University of South Florida (Tampa)
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

The USF Student Affairs Green Energy Fund regularly funds projects to improve the efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings on campus, as summarized here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/projects/projects-by-type.aspx As an example, a multidisciplinary team of five students and staff were recently funded to complete the Collins Parking Garage LED lights project ($321,279; http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/documents/project-proposals/led-in-collins-garage.pdf), the goal of which was to upgrade the Collins parking garage's 487 light fixtures to longer lasting and more energy efficient LED lighting.

The USF Student Affairs Green Energy Fund regularly funds projects to improve energy efficiency, as summarized here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/projects/projects-by-type.aspx As an example, a team of five students and staff from the College of Engineering was recently funded ($50,000) to install power management software on 8,000 desk top computers at USF to place them in sleep mode when not in use. This operation significantly reduced power consumption of individual computers to 5 watts (rather than the 70-100 watts consumed when not in sleep mode). This achieved a significant energy savings for USF. Details may be found here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energyfund/ documents/project-proposals/campus-computer-sleep-mode-software.pdf

The USF Student Affairs Green Energy Fund regularly funds projects to improve the grounds, as summarized here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/projects/projects-by-type.aspx As an example, a team of five students and staff was awarded $86,385 for a tree-planting project designed to reduce carbon by 33,250 kg/year. The team planted 73 live oaks, the first of which were planted during a National Arbor Day celebration. The project included the purchase and planting of trees and installation of an irrigation system. The locations for tree planting were selected to enhance tree coverage where needed on campus and provide shade on the sides of walkways to encourage walking around campus. Details may be found here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/documents/project-proposals/tree-planting-reduce-proposal.pdf

Under the guidance of Dr. Sean Barbeau, Center for Urban Transportation Research, College of Engineering, three computer science and engineering students developed the USF Transportation Maps App. This was a multi-year project. These students are Joseph Fields, Jean- Baptist Subils, and Anil Kandula. It is a mobile trip planner that layers all types of alternative transportation in one convenient place. Using the Trip Planner link, you can plan trips to and from USF buildings and areas around campus via USF Bull Runner, HART bus, Share-A-Bull bike share (including real-time availability), bike, and walking (based on actual USF sidewalks). It is also available via the MyUSF App on Android and iOS, under Tampa Maps. Using the Layers link, you can see where different travel-related resources are on the Tampa campus including USF Bull Runner routes (stops and live vehicle locations), parking lots (permit types and link to pay by phone for pay stations), bike rack locations. USFF Share-A-Bull bikes, and Electric Vehicle charging stations. It is also available via the MyUSF App on Android and iOS, under Tampa Maps. USF Maps App encourages use of cleaner transportation alternatives.Details may be found here - http://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/parking/maps/index.aspx Supplementary information may be found here - https://www.cutr.usf.edu/research-1/research-in-progress/

The USF Student Affairs Green Energy Fund regularly funds projects to reduce waste, as summarized here -http://www.usf.edu/studentaffairs/ green-energy-fund/projects/projects-by-type.aspx As an example, a team of 3 students and staff were awarded $106,000 for a project that generates biodiesel from waste oil (from dining halls and other sources within and outside of the USF campus) using a supercritical process technology. The first phase of the project built a pilot system that generated about 400 gallons of biodiesel per week. The biodiesel generated from this project is used as a fuel for USF's Bull Runner buses and replaces the purchase of biodiesel from other vendors. In addition to biodiesel, the project will also produce liquid and solid soap as byproducts to achieve maximum utilization of the resource and generate additional income. Details may be found here - http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/green-energy-fund/documents/project-proposals/renew-a-bull-biodieselproject. pdf

Anthropology / NSF Pire Living Laboratories for energy and water: This PIRE (Partnerships in International Research and Education) project addresses integrated water and energy systems fundamental to social, economic, and environmental well-being and prosperity. The project seeks to merge water and energy concerns with appropriate cultural models of local knowledge, institutions, and resource limits. It also seeks to initiate a cultural shift in individual and university research and education programs by developing international research competence and building capacity through global partnerships. Engineering systems will be adapted to environmental and cultural changes associated with growth in human populations, urbanization, and resource consumption by focusing on the interstices of geographical context, cultural analysis, and how the scale of implementation of a solution impacts results. The overarching research question is: can effective, geographically-appropriate, and culturally relevant engineered systems be established that utilize wastewater as a resource for recovery of energy, water, and nutrients. https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1243510

A Student Engineering team studied the feasibility of installing gym equipment that can be modified to create energy. This included investigating the possibilities of energy generation in new equipment, Identify how much energy will be generated by changing the gym equipment, determining the upfront cost the changes would incur vs the final savings the changes would produce. PDF of presentation is included in the Additional documentation at the bottom

In partnership with St. Joseph’s John Knox, the AlwaysNear in-home sensory system is installed in a 506 sq-ft one bedroom apartment in Tampa FL near USF campus. This “Living Lab” serves as a test bed for new technology evaluation, sensory system validation, and alert and notification testing. The sensory system consists of a combination of custom made and off-the-shelf sensors. Presently, there are 4 types of sensors operating in the Living Lab (LL): Contact Sensors, Proximity Sensors, Motion Detectors and Pressure Switches. Details may be found here - http://www.usf.edu/engineering/create-health/showcase/

Building Bridges: Campus Community Engagement” – a grant program from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. USF College of The Arts in conjunction with Arts2Action introduces students and audiences to the diversity of Muslim and Arab identities, cultures, and aesthetics. Partners in the project included schools in the College of The Arts, departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, multiple centers and offices of the university and multiple student organizations of the university. Details may be found here - http://theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu/content/templates/?a=4016&z=374