East Carolina University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW) is ECU’s pinnacle research event where undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral scholars are provided a forum to present their research. Students have the option to choose a poster presentation or podium (oral) presentation format. All submissions for presentations must be reviewed and approved by the student’s research mentor. The mentorship relationship is critical to the development of strong research skills and as such the RCAW planning team has consistently required mentor approval before a student or scholar’s work is accepted for RCAW. Presentations are judged by faculty (for all presentations) or graduate students (for undergraduate presentations only). The presenters receive scoresheets with feedback from the 2-3 judges that reviewed their work. All presentations are organized in sections i.e., social sciences, health sciences, innovations, sustainability, etc., and there is a winner for each section. These students receive a trophy and are recognized at an awards luncheon at the end of the RCAW week of events. Many students go on to prepare their research for publication particularly if they are graduate students completing master’s theses or doctoral dissertations. The Graduate School at ECU also supports another research event called Three-Minute Thesis (3MT). This is competitive event each Fall where students present their research in a 3-minute presentation using only one slide. These presentations are judged by “celebrity” judges from the ECU and surrounding community such as the Mayor of the City of Greenville, for example. This is a local competition for an international competition. The Grand Champion from the ECU event goes on to compete a the regional event at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools (CSGS). All costs for this travel are covered by the Graduate School. The student also wins a trophy. If the student wins at the CSGS event, they would then compete in the national event at the Council of Graduate Schools competition and then onto an international event, as well. At ECU, there is a Grand Champion winner, but also a People’s Choice Award winner where the audience votes for their favorite presentation. In addition, the academic department with the highest scores for their top 3 participants in the 3MT competition also wins the Department Cup. This coveted cup travels between the departments each year and attracts a great deal of attention and thus, interest in students participating in the event.

Integrated Coastal Programs is excited to announce its “Coastal Fellows initiative”. ANY ECU tenured, tenure track, and fixed-term faculty NOT currently appointed with DCS, ICP, or CSI is eligible to apply. Candidates from the following Colleges or Schools are encouraged to apply: Allied Health Sciences, Art and Design, Business, Communication, Music, Education, Honors College, Graduate School, Hospitality Leadership, Theater and Dance, Arts and Sciences, Health and Human Performance, Engineering and Technology, Dental Medicine, Social Work, Medicine, Nursing, Entrepreneurship, Fine Arts and Communication. Fellows selected for this program will receive one month of summer salary. The selected Fellow(s) will be expected to spend part of their research development time at CSI on ECU’s Outer Banks Campus located on Roanoke Island, to present their research to CSI and community audiences, and to interact regularly with ICP and DCS faculty. We anticipate awarding 2 such Fellowships this fiscal year. See attached document for details about the nature of the proposal required as part of the application process. See additional documentation attached below for details.

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:
- BuildingGreen
- Sustainability Science Abstracts
- Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection
- Environmental Health
- Coastal Resources Management
- Recreation, Leisure, and Sustainable Tourism

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

Sustainable Scholarship Website: https://sustainablescholarship.ecu.edu/

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:

Library Support: Jeanne Hoover, Joyner Library
Student Support: Kathleen Cox, Interim Dean of the Graduate School
Faculty Support: Sid Mitra, Coastal Fellows Initiative