U Mass Amherst Students Help Pilot Online Carbon Conscious Tool
While beta-testing Earth Deeds, a new online service to enable groups to measure and manage their environmental impacts, four students in this semester's "Sustainable Living" class estimated their class' carbon footprint, raised $876 as part of a teamfunding campaign to acknowledge this impact, and spearheaded class participants to commit to actions and lifestyle changes that would prevent about 55.9 metric tons of carbon emissions.
Chatham U Creates Executive Master in Sustainability Leadership
(U.S.): The university’s School of Sustainability and the Environment has launched a new 16-month Executive Master in Sustainability Leadership program for professionals looking to strengthen their ability to advance sustainability in a range of professional settings. This 30-credit program can be completed in under two years, is designed for those who want to advance their careers or transition to careers in sustainability, and combines online coursework with period visits to the university’s zero net energy Eden Hall Campus.
SUNY Cortland to Offer M.S. in Sustainable Energy Systems
(U.S.): The university has announced plans to offer a new Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Systems beginning in fall 2013. The program will offer advanced training in the physics of renewable energy, courses geared to build professional skills in areas such as economics and communication, and a culminating internship. Two grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation totaling more than $15,000 helped fund curricular development and a market needs assessment.
California State U Fresno to Offer Water Mgmt Masters Program
The university has created a professional science masters degree in water resource management. Some of the courses to be offered include geospatial technologies, climatology, water economics, hydrological systems and natural and agriculture uses of water. The new degree requires students to have a Geographic Information Systems certificate or the equivalent work experience.
RISD Pilots Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies
The Rhode Island School of Design has created a pilot program in Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies (NCSS). This two-year program aims to ascertain levels of student interest in NCSS and create a pathway of study which would allow students to compliment and add focus to work explored in their major areas of study.
Ecotech Institute Announces New Facility Management Program
This associate degree program will prepare students for careers in the field of facility management, focusing on the operation, maintenance, analysis, auditing and cost of energy management systems. The program was developed in coordination with the International Facilities Management Association and is designed to train students for facility management jobs that emphasize sustainability.
San Diego State U Students Partner with Solar Company for Project
Electrical engineering students have partnered with Sullivan Solar Power to create a senior design project. The renewable energy company is providing a group of students, called “Growing in Solar,” guidance and counsel on a weekly basis to analyze the design and implementation of solar technology. The company has also provided students two sets of solar panels for research.
U Houston to Offer Sustainability Minor
(U.S.): The university has created an interdisciplinary minor in energy and sustainability as part of a strategic plan to enhance and expand its energy-related educational and research initiatives. Courses to be offered include sustainable development, the environmental biology of Texas, the economics of energy, introduction to air pollution, international energy politics and an energy-related writing class.
Cornell U to Launch Sustainability Major
The university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will debut a new environmental science and sustainability major this fall. The major will take an interdisciplinary approach to environmental science, examining both biological and physical sciences as well as the social dimensions of sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to specialize in concentrations including biogeochemical sciences and environmental policy and governance.
Tulane U's New Law Program to Focus on Sustainable Development
The Law School and the Payson Center for International Development have partnered to create a new law and development graduate degree. Students will receive multidisciplinary training in sustainability, development, international human rights, and comparative environmental law.
U Iowa Creates Wind Energy Certificate
The College of Engineering has created a new wind energy certificate program. The interdisciplinary program courses include “Wind Turbine Aerodynamics” and “Spatial Analyses of Wind Energy.” Students will also receive hands-on experience at the Wind Power Lab.
American U Cairo to Offer Sustainable Development Graduate Degree
(Egypt): The university has created a new master of science in sustainable development. The interdisciplinary program integrates all aspects of development and students will work together to carry out community-based projects to help resolve some of Egypt’s most pressing environmental and social issues.
U Queensland Creates Living Laboratories Initiative
(Australia): The Living Laboratories initiative aims to connect sustainability projects with teaching to provide real examples of student learning. The first site was completed in November 2012 and involved the planting of 2,000 trees on campus, with the help of over 60 student and staff volunteers. Projects planned for the future include revegetating land that was damaged by floods, capturing methane from a pig farm to create electricity, and stimulating the regrowth of mangroves along a riverbank.
Seattle U Launches Center for Environmental Justice
The primary goal for the newly launched Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability will be to promote scholarship by faculty and students and support them as they engage with others in the community on projects related to environmental justice. The center will adopt an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, crossing boundaries of different colleges and schools.
2 Universities Join MUM’s Sustainability Consortium
In 2012, eight universities whose MBA programs feature courses in sustainable business formed a consortium under which their students can take summer courses on sustainability from the other members. Antioch University New England and the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater have joined the Consortium this year.
