University of Massachusetts Amherst
AC-10: Support for Research

We offer multiple Research Experiences for Undergraduate programs each summer, several of which focus on sustainability research. Examples include the Collaborative Undergraduate Research in Energy (CURE) program http://www.chem.umass.edu/masscrest/reu/index.html and the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences program https://www.fivecolleges.edu/marine/opportunities/FCCMS_internship. These are stipend programs. ICONS. Students in our Interdisciplinary Concentrations in the Sciences (ICoNS) program are offered research mentorships by our tenure system professors. ICons has specific tracks for Renewable Energy, Clean Water and Climate Change. The iCons (Integrated Concentration in Science) program at UMass Amherst facilitated recent student internships at Waters Corp. in Milford. The students conducted research on controlling microbiological growth in order to insure sustainable water systems. http://www.cns.umass.edu/icons-program/ Undergraduate Research in Sustainability Award Papers, theses, design and multimedia projects, and fine art that present research into a sustainability topic are eligible to be nominated for the Undergraduate Research in Sustainability Award. The first prize recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship and two second place winners receive $500 scholarships. Applicants must be nominated by a UMass Amherst faculty member. http://guides.library.umass.edu/content.php?pid=17059&sid=5249509

Endowed Chair in Renewable Energy $2.5 million from the state Department of Energy Resources will be used to fund an endowed chair in renewable energy located in the UMass Amherst College of Engineering. The chair will conduct research in renewable energy innovation that will cut energy use, create jobs and protect the environment.

The UMass Amherst Libraries launched the national-award winning Sustainability Fund in 2012. The Fund allows for the acquisition of sustainability-related books, journals, DVDs, and other materials. High-end subscription databases such as GreenR, PolicyMap, BioOne and Sustainability Watch were also added to the collections through use of the Fund. Campus individuals and groups organizing campus programs may request funding for outside speakers. In the past few years, the Fund has helped fund the appearance of prestigious speakers such as Annie Leonard, Majora Carter and Robert Bullard. The UMass Amherst Libraries maintains several online research guides on topics such as Sustainability, Climate Change, Permaculture, Green Building and Infrastructure, and Food Systems. The Sustainability Studies Librarian offers information instruction to classes as well as by individual consultation. The Sustainability Curriculum Fellowship is a mini-grant program that partners librarians and faculty for a one-year experience, including monthly group meetings to discuss the integration of sustainability library resources into the curriculum. These groups are highly interdisciplinary, allowing for cross pollination of ideas across campus. Sustainable UMass makes use of the Library's Institutional Repository (ScholarWorks) to preserve and disseminate campus output related to sustainability.

To receive credit for Part 3 of this credit, we feel that the criteria needs to be explicitly mentioned in the faculty red book policy: https://www.umass.edu/provost/sites/default/files/uploads/_Academic%20Personnel%20Policy%2C%20UMASS%20A%2CB_0.pdf