Sustainability Officer and Faculty Members Collaborations on Advancing Sustainability Across the Curriculum

Transcription

1 Sustainability Officer and Faculty Members Collaborations on Advancing Sustainability Across the Curriculum SUNY Empire State College Experience Linda Jones Lorraine Lander Sadie Ross

2 History And introduction to the committee

3 Why is this a presentation topic? Director of Environmental Sustainability since Earth Day 2010 Office of the President Duties and expectations in both operations and academics First AASHE conference in October of 2010 Saw a divide between coordinators and academics. Faced with the expectations of my job description and the obvious canyon between faculty and directors How do cross over between operations and academics. How do I do my job? 3

4 SUNY Empire State College 36 Locations across the state. About 8,000 FTE. No campus central campus Environmental Sustainability Committee started as an ad hoc group of the senate. President formalized it in 2010 and hired a director. Presidential committee. 12 people from a mix of locations, job titles and expertise. Didn t work we split into subcommittees. Academics and operations. 17 people on each. One faculty member has a ¼ time reassignment to chair the committee.

5 Benefits of subcommittees and co-chairs Faculty do: Understand the academic process Understand where sustainability should fit Understand what motivates faculty Have a voice in Senate Have colleagues who they can influence Sustainability Officers do: Have great coordinating skills Can see the larger picture Can branch out beyond the college walls Have the time to write grants and make things happen

6 Let them come to you What can I do for you?

7 An Undergraduate Citizen Science Research Experience: Using Technology to Monitor Japanese Beetle Populations Across New York State Nikki Shrimpton, Dean, Central New York Center, SUNY/Empire State College Linda S. Jones, Assistant Professor/Mentor, SUNY/Empire State College Sadie Ross, Director of Sustainability, SUNY/Empire State College Jeremy Stone, Instructional Technologist, SUNY/Empire State College Project funded by a USDA NIFA Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grant ( ) and a SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) ( ).

8 Project Beginnings Increase student interest in & understanding of the environment around them Provide students with field experiences related to their personal & professional goals Promote a sense of community at ESC Support collaboration across the college and SUNY

9 The Beetle Project Students collect data related to climate, soils, and the Japanese beetle life cycle Students contribute their data to an online science community Photo of plot 1 taken just before sampling Jennifer Stalter, ENVS, Fall Larger context--sustainable strategies to meet challenges in environmental systems Searching for grubs Brad Saville, ENVS, Summer 2013

10 Japanese Beetles Why? Impact on local vegetation & ecosystems Readily recognizable by home gardeners Leave skeletonized by a Japanese Beetle Allan Varcoe, ENVS, Spring 2012 Multi-dimensional, Interdisciplinary Species Climate, Soils, Vegetation, Ecosystems Economics, Policy, History The soil from each sample point is searched for Japanese beetle grubs and eggs Kohen Joiner, ENVS, Summer 2012

11 Climate Literacy Earth s dynamic climate Dynamic processes influencing climate change Figure accessed at Marcell and DeGaetano 2007.

12 Soils Literacy More than the dirt beneath our feet Dynamic ecosystem foundation of terrestrial life A non-digital thermometer is inserted into the ground to record soil temperatures. Kohen Joiner, ENVS, Summer 2012 Increase awareness about global challenges Desertification Excess use of fertilizers & pesticides Surface soil layer sample-mollisol. Measuring the hole depth for moisture probe. Allan Varcoe, ENVS, Spring 2012

13 Ecosystem Function Literacy Potential impacts of nonnative species on native species & ecosystems Decrease in biodiversity Unraveling of food webs Impacts on migrating species Impacts on soils Grub uncovered Brad Saville, ENVS, Summer 2013

14 Visit the Beetle Project Site Interested in Participating? Interested in Participating? Contact Linda Jones or Nikki Shrimpton for more information about the project and for user accounts.

15 Development of a Faculty Resource Sustainability Education Information Repository Sadie Ross and Lorraine Lander

16 Background One outcome of sabbatical on sustainability education Collaboration of faculty member and sustainability director Broad focus to include all academic disciplines Goals: education, self education, advisement, recruitment Multiple target audiences Faculty and faculty development Other college personnel Students Advisors Prospective students

17 Broad Focus Four topics to cover range of academic disciplines: Science, Math, and the Environment Business, Economics, and Government History, Art, and Culture Awareness and Social Science Sustainability Education, K through Higher Education

18 Process: Building Site and Collection of Information Focus groups to refine topics and to create subtopics Soliciting faculty voices to define subtopics and contribute materials Platform struggles and red tape Accepting it will always be a work in progress

19 Subtopic Examples Awareness and Social Science: Earth Stewardship and Sustainable Living Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy Ecovillages, Transition Towns and Living Local Environmental Advocacy and Activism Environmental Ethics Environmental Psychology Health, Safety and the Environment Sustainable Development and Planning The Good Life, Well-Being and Nature Can be course/study or organize related course level topics.

20 Contact Information Thank you! Sadie Ross, Environmental Sustainability Director, Linda Jones, Assistant Professor, Lorraine Lander, Associate Professor,