U Illinois Springfield to Offer Environmental Studies Degree
Starting in Fall 2013, the new Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies will equip students with the analytical tools for understanding and engaging in concerns related to the natural and social world. The program will offer multi-disciplinary curriculum with interdisciplinary learning goals, incorporating the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities; to ensure that graduates will gain a holistic understanding of complex environmental concerns and their natural, social, and ethical implications.
U Kentucky Launches Sustainability Studies Major
The College of Arts and Sciences will debut a new major in environmental and sustainability studies beginning in fall 2013. The degree is designed to provide students with a foundation in the natural and physical sciences, providing a holistic understanding of the economic, environmental and social components of sustainability.
Drexel U to Offer Sustainability Minor
(U.S.): The new minor, Sustainability in the Built Environment, will provide students with the tools needed to analyze future projects from a sustainable perspective. The program will collaborate with Drexel Smart House and offer community engagement design electives.
Marylhurst University Offers M.S. in Food Systems and Society
The university has announced plans to offer a new Masters of Science in Food Systems and Society beginning fall 2013. The graduate degree program will focus on ideas and practices for improving health, equity and sustainability in the food system.
Ben-Gurion U Establishes Renewable Energy Degree
(Israel): The university has established an undergraduate program in renewable energy to begin in 2013. The degree will have a management focus and will contain courses on management, policy and specifics of renewable energy.
Black Hills State U Creates Sustainability Graduate Program
(U.S.): Beginning next fall, the university will offer a graduate degree in sustainability aimed at preparing students for careers in natural resource management, renewable energy, and community planning. Graduates of the program will be prepared for careers in South Dakota-specific industries such as wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, green construction techniques, and bio-fuels.
Hofstra U Launches Sustainability Studies Program
This fall, the university has launched a Sustainability Studies Program that focuses on the challenges associated with the creation of sustainable suburbs. The interdisciplinary program leverages the resources of several departments including the National Center for Suburban Studies, the program in Urban Ecology, and the new department of Geology, Environment and Sustainability.
U Colorado Boulder Offers Online Renewable Energy Certificate
The university has partnered with the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute to offer a graduate-level renewable energy certificate. The three-course program can be taken onsite or online and is geared toward individuals not seeking a full degree but rather to learn about the latest energy technology and policy.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Creates Sustainability Degree
The institute has created a new major in sustainability studies to prepare students for jobs in the construction, science and engineering fields with a heavy focus on clean technology. The new Science and Technology Studies - Sustainability Studies B.S. program weaves together techniques and insights from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering to address environmental problems.
Humboldt State U Redesigns MBA to Focus on Sustainability
The university has restructured its Master of Business Administration program to focus on sustainability and career growth. The interdisciplinary program will mesh with undergraduate programs including the natural, environmental and social sciences. Students will analyze strategic sustainability issues of companies, non-profits and other organizations; with a focus on innovation and creation of new markets.
Hagerstown CC Collaboration to Support Alternative Energy Program
The college has partnered with First Solar, Inc. to provide students and faculty educational opportunities that include internships, site visits to a 20-megawatt Maryland Solar facility, and access to an energy dashboard. Maryland Solar will also provide the college with solar panels, enabling the college to install and maintain a ground-mounted solar power plant as well as a roof-mounted photovoltaic system.
SUNY ESF Launches Sustainable Energy Management Major
The college has introduced a new Sustainable Energy Management undergraduate degree program that focuses on energy markets, management and resources. The program is designed to give students an understanding of responsible energy resource use and insight into how these resources impact the natural world.
Maharishi U of Management Program Shifts Focus to Sustainability
The university’s doctoral program in management has shifted to a more sustainable focus. The Ph.D. program will develop holistic consciousness in the manager; manage the transformation of organizations toward sustainable practices; and facilitate the measurement and communication of sustainability outcomes.
U Maine Creates New Climate Change Adaptation Graduate Program
The Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change program will support the international research of 24 Ph.D. students in earth sciences, ecology, economics, anthropology, and archaeology. Their focus will be on threats of abrupt climate change to global security; ecosystem sustainability under abrupt climate change; and adaptation of economic, social, political, and ideological systems to abrupt climate change. Funded by a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation, the program is a collaboration between the university’s Climate Change Institute and its School of Policy and International Affairs.
James Cook U Creates Sustainability Degree Program
(Australia): The new bachelor’s degree program features three majors that aim to build capacity and encourage competence for sustainable development. Students will have the opportunity to choose a ‘sustainability core’ of subjects that demonstrate the theoretical, philosophical and practical attributes of sustainability, or a ‘disciplinary core’ comprising subjects from a disciplinary major.
