Cornell University
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification

In chartering the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell used a broad definition of sustainability research using the Brundtland Commission's statement: "Sustainable Development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Sustainability research requires new ways of thinking and organizing across disciplines that build on the successes of traditional, discipline-based research and teaching to foster a true multidisciplinary approach. To create impact, research must also engage with practitioners, policymakers, and external organizations, such as NGOs, corporations and foundations. Problems related to energy, the environment, and economic development are interdependent and interconnected, transcending individual disciplines. Sustainability is a "system problem" and a broad approach is demanded. (http://www.acsf.cornell.edu/research/)

Cornell looks to the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) to identify and advance multidisciplinary sustainability research and initiatives at Cornell and with external partners. (http://www.acsf.cornell.edu/partners/index.php) Thus far, ACSF has engaged 363 researchers across all colleges at Cornell, whose work is directly related to sustainability. The Faculty Fellow Browser (http://www.acsf.cornell.edu/fellows/) may be searched by research topic or organization.