Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 59.07
Liaison Matt Wolsfeld
Submission Date March 5, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Saskatchewan
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Matt Wolsfeld
Community Engagement Co-ordinator
Office of Sustainability
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Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
Yes

A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Undergraduate applied research may be supported through the Sustainability Living Lab which uses the campus and the community as a laboratory for teaching and research to explore all aspects of sustainability to develop actionable solutions to make the campus more sustainable.

In addition, three colleges at the University of Saskatchewan offer undergraduate environmental degree programs. In The College of Agriculture and Bioresources, students can pursue environmental degrees focused on protecting renewable resources and the environment through responsible management and conservation of the world's soil, water and ecosystems. From the College of Arts and Science, environmental degrees are available focusing in areas such as the earth sciences, biodiversity, ecology, conservation, toxicology, and environmental studies and policy. Finally, in the College of Engineering students may pursue an environmental degree focused on the application of science and engineering principles for the protection and improvement of public health and the environment. There are eight undergraduate environmental degree options, a number of which include undergraduate research project options. These degree options can be explored more at: https://admissions.usask.ca/environmental-programs.php

Funding from Fisher Scientific is available to help cover expenses associated with undergraduate projects and research. The Sustainability Revolving Fund (SRF) may also fund some projects that bring forward actionable solutions that meet the SRF criteria.

At the graduate level, the School of Environment and Sustainability has a strong program of student research that is interdisciplinary, problem-oriented and experience-based. SENS also offers an undergraduate certificate in sustainability to attach to any undergraduate degree program. One of the requirements of this certificate is participation in ENVS 401 - Sustainability in Action, a project-based course that has students engage in sustainability research over the course of a semester designed to transform an aspect of campus to be more sustainable.
https://sens.usask.ca/programs/undergraduate/certificate-in-sustainability.php

The One Health Initiative also fosters and facilitates student and faculty research across disciplines addresses complex problems in human, animal and/or ecosystem health and is undertaken by integrated teams of medical, animal (including veterinary), social and environmental scientists. http://onehealth.usask.ca/about/uofs-one%20health%20initiative.php


Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The University of Saskatchewan's "signature areas" of research all touch upon dimensions of sustainability and are relevant across disciplines. They are:
1) Aboriginal Peoples: Engagement and Scholarship
2) Agriculture: Food and Bioproducts for a Sustainable Future
3) Energy and Mineral Resources: Technology and Public Policy for a Sustainable Environment
4) One Health: Solutions at the Animal-Human-Environment Interface
5) Synchrotron Sciences: Innovation in Health, Environment and Advanced Technologies
6) Water Security: Stewardship of the World's Freshwater Resources

Major institution-wide efforts are advancing these areas of research. Information on these advancement can be found at: https://vpresearch.usask.ca/about-us/signature-areas-of-research.php


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The following statement is from the Principles Section of the University's Standards for Promotion and Tenure (2011): "The University of Saskatchewan's Mission Statement indicates that we value interdisciplinary research and teaching and we should foster it within our institution. The Mission Statement highlights the four scholarships of teaching, discovery, integration, and application. This inclusive approach to scholarship is intended, among other things, to ensure that faculty who have interdisciplinary interests will be encouraged to pursue them and they will be taken into account and valued in the context of tenure and promotion considerations."


Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

We have library resources on sustainability and support research in this area. Primary support is via librarians and library resources across relevant disciplines.

Full collection of USask Library's research support pages: https://libguides.usask.ca/?b=s

One Health Research Guide: http://libguides.usask.ca/onehealth

Environment & Sustainability Research Guide: http://libguides.usask.ca/SENS

Community Health & Epidemiology Research Guide: http://libguides.usask.ca/communityhealth

Public Health Research Guide: http://libguides.usask.ca/publichealth


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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