Research
Introduction
Conducting research is a major function of many colleges and universities. By researching sustainability issues and refining theories and concepts, higher education institutions can continue to help the world understand sustainability challenges and develop new technologies, strategies, and approaches to address those challenges.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Solar Fuels and Next Generation Photovoltaics
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
The mission of the UNC Energy Frontier Research Center is to conduct research on dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells (DSPECs) for water splitting and tandem cells for the reduction of carbon dioxide ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Energy and Environmental Research Center
- University of North Dakota (ND)
The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) is a unique organization dedicated to providing practical, pioneering solutions to the world’s energy and environmental challenges. The EERC was officially founded ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Clean Energy Research Center
- University of South Florida (Tampa) (FL)
The Clean Energy research Center (CERC) at the University of South Florida pursues research and development of new/environmentally clean energy systems, such as photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Energy Institute
- University of Southern California (CA)
The USC Energy Institute (USCEI) was launched in 2008 to create a university-based framework to support and expand opportunities in energy-related research, education, and public policy development.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Campus of Energy and Innovation
- University of Toledo (OH)
The campus will serve as a hands-on alternative energy laboratory used for teaching, research and demonstration, as well as to generate energy and reduce the University’s carbon footprint.
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
Washington University in St. Louis is addressing the challenges of energy and sustainability on a global scale. The International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES) was created in ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
To address the purpose of the EFRC initiative, WUSTL created the Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center (PARC). PARC brings together a core group of WUSTL researchers along with several other select ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Alternative and Renewable Energy Research
- Western Michigan University (MI)
The Alternative and Renewable Energy Research Center includes labs and research on alternative fuel, Bronco biodiesel, cellulose, Consumers Energy Foundation, fuel cells, plug In hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), solar PV ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Institute for Sustainable Cities
- City University of New York, Hunter College (NY)
The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (CISC) works to realize cities as part of the solution to global sustainability challenges. By merging the science of sustainability with innovative public programming ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Sustainable Urban Development
- Columbia University (NY)
Founded in 2005, the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) is one of eight global Centers of Excellence (CoE) in Future Urban Transport established by the Volvo Research and Educational ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions
- Florida Atlantic University (FL)
The Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions is dedicated to helping communities and decision makers resolve urban and environmental issues through partnerships, education, and research throughout Florida and beyond. The ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
- Northeastern University (MA)
The Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy conducts interdisciplinary research, in collaboration with civic leaders and scholars both within and beyond Northeastern University, to identify and ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City
- The City College of New York (NY)
The J. Max Bond Center at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, believes that design can have a positive impact on ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Institute of Urban and Regional Development
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
IURD conducts collaborative, interdisciplinary research and practical work that reveals the dynamics of communities, cities, and regions and informs public policy.
Rooted in the social sciences, IURD's work has ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability generates knowledge and provides solutions for regional and global environmental problems. The Institute educates the next generation of professional and scientific leadership ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CSIS)
- University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus (CO)
The Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (CSIS) at the University of Colorado Denver is a multi-disciplinary center anchored in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and partnered with the ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Urban Design Center
- University of Idaho (ID)
Located in downtown Boise, the Urban Design Center (UDC) offers Master of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students the opportunity to engage in sustainable urban design in a metropolitan setting while ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods
- University of Louisville (KY)
The University of Louisville's Housing & Neighborhood Development Strategies (HANDS) is a multifaceted program bringing the University's resources to bear on the problems of an impoverished African-American neighborhood ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Urban Sustainability Initiative
- University of Nevada Las Vegas (NV)
A grassroots effort has emerged among faculty and professional staff at UNLV to reach out and partner with the community in finding workable solutions to the challenges facing the Las ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Urban & Regional Studies
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC)
The Center for Urban & Regional Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a multi-disciplinary research center focusing on ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Sustainable Cities
- University of Southern California (CA)
The USC Center for Sustainable Cities conducts research, education, and community outreach to address sustainability challenges facing metropolitan regions. The Center seeks to generate innovative solutions that enhance the environment ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Urban Ecology Research Lab
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
The Urban Ecology Research Laboratory (UERL) is directed by Professor Marina Alberti, and includes interdisciplinary PhD students, post-doctoral research associates, research scientists, and affiliate faculty from diverse disciplines who collaborate ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Hixon Center for Urban Ecology
- Yale University (CT)
The Hixon Center for Urban Ecology was established in 1998 with a generous gift from Alec (’38) and Adelaide Hixon. The work of the Center reflects the Hixon’s interest ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
- Stanford University (CA)
The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment is working toward a future in which societies meet people’s needs for water, food, health and other vital services while protecting and ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Center for Ocean Solutions
- Stanford University (CA)
The Center for Ocean Solutions works to solve the major problems facing the ocean and prepares leaders to take on these challenges. The Center values and stewards linkages between the ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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West Central Research and Outreach Center
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
The West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) is part of the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). It is part of a ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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Sustainable Living Center
- Maharishi University of Management (IA)
The MUM Sustainable Living Center is a classroom, workshop, and office building that serves the rapidly expanding Sustainable Living degree program at Maharishi University of Management. The vision for this ...