U Georgia Costa Rica Campus to Offer Sustainability Certificate
(U.S.): The university’s Costa Rica study abroad campus has announced a new Sustainability in Action semester leading to a sustainability certificate. The program includes an international field experience with coursework intended to directly feed into the University’s Local Food Systems, Environmental Ethics, Organic Agriculture and Sustainability certificate programs.
Clemson U Launches Medical Device Reprocessing Program
The university has established a certificate program to train engineers to recycle and reprocess medical devices to save on supply costs and divert medical waste from landfills. The program received contributions from third-party reprocessing companies, including Stryker Sustainability Solutions.
Chatham U Offers MBA Sustainability Program
Complementing programming within the university’s School of Sustainability and the Environment, the Business and Entrepreneurship department has announced a new sustainable business track in the Master of Business Administration. Course work will include business and sustainability, sustainability assessment and reporting, and sustainable supply chain management. Students also have the opportunity to gain international field experience and work directly with sustainable business consultants.
Salt Lake CC Debuts Solar Training Yard
Funded by $2.1 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the college’s new solar photovoltaic training yard will provide a space for hands-on training to industry professionals and prospective technicians.
U New Hampshire to Offer Corporate Sustainability Certificate
The university is holding a three-day institute this fall that will explore corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Students who attend the institute and complete a capstone project in their workplace will receive the certificate. The certificate is being offered by the university’s School of Business and Economics and Sustainability Academy in partnership with New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility.
U Wisconsin Campuses to Offer Graduate Sustainable Mgmt Degree
Five campuses are pooling their resources to launch a collaborative online Master of Science degree in sustainable management. The program is a follow-up to the Bachelor of Science degree in sustainable management, which was developed three years ago.
Clarkson U Offers New Master’s in Environmental Politics
(U.S.): The university’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment will introduce an environmental politics and governance program this fall. The curriculum will cover the process of policy-making to promote science-based environmental legislation, regulations and policy, including energy policies and decisions within both the public and private sectors.
Excelsior College Debuts Renewable Energies Program
(U.S.): The new renewable energies technology concentration is part of the college’s four-year technology management program, beginning this fall. The college has also partnered with General Electric Co. to offer a program that allows the company’s wind technicians to earn on-the-job college credits toward a bachelor’s degree.
Lafayette College Launches 2 Environmental Studies Programs
As a result of an $800,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance environmental curriculum, the college will debut environmental studies and environmental science degree programs this fall. The college has created 12 new environmental courses that will address the scientific as well as social and ethical aspects of human interactions with the environment.
Georgia NW Tech Launches Green Building Technician Program
With courses including "Energy Measures and Efficiency" and "Green Building Construction Techniques," students in this new program will be introduced to green building methods, energy efficient mechanical systems, energy monitoring and green building construction techniques.
U Utah Debuts Sustainability Certificate Program
Due to increased student demand, the university is now offering an integrated certificate in sustainability for students in all majors starting this fall. Introductory courses include "Introduction to Environment and Sustainability" and "Foundations of Urban Ecology."
India, U.S. Partnerships Zero in on Climate Change, Food Security
(U.S. and India): During a recent U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue, Indian and American higher education leaders vowed to focus on educational partnerships that furthered priority areas including workforce training, using technology to make educational opportunities available to greater numbers of people, and undertaking joint research in priority fields like food security and climate change. The talks are the latest in a nearly three-year-old effort by the administrations of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to increase cooperation in higher education between the two countries, a $10 million joint commitment to further academic collaboration and exchange, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Masdar Institute of Technology Offers Solar Energy Training
(United Arab Emirates): The institute recently held a course on solar energy technology for members of its Young Future Energy Leaders program. Students had the opportunity to learn about solar cell technology and the fabrication processes for various types of modules. They also participated in a hands-on lab session with the institute’s 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant.
Walters State CC to Offer Clean Energy Technology Degree
(U.S.): Beginning this fall, the college will offer an associate of applied science degree in clean energy technology. Four core focus programs will be offered including electricity, sustainable agriculture, transportation and building technology.
Antioch U New England Sustainability Prgms Earn PSM Designation
The Council of Graduate Schools has approved the university’s master degree programs in resource management and conservation, and environmental studies for affiliation as Professional Science Master’s programs.
The recognition confirms that the programs effectively train students to be both scholars and practitioners.
Indiana U Awards Fellowships for New Sustainability Courses
Three faculty members have been awarded Sustainability Course Development Fellowships for 2012. Courses to be developed include "Pleasure, Pain and Peak Oil," "Hands-on LEED for Existing Buildings on Campus” and "Cheaper is not Better, Zero is: Sustainable product development starts with students." The fellowship program supports efforts to enhance instruction of topics related to sustainability and environmental literacy.
