University of Houston - Downtown
AC-5: Immersive Experience

SUSTAIN is a new USDA opportunity to Support Undergraduate Sustainable Technology and Agricultural Needs. This is a valuable opportunity to engage in an experiential learning program which focuses on creating solutions to current issues in food production or sustainable urban systems. The program will include the integration of environmental science, societal concerns and technology. All majors are encouraged to apply as successful sustainability initiatives require input from business, education, psychology, engineering, biology and many other fields. The SUSTAIN program includes involvement in a spring 2020 hybrid course on sustainability and summer on-line curriculum in renewable energy as part of the program. During spring 2020 students will work collaboratively on Fridays in mentoring activities and designing and implementing a solution to a real-world problem. The program also involves a paid summer internship for 6-8 weeks at a local agency, non-profit or company that is of interest to each particular student. Students will be expected to be engaged in the program on Fridays during spring 2020 and have 6-8 weeks of the summer free for both the internship and the online course. Students will also present findings at a meeting in fall of 2019 or the following spring (travel covered).

Eco-Reps is a group of students working in collaboration with the Center for Urban Agriculture & Sustainability. These students promote sustainable behavior on campus as well as implement green initiatives. Eco-Reps reach out to their fellow students, faculty, and staff in order to collaborate on projects, green initiatives, and raise awareness about sustainability. Eco-Reps are exposed to sustainable ideas and initiatives on a weekly basis where they then spread that information to our campus community. Eco-Reps are selected through an application process and are paid a small stipend for engaging in their initiatives. Not only do Eco-Reps gain important knowledge and skills about sustainability, UHD is the better for what they bring to our campus.