- Posted Feb. 25, 2016
- Research Centers & Institutes
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A rainwater system for the University of Washington construction materials laboratory
- University of Washington, Seattle (WA)
University of Washington Construction Materials Laboratory (CML) is an instruction laboratory where undergraduate students of the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the College of Built Environments (CBE ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Who are we educating about sustainability?
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (NY)
This research quantitatively examines student of color and low-income student enrollment at postsecondary institutions in New York state (NYS) that have committed to becoming more sustainable. A three-part study, prepared ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Sustainability Collection Development Policy Report
- University of Utah (UT)
In May 2012, the Marriott Library received grant funding from the Chevron Corporation to conduct an audit of the Library’s collection development policies as they relate to sustainability. Out ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Open Source Research in Sustainability
Most academics, who as researchers and teachers dedicate their lives to information sharing, would likely agree with much of the hacker ethic, which is a belief that information-sharing is a ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Building and Applying the Discipline of Sustainability
- AASHE (MA)
A few weeks ago, AASHE Executive Director Paul Rowland and I were in the nation’s capital for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Symposium: Science, Innovation, and Partnerships for ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Growth of Sustainability Research in Higher Ed
- Princeton University (NJ)
- Yale University (CT)
At AASHE 2011 last October, Julie Newman (Sustainability Director, Yale University) and Shana Weber (Sustainability Manager, Princeton University) hosted a workshop on “Framing a research agenda for campus sustainability”. For ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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AASHE Interview Series: John Robinson, Executive Director, UBC Sustainability Initiative
- University of British Columbia (BC)
John Robinson, the Executive Director of the University of British Columbia's Sustainability Initiative sat down with AASHE to discuss the recently opened Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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UCLA Campus Recycling Action Research Team
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
The UCLA Action Research Teams (ART) program gives students the opportunity to form research teams of 5-7 students that tackle issues of campus sustainability such as energy efficiency, transportation, waste ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
- Publications
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Green Labs at Emory University
- Emory University (GA)
Sustainability Student Research Award Nomination
Emory Green Labs Project: Rachel Croessmann, Kate McDonald, Andrew Park, Erin Saven
Background
As part of the CSR & Sustainability class taught by Prof. Peter ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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Understanding Energy Conservation Attitudes, Knowledge and Behaviors in Science Laboratories at a Tier 1 Research-Intensive University
- Michigan State University (MI)
Energy use per square foot from science research labs is disproportionately higher than other university building uses. Necessary use of energy intensive equipment as well as the time and extent ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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U.S. higher education and global climate change: An exploration of institutional factors that affect greenhouse gas emissions
- Tufts University (MA)
In this study, I explored the differences between greenhouse gas emissions of different colleges and universities in the U.S.A. and analyzed some of the factors that might explain ...
- Posted Feb. 24, 2016
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The University of Iowa Dedicated Energy Crop Project - Applying The Triple Bottom Line To Biomass Fuel Production
- University of Iowa (IA)
The University of Iowa (UI) has adopted an institutional goal to convert 40 percent of its energy portfolio to renewable energy by or before 2020. Central to this effort is ...
