GHG emissions; a vendor list to source more environmentally-friendly products and services; policy examples; a webinar archive and the Road Map to Sustainability resource to help with planning.
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
For more information on the Office of Undergraduate Research, please see: https://our.research.uiowa.edu/
for more information on the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, please see: https://obermann.uiowa.edu/
For more information about the library, please see: http://guides.lib.uiowa.edu/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.