| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.29 |
| Liaison | Geory Kurtzhals |
| Submission Date | Oct. 13, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Notre Dame
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Mike
Seamon Vice President Campus Safety & University Operatis |
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Air & Climate?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Air & Climate:
Center for Environmental Science and Technology is a cooperative effort between Notre Dame’s Colleges of Science and Engineering, fostering interdisciplinary environmental research and education by providing cutting-edge analytical technologies needed to address complex environmental problems. A full-time technical support staff maintains the instruments and provides basic training on instrument use. CEST is unique in that Notre Dame faculty and students may use the instruments for class work or research without instrument-time charges. Each year, dozens of undergraduate students use CEST as part of course work, independent study, and/or through formalized REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs.
https://cest.nd.edu/about/index.html
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Buildings?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Buildings:
Community-Building studios teach the design of both affordable and market-rate housing using different forms of construction, with special emphasis on modular building technology. Classes and projects address sustainable development with respect to architecture and urban design, especially focusing on regional and local characteristics of architecture and design in rural, urban, and suburban communities across the country.
http://www.sakal-hood.com/CBC.com/buildingcommunities.nd.edu/studios-internships/index.html
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Energy?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Energy:
Megawatt Madness is the annual dorm energy competition which challenges all 30 dorms to reduce their energy as much as possible. A real-time energy dashboard allows residents to see exactly how much energy their dorm is using at a given time, transforming campus into a living laboratory of energy conservation.
https://green.nd.edu/get-involved/megawatt-madness/
The Computational Molecular Science and Engineering Laboratory (CoMSEL) provides world-class expertise in classical and quantum mechanical simulations. It is designed to provide a unique, high quality, cross-college computational research and collaborative space for both scientists and engineers.
https://energy.nd.edu/facilities/comsel/
ND Energy offers the use of laboratory space to Notre Dame researchers in a visible location within 116-120 Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering to promote research collaborations and to build a strong community of scholars. This space is available to researchers engaged in active, energy-related research projects at no cost to the investigators. The laboratory space is a total of 2,000 square feet and is equipped with 10-ft. bench tops, shelving, cabinet space, and hookups for air, nitrogen gas, and vacuum.
https://energy.nd.edu/facilities/energy-labs/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Food & Dining?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Food & Dining:
Theri Niemier, co-owner of local sustainable farm, teaches a horticulture class in the spring, allowing students enrolled in the Sustainability minor a hands-on approach to small-scale sustainable agriculture.
Beginning in the fall of 2016, senior Caitlin Murphy facilitated a partnership between Notre Dame and Community Plates, allowing a greater number of campus eateries to contribute unserved food to a greater number of community organizations in need, run entirely by Notre Dame student volunteers.
https://sustainabilitystudies.nd.edu/news-events/news/caitlin-murphy-17/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Grounds?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Grounds:
A 2014-2015 capstone project through the sustainability minor studied invasive plant species at Notre Dame. Campus served as a viable sample due to the many non-native plants brought there by priests and brothers from Europe. The goal of this project was to identify invasive plants on Notre Dame’s campus, evaluate the reasons for invasiveness of each plant, create a draft policy document for the prohibition of planting of certain invasive plants and to suggest alternative species for each one, and finally to provide feedback to the Indiana Invasive Species Council.
https://sustainabilitystudies.nd.edu/sustainability-minor/capstone-projects/2015/buerger/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Purchasing?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Purchasing:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Transportation?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Transportation:
Spring 2017 graduating marketing majors' capstone presentations were on the strategic plans they propose for a bike share program in South Bend. Soon after the end of the semester the city of South Bend decided to implement a bike share program with LimeBike and the University joined the program soon after.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Waste?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Waste:
A project run by an undergraduate student during the 2015-2016 school year aimed to experiment how uses of signage could potentially improve recycling on campus.
She was encouraged to use trash and recycling receptacles around campus for her research, and was able to change size, placement, color, among other things. She found that signage was actually more effective in diverting trash than encouraging recycling.
https://sustainabilitystudies.nd.edu/sustainability-minor/capstone-projects/2016/eckert/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Water?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Water:
A laboratory provides scientists with a predictable and controlled setting for conducting experiments. However, research in the environmental sciences also needs to be tested at a more realistic scale, in a whole lake or stream for instance. The Notre Dame Linked Experimental Ecosystem Facility, or ND-LEEF, provides scientists with a place to do these large-scale experiments without the challenges of field research, where controlling and replicating experiments can be problematic. ND-LEEF is a globally unique research facility that houses two man-made experimental watersheds, each consisting of an interconnected pond, stream, and wetland. Scientists use ND-LEEF to conduct experiments in a field-like setting but in a more controlled environment than one can find in nature. Both experimental watersheds are roughly the length and width of a football field and located five miles north of campus on six acres of land within St. Patrick’s County Park.
https://environmentalchange.nd.edu/resources/nd-leef/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Investment & Finance?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Investment & Finance:
Mendoza College of Business offers many undergraduate and graduate courses regarding impact investing specifically related to sustainability. These include Land Conservation Financing, The Business of Sustainability, The Business of Energy, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting.
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Public Engagement?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Public Engagement:
The Bowman Creek Educational Ecosystem offers internships to Notre Dame students. Projects include architectural plans to add attractions such as parks and walking trails to the creek-front, and redirecting the creek so that certain sections are above ground, bringing the water out into the open to get to a more natural state.
https://bowmancreek.org/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
In 2015, a student compiled a responsible tourism guide for Notre Dame students studying abroad after experiencing a gap in this information pre-departure. She also created a guide specifically related to Notre Dame’s Global Gateway in London.
https://sustainabilitystudies.nd.edu/sustainability-minor/capstone-projects/2015/gibler/
Is the institution utilizing its campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in relation to other areas (e.g. arts & culture or technology)?:
A brief description of the student/faculty projects and how they contribute to understanding campus sustainability challenges or advancing sustainability on campus in relation to other areas:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.