Undergraduate Research
As high-impact practices, undergraduate research always is the key for the Sustainability Program. The program used to fund students participating in Adrian Tinsley Program (ATP) projects and summer internships.
Starting in Spring 2021, the program launched a new grant for undergraduate on sustainability through collaboration in an interdisciplinary team with students and faculty. The Interdisciplinary Sustainability Research (ISR) grant supports undergraduate research on sustainability through collaboration in an interdisciplinary team with students and faculty over the spring or the summer.
Our goal is to invite undergraduate students to develop their own ideas and solutions to challenges posed by faculty mentors and to offer students the opportunity to participate in professional, collaborative, problem-based research at the heart of sustainability.
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Accordion Content
Project 1
“Sustainable Sunlight-Driven Water Treatment with a Choreographic Lens”
Leading Faculty: Drs. Jody Weber (Dance) and Alyssa Deline (Chemical Sciences)
Student Researchers: Ashley Rosenthal; (Dance and Communications- Media Studies); Lauren Gibson (Dance Major, Social Welfare Minor); Mackenzie Cobb (Chemistry) and Alfrid Botros (Chemistry)
Full Proposal
Project 2
“The Implications and Impressions of Recycling in Massachusetts; How Local History and Observations can Increase Suitability”
Leading Faculty: Drs. Navid Fozi (Anthropology) and James Hayes-Bohanan
Student Researchers: California Muratore (Major: Cultural Anthropology; Minor: Sustainability) and Victoria Jade Knox (Major: History; Minor: Anthropology, Spanish, Social Studies)
Full Proposal
Project 1
“Assessing the factors that influence local governments’ adoption of sustainability policies and programs: A case study of Southeastern Massachusetts towns, USA” by Drs. Yongjun Shin (Communication Studies), Boah Kim (Geography), Melinda R. Tarsi (Political Science), and students: Devin Munroe (Communication Sciences and Disorders), Hayden Doherty (Communications and Elementary Education) and Yvonne Gorski (Marketing, GLBT).
Project 2
“Green Campus Initiative: A multidisciplinary partnership for promoting sustainability research through 'green' learning spaces on 51 campus” by Drs. Robert Hellstrom (Geography); John Kucich (English); Margaret Black (Computer Science), and students: Alexandra McGrath (English), Nicole Parent (Biology), Kayla Anger (Social Work) and Nicholas Souza (Computer Science).
“Modeling the Global Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans” (2019) by Anna Fateiger (Mathematics).
“Synthesis and Connection of Ir Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst to Chlorella vulgaris Photosystem I for Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution” (2019) by Anna Ramirez (Chemistry).
“A preliminary investigation into the effectiveness of integrating green & sustainable chemistry and the UN Sustainable Development Goals into the chemistry classroom” (2019) by Myrria-Tahisha Lyncee (Chemistry).
“Unvarnished Inhumanity: America’s Farm Animal Industry” (2018) by Kaitlin Rowley (Political Science).
“Mother-Infant Interactions: The Staple of Orangutan learning” (2018) by Mia Sarksian (Anthropology).
“A preliminary investigation of the qualitative and quantitative exposure of a community of college students to Bisphenol A” (2018) by Ashley Berube (Chemistry).
“Synthesis of a Protein Based Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production System” (2017) by Alexander Brown (Chemistry).
“The Assessment of How Different Matrices in Stationary and Suspended Light Biosand Filters Affect Efficiency at Removing Pathogens from Contaminated Water” (2016) by Carl Ramponi (Biology).
“Extraction of oil and grease contaminants from storm water samples in order to facilitate nutrient testing” (2015) by David Lewis (Chemistry).
Faculty Research
Accordion Content
“Engaging Through the Trees”
Faculty Librarian Research Grant (FLRG)
Prof. Leigh Craven, Professor, Department of Art and Art History
“Sustainable Design of Composite Photocatalysts for Sunlight-Driven Water Treatment”
Dr. Alyssa Deline, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences
“Maximum Temperature, Vanishing Glaciers and Blazing Forests”
Prof. Mary Dondero, Professor, Department of Art and Art History
“A Comparison of Skin Microbial Communities of the Two-Color Morphs of the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander”
Dr. M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
“Establishing a peer-to-peer international and inter-university team with citizen-science monitoring to address climate resilience and food security”
Dr. Robert Hellström, Professor, Department of Geography
“American Eel Stream Substrate Preference Before and After Dam Removal”
Dr. Kevin Curry, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
“Development of an External Research Proposal to Investigate Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction with Protein-Catalyst Hybrids”
Summer Grant
Dr. Sarah Soltau, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences
Faculty Research Areas
| Faculty Name | Department | Sustainability Research Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Zimmerman | Anthropology | Shiraki Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research (SiMUR) Project |
| Christopher Bloch | Biological Sciences | Invasive species Effects of urbanization on wildlife activity |
| Alyssa Deline | Chemical Sciences | Sunlight-driven water treatment using titanium dioxide and carbon nanotubes Nanoparticle uptake in plants to optimize nutrient delivery efficiency Interdisciplinary collaboration related to water security and communication through choreography |
| Ed Brush | Chemical Sciences | Green and sustainable chemistry Global warming/climate change Carbon capture Environmental justice |
| Sarah Soltau | Chemical Sciences | Development of Photosystem I: catalyst systems for solar driven hydrogen production or carbon dioxide reduction |
| Lisa Boragine | Communication Studies | Game-based learning Climate change |
| Jo Hoffman | Elementary and Early Childhood Education Bartlett Endowed Professorship for Civic Education and Engagement |
Civic learning Sustainable development goals |
| Jeanne Carey Ingle | Elementary and Early Childhood Education | Teacher candidate bias toward BIPOC children Teacher candidate bias toward children who are emergent multilingual |
| John Kucich | English | Thoreau Native Americans and the environment |
| Ryan LaBrozzi | Global Languages and Literatures | Sustainability in the foreign language classroom |
| Xiangrong Liu | Management | Renewable energy marketing and operations Closed-loop supply chain (remanufacturing) |
| Wanchunzi Yu | Mathematics | Data analysis about solar panels |
| Inkyoung Kim | Political Science | Russia's participation in international environmental cooperation in East Asia |
| Antoinetta (Toni) Ruscio | Theatre | Self- and community improvement |