| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.63 |
| Liaison | Leslie North |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
Western Kentucky University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Leslie
North Director of Sustainability Geography and Geology |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
Faculty-Undergraduate Student Engagement (FUSE) grants are open to all undergraduate students. Students are awarded $3,000 for domestic or $4,000 for international projects. Support for traveling to conferences to present research is also provided.
A research and tuition scholarship, the "Dr. Davis Woodall and Avo Taylor Scholarship for Environmental Studies" is available for undergraduate geoscience majors. The scholarship is awards up to $13,000 per year.
Stan Sides Fund- allows environmental studies students to conduct field-based studies. Students draft a short description and research plan to receive up to $2,000 in research/travel dollars. This fund is also used to support conference travel.
WKU's Director of Sustainability acts as an advisor for graduate level research theses and undergraduate honors capstone projects/research theses.
The Green Development Fund administered through the Office of Sustainability is used to offer small seed funding for students developing sustainability research and outreach projects.
The WKU Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES) offers support for student projects through access to free water quality testing and other research equipment. The Center also regularly offers financial assistance to students conducting researching in the environmental/sustainability fields. Vist https://www.wkuchnges.com/ for a complete list of ongoing students involved in the center and projects being supported.
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
The Research for Creative Activities Program (RCAP) grants offer faculty up to $16,000 to develop research or creative activity projects. All university faculty are eligible to apply for these grants, including those interested in pursing sustainability research projects. Students are often involved in these projects.
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?:
A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The Ogden College of Science and Engineering has a formal statement about the importance of interdisciplinary research (see highlighted attached file).
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
WKU has a page titled "Education for Sustainability Links," which has compiled journals, governmental reports, organizations, and other resources that support sustainability research for students, faculty, and staff. Please see - https://www.wku.edu/cees/efs_links.php
Some colleges/departments have a published library guide linking to resources specific to that unit. See the Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences library page as an example: https://libguides.wku.edu/eeas
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research 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.