Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 62.14
Liaison Michael Lizotte
Submission Date April 9, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of North Carolina, Charlotte
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Michael Lizotte
University Sustainability Officer
Facilities Planning
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Student sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
The College of Engineering’s Senior Design Program brings together students and industrial partners in a collaborative research environment. The Sustainability Office has repeatedly requested and received funding from the Charlotte Green Initiative for campus sustainability projects in collaboration with the Senior Design Program.

Faculty sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
The Nexus Program: Networking Across Disciplines fosters the emergence of interdisciplinary research teams by providing faculty with structured opportunities to learn about one another’s research and brainstorm areas of mutual interest. Through a series of workshops several months apart, Nexus supports the initial stages of project development as faculty formulate shared research questions, consider analytical strategies, and identify potential funding sources. Summer 2022 programs targeted faculty in two research areas of focus and distinction identified by the Top-Tier Research Commission: Migration and Diaspora Studies; and Climate Change and Resilience. The program accepted 28 faculty from across 16 departments in 6 colleges; each participant received a $1,000 stipend for engaging fully in the May and August workshops. The pilot program led to the emergence of multiple interdisciplinary working groups that have applied for internal and external funding to support their collaborations. The Summer 2023 program has been announced, with the two research themes of Socioeconomic Mobility and Urban Health.

Recognition of interdisciplinary, transdisciplnary and multi-disciplinary research 

Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
No

A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
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The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
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Library support

Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The University offers subject guides on their website for areas related to sustainability, including earth science and infrastructure and environmental systems. These subject guides contain links to databases with articles and reports from various journals and conferences. There are also subject librarians in Engineering and Earth Science where students can make an appointment with a subject librarian or request a research consultation.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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