Washington University in St. Louis
AC-10: Support for Research

The International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability sponsors a summer undergraduate research internship that provides an opportunity for students to propose a research project with a faculty mentor. Awardees receive a stipend and funds to cover research expenses. Funding is open to students from across the institution.

In addition, The Environmental Studies Program, International Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Office of Sustainability and Tyson Research Center have developed a collaborative internship model that includes research-focused summer internships, directed to student-led projects on energy, environment and sustainability. Together with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Career Center, the programs ensure that the opportunities are available to all students.

Student participation in sustainability research is encouraged in multiple ways and through different paths. Additional support is available in internal pilot funding for faculty research projects to protect funding for student participation. Programs are devoted directly to students. Increasingly, large-scale projects are also looking for avenues to increase student participation in ways that align with curriculum and provide mentoring opportunities.

Ongoing programs are available within Washington University in St. Louis to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability. The Office of Undergraduate Research helps fund students undertaking research project over the summer. One example program is the Washington University BioSURF Program which is designed to provide mentored, ten week summer research program in the biological sciences. Academic programs work with the Office of Undergraduate Research to ensure opportunities for research grants, fellowships, and internships are broadly available to the campus community.

Funding is also available through the Gephardt Institute to support their work at unpaid internships in the community over the summer:http://gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/goldman-fellows/

Washington University has an active internal funding program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability. The International Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (InCEES) funds projects for up to $50,000 and 12 months to tenured and tenure-track faculty conducting research in energy, the environment, and sustainability (https://incees.wustl.edu/programs/call-for-proposals/). One hundred and twenty projects have been funded for projects ranging from sustainable fashion design to the design of new solar photovoltaic systems.

The Tyson Research Center has sponsors seed grants to stimulate interdisciplinary field research (https://sustainability.wustl.edu/tyson-faculty-seed-grant-for-interdisciplinary-research/).

Other funding opportunities include: the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership (MAGEEP), the Institute for Public Health, and the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization.

The Leadership and Entrepreneurial Acceleration Program (LEAP), which is supported by the Office of Technology Management and Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Vice Chancellor for Research University Research Strategic Alliance program (https://source.wustl.edu/tag/university-research-strategic-alliance/) are focused on technology development and facilitating new interdisciplinary connections, respectively. These two funding sources are not specific to sustainability.

The Washington University in St. Louis Policy on Academic Freedom, Responsibility, and Tenure (https://wustl.edu/about/compliance-policies/academic-policies/tenure/) is the primary policy regarding responsibilities of faculty members and establishes expectations for teaching and research. In 2010 the Office of the Provost established a Policy on Joint Appointments to govern expectations and promotion expectations for faculty engaged in interdisciplinary research via formal joint appointments between academic departments (https://provost.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/policy_on_joint_appointments_final.pdf). Formal steps are taken to solicit faculty feedback on this issue. The faculty survey conducted by the university includes a question specifically on whether each respondent feels that “interdisciplinary research is recognized and rewarded by my department/unit."

The library employs subject librarians. Within the broad umbrella of sustainability librarians are assigned to Architecture, Biology, Environmental Studies, Public Health, and Urban Studies. Other reference experts in additional fields also help students, faculty and staff find sustainability resources. For a full list of subject experts please visit - http://library.wustl.edu/research-instruction/subjectlibrarians/librariansbysub/. Research Guides are also available on a number of topics - http://libguides.wustl.edu/. The library is also a key resource in complying with open access policies for publications.

In addition, The Washington University library system is supportive of, and engaged in, the broader sustainability efforts on campus. They have installed scanners throughout the University Libraries (all Libraries except Law, Medicine, and Social Work). These scanners allow patrons to scan Library materials and e-mail them to an address of their choosing or save the scanned images to a flash drive instead of using copiers. This service is provided at no charge and is available to students, faculty, staff, and Library visitors.

Many library departments within WashU also participate in the Green Office Program, and pursue certification for their office spaces.

Additional information on student research programs:
Office of Sustainability (post RFPs from a variety of internal and external funding sources): https://sustainability.wustl.edu/get-involved/staff-faculty/research/request-for-proposals/

Interdisciplinary Certificate of Accomplishment in Bioenergy and the Environment: http://parc.wustl.edu/outreach/certificate
Undergraduate Research: http://ur.wustl.edu/

Additional information on faculty research programs:
MAGEEP Funding: http://mageep.wustl.edu/FUNDINGOPPS/FundingOpportunities.aspx
CCCU Funding: http://cccu.wustl.edu/research-fund.php