Colgate University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Colgate has a number of options for students to conduct sustainability-related research. Opportunities extend across the full academic spectrum, from the natural sciences to the arts, humanities, and social sciences. To get involved, students often need only contact a faculty member to inquire about opportunities. Ongoing programs to support student research include, but are not limited to the Lampert Institute, the Beckman Scholars Program, the Upstate Institute Field School, and University Museums. The overall mission of the Upstate Institute, for example, is "to promote and advance a broad and deep understanding of the diverse cultural, social, economic and environmental resources of Upstate New York through community-based research, civic engagement and the reciprocal transfer of knowledge." Each of the student research projects funded through the Upstate Institute are sustainability-focused.

In addition, the Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research (CLTR), sponsors sustainability-focused student research each year. Examples of 2022 CLTR summer student research include: an inventory Colgate’s landholdings using GIS, microplastics adsorption of chemicals, the impact of climate change on barnacle exoskeleton formation, Whites Against Supremacy: Cross-racial Alliance in the U.S. Movement for Black Lives, just to identify a few.

Each summer, roughly 200 students conduct paid research through one of these established programs. Dozens of research projects each year are focused on issues of sustainability. For example, the Upstate Institute Summer Field School provides stipends for students to work directly with community organizations on research projects that emphasize sustainability in local agriculture, the environment, and socio-economies. The results of this research are published each year. Summer 2021 Upstate Institute projects can be viewed online at https://kgbelanger.colgate.domains/summer2021research/category/upstate-institute/.

The Lampert Institute supports faculty research in issues related to the Changing World Order and Science, Technology, and Public Policy. Research grants are available for faculty to support fieldwork, archival work, dataset purchases, or other types of research support necessary to advance scholarly projects.

More information on the Lampert Institute can be found online: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/centers-institutes/lampert-institute-civic-and-global-affairs-4

Additionally, Colgate faculty may submit proposals for research to the Upstate Institute on topics related to the broad region of upstate New York. Faculty members or groups of faculty may also propose to organize a scholarly symposium, conference, or workshop that addresses issues concerning or related to the upstate New York region.

A faculty member receiving an award for research is expected to share either the final or preliminary results of the study in a future Upstate Institute event and through inclusion in the Upstate Institute collection in Digital Commons. The Upstate Institute is normally able to fund projects with budgets up to $5,000. The Institute also supports faculty research in the form of $500 discretionary grants, and via support for publication costs.

Website: https://www.colgate.edu/about/campus-services-and-resources/upstate-institute-research.

The Lampert Institute and the Upstate Institute are two examples of programs that encourage and financially support faculty research that supports interdisciplinary and local sustainability.

Interdisciplinary research is valued at Colgate University and is given equal weight to single-discipline research during the faculty promotion and tenure process. See promotion and tenure guidelines in Faculty Handbook: https://colgate.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FH/pages/2031657/F.+Reappointment+Tenure+and+Promotion

In some cases, interdisciplinary research is prioritized depending on the department and area of focus. For example, Colgate's Picker Institute for Interdisciplinary Study in the Sciences and Mathematics, which funds up to $250,000 per year in faculty projects, are explicitly interdisciplinary. The Picker website is https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/centers-institutes/picker-interdisciplinary-science-institute.

Our library systems has a dedicated faculty liaison to support research in environmental studies and sustainability. The liaison compiles resources and works with students and faculty to aid them in their development and research.