RPI+SUST+Task+Force

to do

Earth Week Festival

Spring 2013 Reading Course on "Environmental Risk and Precaution"

Convened by Mary Simoni, Dean of Humanities, Arts and Social Science Chair, Kim Fortun (fortuk@rpi.edu) Members: Chernow, Robert A." , "Baveye, Philippe C" , "Duchin, Faye" , "Peter Fox (pfox@cs.rpi.edu)" , "Kinchy, Abby J." , "Mascarenhas, Michael" , "Mistur, Mark Steven" , "Zhang, Shengbai" , "Button, Dean F." ,
 * Interdisciplinary Excellence in Sustainability Studies Task Force **

Spring, 2012

Plan and deliver Fall 2012 symposium. Plan and deliver Spring 2012 symposium. Create a directory of faculty interest and expertise. Develop strategy for improving campus communication about sustainability. Create a vision statement for sustainability at Rensselaer.
 * Charge:**


 * Preliminary plan (as of April 24, 2012 meeting) (See email followup to April 24 meeting):**
 * Fall 2012: Symposium for RPI faculty on Saturday, September 22 + bimonthy lunch meetings at which RPI researchers share their sustainability-oriented work. Note that Sept 22 is the same day as this conference at Sage:http://nyneighborhoods.org/2012/about/


 * Spring 2013: Bring in outside participants (from New York, elsewhere in the country and internationally) for some kind of event that synchs with the big global drumming event being planned for Earth Day (Monday, April 22) by Michael Century.


 * Include alumni in sustainability directory.


 * Questions: **


 * // What kinds of events could catalyze sustainability studies at Rensselaer? //**
 * Symposium at which Rensselaer faculty presents their work to an interdisciplinary audience.
 * Bi-weekly lunch meetings at which Rensselaer faculty share their sustainability-oriented research and teaching.
 * Host meeting of the New York Sustainability Working Group.
 * Host meeting of diverse researchers who have studied the Fukushima disaster (or other event/issue specific meeting).
 * Seminar series with outside speakers relevant across disciplines and schools.
 * Seminar series that draws in sustainability-oriented alumni, perhaps building on the Sustainability Career Seminar begun this semester.


 * // What would you like sustainability studies at Rennselaer to look like – in two years, five years, and ten years? //**
 * There are strong relationships between faculty across schools such that it is easy to pull together in response to calls-for-proposals.
 * There is a strong set of courses across disciplines, perhaps co-taught by faculty from different schools, that the teach the modes of thought and skills needed to work in diverse sustainability-oriented organizations.


 * // What universities, colleges, labs and centers have model programs? //**
 * [|GRIST survey of green campuses] (mostly focused on campus greening projects, but some on sustainability in/across the curriculum; faculty research doesn’t seem to be part of the equation)
 * [|The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies], University of Wisconsin
 * [|Arizona State School of Sustainability]
 * [|The Earth Institute,] Columbia
 * [|Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environment]
 * [|Center for a Sustainable Future], Cornell


 * What associations should Rensselaer be part of, or at least are aware of? **
 * New York State Sustainability Education Working Group
 * New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (ASSHE affilitated)
 * [|Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities]
 * [|Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education]
 * [|American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment]


 * What further, more specific questions do we need to consider? **
 * How should sustainability research, education and campus-greening activities be connected