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Sustainability Fellows Program (Research) (Completed)

Project Family

Description

The Center for Sustainable Environment (CSE), iSEE's predecessor on campus, sought proposals in FY14 from faculty to support research activities related to specific Facilities & Services (F&S) sustainability projects. These projects were directly related to the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP), which describes strategies to achieve campus sustainability goals.  F&S offered the selected projects as living-learning-laboratory opportunities for campus faculty.   Faculty selected for this program earned the name “Sustainability Fellow” for one academic year, one month’s summer salary, and in some cases funding for a graduate research assistant during the same academic year.

Background

The CSE provides organizational leadership for the numerous sustainability initiatives underway on campus. For example, the CSE works with campus units, student groups, and community partners to develop and promote engagement activities and enhance communication about sustainability. Since developing the 2010 iCAP, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed hundreds of projects to tackle the broad range of sustainability issues that face our campus and our world involving its community, outside experts, faculty, students, and staff. 

The F&S strategic plan states “We will stimulate the development, testing, implementation, and demonstration of environmentally and economically sustainable practices and technologies.”  F&S supports the university’s education, research, and outreach missions by improving the physical conditions of the buildings, infrastructure, and grounds; reducing energy emissions through education, smart grid technology, and the use of renewable energy sources; and reducing waste through efficient use of resources.  This goal ties into the campus sustainability goals through various projects and initiatives. 

The Sustainability Fellows program is designed to engage faculty throughout campus in the sustainability efforts occurring with the existing and future infrastructure on campus.  The goal of this Request for Proposals is to help create a living learning community where faculty and students can become involved in an open-innovation ecosystem related to campus buildings, land, and energy.  There are two levels of participation.

  1. Sustainability Fellow Advisors – paid one month’s summary salary (Advisor proposal form)
  1. Sustainability Fellow Researchers – paid one month’s summary salary and the salary for one 50% graduate research assistant (Researcher proposal form)

Related Files

Project Team

  • Primary Contact:

    Stephanie Lage

    Project Leader:

    Morgan Johnston

    Team Members:

    • Olof Westerstahl
    • Jack Dempsey
    • Pradeep Khanna
    • Ben McCall

Dates

  • Proposed November 1, 2012
    Proposed by Jack Dempsey
    Approved November 14, 2012
    Approved by Pradeep Khanna
    Started January 31, 2013
    Started by Morgan Johnston

Themes