- Posted June 19, 2015
- Case Studies
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Climate@Emory: an inter-disciplinary, university-wide initiative to advance climate change scholarship, teaching, partnership, and engagement at Emory and beyond
- Emory University (GA)
Climate@Emory is a university-wide initiative at Emory University with the mission of advancing climate change scholarship and teaching. This interdisciplinary initiative involves more than 50 faculty from 20 departments ...
- Posted June 11, 2015
- Case Studies
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Massachusetts Green High Performing Computing Center
- Harvard University (MA)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts along with 5 research institutions in the Greater Boston area built a state of the art 377 square feet data center dedicated to research computing on ...
- Posted April 11, 2014
- Case Studies
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Sustainability in Higher Education: A Case Study of Policy and Practice at Vancouver Island University
- Vancouver Island University (BC)
In 2009, Vancouver Island University formally adopted a Sustainability Policy designed to guide environmental practices on campus. I envisaged that this would extend to more detailed strategies for dealing with ...
- Posted April 9, 2014
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Creating a Living & Learning Laboratory for Applied Sustainability and Campus Farm Through Collaboration and Student Engagement
- Southern Oregon University (OR)
Through a collaborative effort among the campus and local community, Southern Oregon University created a living and learning laboratory for applied research and projects in sustainability, The SOU Center for ...
- Posted March 28, 2014
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University of Iowa Information Technology Facility
- University of Iowa (IA)
The University of Iowa (UI) Information Technology Facility is believed to be the first educational institution data center in the nation certified LEED Platinum, and is the first LEED Platinum ...
- Posted July 27, 2012
- Case Studies
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Center for Design Research
- University of Kansas (KS)
The Center for Design Research, located on the site of the former historic Chamney Dairy Farm in Lawrence, Kansas, is a response to the emerging culture and support of sustainability ...
- Posted July 27, 2012
- Case Studies
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Linde + Robinson Laboratory for Global Environmental Science
- California Institute of Technology (CA)
- Architectural Resources Group (CA)
This groundbreaking project rehabilitated a 1932 astrophysics laboratory at Caltech into a cutting-edge center for research and instruction in global environmental science. The $35 million rehabilitation preserved the significant architectural ...
- Posted July 24, 2012
- Case Studies
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Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery is a world-class research facility that houses twin interdisciplinary institutes: the private, nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research and the public, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. With ...
- Posted July 24, 2012
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Kaua'i Community College - Ho'ouluwehi: The Sustainable Living Institute of Kaua'i
- University of Hawaii Kauai Community College (HI)
Kaua'i Community College ("KCC") created Ho'ouluwehi: The Sustainable Living Institute of Kaua'i to bring the college and island community together in a place-based approach to cultural, economic ...
- Posted July 11, 2012
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Sustainable IT: Deploying and Demonstrating Innovative Data Center Cooling Technology to Achieve End Use Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Benefits at Rochester Institute of Technology
- Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
- OptiCool Technologies (NY)
In the spring of 2012 Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) worked with one of its Clean Energy Incubator (CEI) technology companies to deploy, test, and validate their advanced and innovative ...
- Posted June 28, 2012
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One World One Water (OWOW) Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship
- Metropolitan State University of Denver (CO)
Metropolitan State College of Denver is now the home of an exciting new water institution - the One World One Water (OWOW) Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship. (Faculty and ...
- Posted June 15, 2012
- Case Studies
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
AC 9: Research & Scholarship
- Percent of research employees that conduct sustainability research
- Percent of research departments that conduct sustainability research
- Sustainability research inventory (upload)
- Sustainability research inventory (description)
- Website URL - Sustainability research
AC 9: Support for Sustainability Research
- Description of the student sustainability research program
- Description of the academic staff sustainability research program
- Website URL - Support for sustainability research
AC 10: Open Access to Research
- Website URL - Open access repository
- Open access policy (upload)
- Open access policy (description)
- Description of the open access article processing charge (APC) fund
- Description of the open access journal hosting services
- Website URL - Support for open access
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.