University of Louisville
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

For these purposes, we have defined sustainability-related research as research and scholarship that explicitly addresses the concept of sustainability, furthers our understanding of the interdependence of ecological and social/economic systems, or has a primary and explicit focus on a major sustainability challenge. As AASHE does, we define sustainability in a pluralistic and inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. Major sustainability challenges include (but are not limited to) climate change, global poverty and inequality, environmental health, natural resource depletion, and environmental degradation.

Faculty and staff engaged in sustainability-related research were identified through compilation of lists of sustainability research organizations, centers and institutions and through research grant proposals submitted from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021 that are compiled on a database maintained by the Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation Office.

Grant Proposal Submittals and Awards: UofL's grant proposal database includes the names of Principal Investigator and Co-PIs, their departments, and the title of the research. The data base from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2021 was searched by title for the following key words and phrases:
adaptive cycle
adaptive reuse
air quality
alternative fuel
anarchy
aquatic ecosystem
architecture - environmental
bicycle transit
biodiversity
biofuel
biomarker
biomass
bioregionalism
bioremediation
brownfield
building materials
carbon emissions
carbon footprint
city planning
climate change
community development
community gardens
community partners
complete streets
eco-agriculture
ecological
ecological footprint
ecology
economic development
ecosystem
ecotourism
edible landscapes
energy conservation
energy consumption
energy efficiency
environmental
environmental change
environmental education
environmental health
environmental law
environmental policy
exposure
forest ecology
gentrification
global change
green energy
green infrastructure
green movement
green purchasing
green rooftops
green-washing
hazardous waste
inequity
invasive species
landscape architecture
landscape urbanism
LEED
liver toxicity
local food
low-impact development
mass transit
mindfulness
multidisciplinary
natural hazards
neighborhood
networks
new urbanism
organic agriculture
particulate
peace
place making
pollution
pollution prevention
population
POTW
public participation
recycle
recycling
regional development
renewable energy
resilience
risk assessment
rural development
sense of place
smart growth
social change
social justice
social responsibility
social-ecological system
soil
solar
source reduction
stream restoration
sustainability
sustainable agriculture
sustainable architecture
sustainable design
sustainable development
sustainable energy
sustainable living
toxicology
transdisciplinary
transportation
triple bottom line
urban
urban agriculture
urban canopy
urban ecology
urban forest
urban renewal
urban soils
urbanism
urbanization
vulnerability
walkability
walking city
waste management
water quality
watershed
wetland
Identified grant proposals were reviewed by the Sustainability Council's work-group of faculty, staff and students, and those whose purpose was not sustainability related, were deleted. All non-student investigators associated with the identified proposals were included in the final list of employees engaged in sustainability related research.

The total number of employees engaged in research is drawn from UofL's 2022 response to the National Science Foundtation's Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvyherd/). We are not counting here student researchers. We are reporting here only on "Researchers" and excluding "R&D Technicians" and "R&D Support Staff," as defined by the HERD survey as follows:
"Researchers = Professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems and also in the management of the projects concerned. R&D managers are included in this category.
R&D technicians = Persons whose main tasks require technical knowledge and experience in one or more fields of science or engineering, but who contribute to R&D by performing technical tasks such as computer programming, data analysis, ensuring accurate testing, operating lab equipment, and preparing and processing samples under the supervision of researchers.
R&D support staff = Staff not directly involved with the conduct of a research project, but support the researchers and technicians. These employees might include clerical staff, financial and personnel administrators, report writers, patent agents, safety trainers, equipment specialists, and other related employees.
Researcher versus R&D technician: Researchers contribute more to the creative aspects of R&D whereas technicians provide technical support. For example, a researcher (scientist or engineer) would design an experiment and a technician would run the experiment and assist in analyzing results."

The University of Louisville has researchers from a wide spectrum of disciplines working on sustainability research. The University has focused its research efforts in renewable energy, environmental health, stream restoration, ecosystems, pollution prevention, and urban sustainability. To encourage and promote these areas the University has created and supported research centers and institutes that bring together multi-disciplinary teams to work on complex urban sustainability issues. The largest such institute is Envirome, which has leveraged millions of dollars in grants and gifts since 2018 to further its research in environmental health and the healing powers of nature.

The organizations, centers and institutions surveyed at UofL include:
• University of Louisville Sustainability Council — An organization that includes faculty, staff, and students that conduct research in the sustainability field. The Council members are appointed by the Provost. Faculty and staff actively engaged in research are listed.
• Envirome Institute and related Centers - See https://louisville.edu/envirome/
• Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research — The Conn Center conducts and facilitates R&D on potentially commercially feasible renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The Center promotes partnerships among the state's colleges and universities, private industries, and non-profit organizations to actively pursue federally and privately funded research and development resources that are dedicated to renewable energy solutions.
• University of Louisville Sustainability Scholars Roundtable — All UofL faculty, staff and students engaged in research related to sustainability are encouraged to join the Scholars Roundtable to share research interests, goals and projects. The goal of the Roundtable is to encourage interdisciplinary research. Faculty and staff who have participated in the Roundtable were also used to help identify sustainability researchers.

Unfortunately, our inventory is not a complete accounting of all sustainability-related research at UofL. Rather, it represents our best available data, primarily drawn from an inventory of research grants and publications over fiscal years 2019-2021. We do not have an efficient system for tracking unpublished and non-grant-supported research, but we know many faculty and staff are engaged in such research related to sustainability and we value their many contributions.

In addition to celebrating the work of our employees, we want to highlight the sustainability research conducted by our graduate students over the last three years. Those researchers and their topics are compiled in the additional documentation file.