Wentworth Institute of Technology
AC-10: Support for Research

Within the Colleges of the Fenway Center for Sustainability and the Environment, Wentworth students are eligible to compete for sustainability mini-grants for research projects, and to participate in the annual Muddy River Symposium to showcase sustainability research that they have conducted through their courses.

Wentworth has several endowed professorships that support scholarly work geared toward sustainable engineering, technology, design, and management. These include: The Francis A. Sagan Endowed Professorship and Douglas C. Elder Professorship supported Professor Gautham Das in leading environmental engineering projects and overseeing student research on hazardous waste, environmental contamination, water filtration, and remediation methods. The Sagan Professorship also supported Professor Greg Sirokman in furthering research on biodiesel production and analysis. Profesor Ilyas Bhatti was the recipient of a Douglas C. Elder Professorship which allowed him to further his research and engagement efforts on infrastructure, environmental regulations, and emerging issues on climate change and water resource management. Professor James Lambrechts was the recipient of a Douglas C. Elder Professorship that enabled him to build awareness and conduct studies to improve regional public transportation and related infrastructure. Professor Abby Charest is the recipient of a David Blittersdorf Professorship and has used these funds to develop research groups on sustainable buildings including net-zero energy practices, water quality and health.

Wentworth is a teaching institution rather than research-based, however the 2013 strategic plan established a new vision of becoming a national leader in externally-collaborative, project-based, interdisciplinary curricula, or “EPIC” learning for career success, by 2032. Led by the Provost, the administration is implementing EPIC learning through changes to the curriculum and funding for EPIC projects.

Wentworth's Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Common offers numerous resources to support sustainability research and learning, ranging from course-specific research guides, to subject guides by major, as well as databases with information which is applicable across academic programs. Examples include the databases and research guides listed below - Databases: • Academic Search Premier • Access Engineering (Environmental & Sustainability Engineering eBooks) • Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library • Applied Science and Technology • American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Digital Library • American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Digital Library • BioMed Central • Building Green Suite • EngineeringNetBase (Taylor & Francis) • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE) Xplor • Knovel Technical Reference (Elsevier) • Material ConneXion (Overviews of innovative and sustainable materials) • Public Library of Science (PLoS) • Proquest Central • ScienceDirect • SpringerLink Guides on Sustainability: • CONM 3800: Sustainable Development (Reuse of Brownfield Sites) • Civil Engineering Subject Guide (Sustainability in Civil Engineering; including green infrastructure; water conservation and reuse; energy auditing, efficiency, and conservation; renewable energy; sustainable materials) • Municipal Planning Subject Guide (Sustainable Development; building reuse; smart cities; sustainable transportation) • Facilities Management Subject Guide (Sustainable Development) • Transportation Engineering Subject Guide (Bicycle, pedestrian, and light rail) • Water and Wastewater Engineering Subject Guide • Architecture & Interior Design Sustainable Design Guide, including U.S. Green Building LEED v. 4 Reference Guides (Building Design & Construction; Interior Design; Building Operations & Maintenance; and LEED Associate Study Guide)