Carnegie Mellon University
AC-10: Support for Research

Carnegie Mellon’s Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research encourages student sustainability research through a variety of programs, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate research is supported and advanced through research funding available from the Carnegie Mellon undergraduate research office by engaging students in campus greening projects that relate to their academic work and research and support of student projects through the Steinbrenner Institute SEED grant program. Graduate research in sustainability is supported by the Steinbrenner Institute graduate fellowship program which provides support for 3-4 Ph.D. students each year. Support is also provided through special fellowship programs such as the U.S. Environmental Sustainability Fellowship. Information on positive outcomes of student sustainability research can be found via the following websites: http://www.cmu.edu/uro/index.html http://www.cmu.edu/environment/steinbrenner/seed-grants.html http://www.cmu.edu/environment/news/index.html

The Steinbrenner Institute was formed in 2004 as a campus-wide organization to facilitate, promote, and advance Carnegie Mellon education, research initiatives and campus operational practices related to the environment and sustainability Recent innovations developed by CMU researchers funded by Steinbrenner grants include: measurement and modeling of fine air particles, real-time sensing in drinking water supply networks, treatment of groundwater contaminants with engineered nanoparticles; optimization of environmental controls for clean coal technologies; catalysts for more environmentally benign paper-making and industrial cleaning and energy-efficient commercial buildings. In addition to leading-edge research, the Steinbrenner Institute offers competitive fellowships to talented graduate students, issues developmental grants to researchers, promotes and supports environmental initiatives throughout the CMU campus and fosters connections and coordinates new research initiatives. The Steinbrenner Institute also has a SEED grant program to support proposal development, workshops, and equipment acquisition or other support for environmental sustainability research efforts. The Steinbrenner Institute also encourages faculty research in sustainability by hosting periodic events with media to inform faculty about emerging environmental topics, and to provide faculty members with opportunities to engage media representatives about their environmental research.

Carnegie Mellon University’s 2008 strategic plan includes language to address the multiple environmental dimensions of sustainability; "Research and Education on the Environment" was declared one of four strategic thrusts for Carnegie Mellon in the 1998 strategic plan and reiterated in the 2008 strategic plan. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the world's leading research universities. As such, Carnegie Mellon University measures excellence by the impact it has on the world. Building on deeply grounded disciplinary strength, the University collaborates across disciplines, and the initiatives for interdisciplinary research start from the University community. The Carnegie Mellon vision for research is to meet the changing needs of society by building on traditions of innovation, problem solving, and interdisciplinary thinking. The strategic plan of Carnegie Mellon has six pillars including one stating that "issues of environmental sustainability must play a role in learning, research and practice".

Principal Librarian Lynn Berard of the Carnegie Mellon Sorrell Engineering and Science Library works to maintain the university collections in environmental engineering, science, and sustainability. In addition to her own research, she reaches out regularly to faculty members engaged in sustainability research and education to learn about their needs and recommendations for strengthening the university library resources in sustainability.