Sustainability Research Institute

What it does

The Sustainability Research Institute is an institute based in the College of Science & Mathematics. Its focus is life-cycle assessment, circular design, energy, and community sustainability.

Inside the institute

The institute pairs faculty from engineering, design, business, and the sciences on interdisciplinary projects — a life-cycle study for a manufacturer, a circular-materials pilot, a campus or municipal decarbonization plan. It manages the student green-fund review with the Sustainability Council.

Who works there

Its people are affiliated faculty across four colleges, postdoctoral researchers on grants, and student fellows. Undergraduates are involved as paid research assistants, for course credit, or on capstone and practicum teams — applied research experience is a core part of the mission, not a side effect.

Partners

Recent and ongoing partners include regional manufacturers, two county governments, and a utility. Organizations interested in a project usually start through the Discovery Center or by contacting the institute directly; student teams are matched by fit and timeline.

Connected programs

Students most often reach the institute through this department and this department, and through the courses those departments teach. See Research for the university's other centers and the undergraduate research program.

Getting involved as a student

There are three common routes in. The first is a paid research-assistant position, posted through the department and on the campus job board, usually 8–12 hours a week during the term. The second is course credit — an independent-study or research-methods registration tied to a specific project and a faculty supervisor. The third is a capstone or practicum team assigned to a partner problem the institute is hosting.

No route assumes you already have research experience; the institute expects to train students in its methods and tools. The best time to ask is the term before you want to start, so a project and a supervisor can be lined up.

Common questions

Can a company or agency bring a project? Yes. Most partner work starts through the Discovery Center, which scopes the problem, matches it to the institute or a course team, handles the agreement and intellectual-property terms, and manages the schedule. A typical engagement runs one to two terms.

Is the work paid or published? Both happen. Student RAs are paid; partner deliverables belong to the partner under the agreement; and results that can be shared are sometimes presented at the undergraduate research symposium or a regional conference.