East Carolina University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

In 2018, ECU's Division of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement (REDE) implemented four Research Clusters to encourage and focus on research and engagement between the university and its faculty, students, and community partners. Each research cluster awards seed grant money to faculty members and creates collaborative work opportunities spanning various academic fields to solve pressing problems related to the focus are of the research cluster. One of those four clusters includes:

Natural Resources and the Environment: This research area focuses on discovering new ways to support and optimize sustainable use of our natural resources and the environment. The cluster will place an emphasis on studying biogas — with the intent to evaluate the spatial, economic and environmental factors associated with developing swine waste into a usable fuel — and water quality and quantity issues in eastern North Carolina. The goals for this research cluster are as follows:

Short Term Goals:
1. Develop relationships with potential collaborators within and outside ECU that lead energy and natural resources research projects
2. Build interdisciplinary research teams that produce research ideas and grant proposals that carry out biogas, off-shore energy and water projects
3. Identify research opportunities that connect to community and regional needs

Long Term Goals:
- Provide opportunities for faculty and their collaborators to undertake projects through securing external funding
- Initiate projects that focus on biogas, water resources and other areas in the natural resources and energy area
- Encourage students and global partners to conduct research associated with energy and natural resources


In addition, the following events have been hosted at ECU in the past three years and each offered rewards for student sustainability research posters:

2017 - 2019 Research and Creative Activity Week (RCAW)

2017 Sustainability Symposium - Green Stormwater Infrastructure Theme

2017 Climate Change and Health Symposium: Focus on Eastern North Carolina

2018 Sustainability Symposium - Solar Energy Theme

In 2018, ECU's Division of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement (REDE) implemented four Research Clusters to encourage and focus on research and engagement between the university and its faculty, students, and community partners. Each research cluster awards seed grant money to faculty members and creates collaborative work opportunities spanning various academic fields to solve pressing problems related to the focus are of the research cluster. One of those four clusters includes:

Natural Resources and the Environment: This research area focuses on discovering new ways to support and optimize sustainable use of our natural resources and the environment. The cluster will place an emphasis on studying biogas — with the intent to evaluate the spatial, economic and environmental factors associated with developing swine waste into a usable fuel — and water quality and quantity issues in eastern North Carolina. The goals for this research cluster are as follows:

Short Term Goals:
1. Develop relationships with potential collaborators within and outside ECU that lead energy and natural resources research projects
2. Build interdisciplinary research teams that produce research ideas and grant proposals that carry out biogas, off-shore energy and water projects
3. Identify research opportunities that connect to community and regional needs

Long Term Goals:
- Provide opportunities for faculty and their collaborators to undertake projects through securing external funding
- Initiate projects that focus on biogas, water resources and other areas in the natural resources and energy area
- Encourage students and global partners to conduct research associated with energy and natural resources

There are multiple award and recognition programs offered by the Division of Research, Economic Development, and Engagement (REDE) that place an emphasis on interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research. Funding opportunities include: Startup Program, Cluster Seed Grant Funding, and a variety of major and/or external funding sources. Many research centers and institutes also foster this collaborative approach including: Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Coastal Studies Institute, Office of Innovation and New Ventures, Center for Geographic Information Science, Center for Water Resources, and others. In terms of recognition, the Provost distributes a monthly newsletter called First Mondays, which highlights several research projects and funding awards and many include collaborative efforts of our faculty who are either tenured or on tenure-track.

Research Guides:
- Environmental Health
- Coastal Resources Management
- Recreation, Leisure, and Sustainable Tourism
- 2019-2020 Pirate Read Selection: The Nature Principle (includes on-campus events calendar, research support, and other topics to explore)

ScholarShip ECU's Institutional Repository - Sustainability Research: http://thescholarship.ecu.edu/handle/10342/6422

Sustainability Film & Discussion Series Collection: Since 2016, the Sustainability Manager has hosted a monthly sustainability film screening and, in order to do so, must purchase the public screening rights and educational license for the films. At the end of each academic year, these films have been put in the Joyner Library collection so that faculty and students can check them out and view them in class or on their own time.

Data Source:

Jeanne Hoover, Joyner Library
Clark Nall, Joyner Library