University of Notre Dame
ER-18: Sustainability Research Incentives

At the University of Notre Dame, there are many opportunities and incentives to participate in sustainability research. Research centers related to sustainability, including the Office of Sustainability, the Center for Sustainable Energy at ND, the Center for Building Communities, the Center for Environmental Justice and Children's Health, GLOBES, and the Center for Aquatic Conservation provide students with courses, research opportunities, fellowships and/or structured internship programs. These programs take place during the school year as well as during the summer. Center for Environmental Science and Technology Each year, dozens of undergraduate students use CEST as part of course work, independent study, and/or through formalized REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) programs. CEST annually awards a number of Bayer graduate fellowships to support interdisciplinary research in environmental science and/or engineering.

Faculty research at the University of Notre Dame include the Sustainable Energy Initiative, the Environmental Change Initiative, the Energy Center, the Center for Environmental Science and Technology, the Environmental Research Center, the Center for Building Communities, the Center for Environmental Justice and Children's Health, GLOBES, and the Center for Aquatic Conservation. The Environmental Change Initiative (ECI), led by Professor David Lodge, is supporting 40 affiliated faculty at the university through four core areas of research: 1) Land Use; 2) Invasive Species; 3) Climate change; and 4) Water Policy. After 6 months of operation ECI has leased a floor at Innovation Park and is in the process of hiring 13 full-time staff to help administer the research being done in these areas. The Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI) will establish Notre Dame’s preeminence in three strategic areas – safer nuclear, cleaner fossil, and transformative solar – all focusing on the research and development of materials to help make clean energy more affordable and more readily available. The 30 affiliated faculty perform research toward new and improved sustainable energy technologies and systems will provide educational opportunities for scientists, engineers, social scientists and citizens to be leaders in their disciplines and literate in the systems of energy production and use. Energy Center Slatt Fellowship: The Vincent P. Slatt Endowment for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes supports the research interests of undergraduate students at the University of Notre Dame in the field of energy systems and processes. Awards are made annually up to $5,000 per recipient. The Energy Center accepted applications for funding from faculty and graduate students to develop new courses or to enhance existing courses to include energy-related topics and issues. Course development grants were awarded in 2007 totaling $6,500. In spring 2008, the Notre Dame Energy Center announced a Request for Proposals for its newly established Seed Fund Program. The program was designed to support innovative, early-stage, research projects that would address energy-related issues and lead to externally sponsored research projects. Proposals were selected based on scientific importance, novelty of the ideas, potential impact, and the extent to which the proposed work would complement ongoing energy research at Notre Dame. Of the seven proposals submitted, three were approved and funded for a total of $113,300 in seed grants. Center for Environmental Science and Technology A collaborative research initiative between Notre Dame and Argonne National Laboratory was initiated under the auspices of the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) in 1996. This program is administered by the Center for Environmental Science & Technology. Several areas of research have been identified which will allow Notre Dame faculty and Argonne researchers to collaborate, utilizing strengths of each institution. The Center for Environmental Science & Technology will be the focal point for interaction by Notre Dame faculty. Environmental Research Center UNDERC furthers research and education in environmental studies at The University of Notre Dame by focusing activities on unique locations of high environmental quality in the North Central region and northern Rockies of North America. These locations serve as "natural" laboratories for the study of environmental systems that have experienced little or no degradation from humans and as a baseline for comparison with human disturbed systems. Center for Building Communities Internships include basic training in design development, construction document preparation, and hands-on design and construction — with a focus on modular, affordable, and sustainable housing, and on other sustainable architectural, urban, and landscape features. During the ten- to twelve-week research internship, student interns will conduct hands-on research in design development, construction document preparation, and building implementation under the supervision of CBC Directors, Fellows, and associated faculty members. The costs of intern stipends, campus housing, and meals will be covered by the CBC Center for Environmental Justice Focused on EIJ-related teaching, research, and service, the Center for Environmental Justice and Children’s Health is a multi-disciplinary group of Notre Dame faculty, students, and friends dedicated to addressing EIJ. Working pro-bono, center faculty and students focus on three main tasks. They (i) perform risk assessments and environmental-impact analyses in poor, minority, or other vulnerable communities; (ii) help educate and empower potential victims of EIJ; and (iii) promote victims’ ability both to understand the risks they face and to give or withhold informed consent to the siting or continued operation of risky facilities that may threaten their health. Regarding work area (1), research, Center faculty do EIJ-related, multi-disciplinary research grants funded by groups such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health. Center faculty, working with European scientists, recently completed a four-year, NSF-funded research grant on workplace threats to EJ from occupational exposures to ionizing radiation. Regarding work area (2), service, Center faculty – along with Notre Dame undergraduates and graduate students – direct or cooperate in pro-bono research projects to assist victims of environmental injustice all over the world. GLOBES Global Linkages of Biology, the Environment, and Society (GLOBES) offers real hope for the future. Funded by an Integrative Graduate Education, Research, and Traineeship grant (IGERT) from the National Science Foundation, GLOBES brings together the complementary skills and knowledge of biologists, environmental and social scientists, public policy experts, lawyers, and religious and community leaders. Collectively they seek innovative and interdisciplinary solutions to a wide range of interrelated problems in environmental and human health. The GLOBES program is pleased to announce the recipients of GLOBES-IGERT fellowship awards. Center for Aquatic Conservation The Center for Aquatic Conservation, located at the University of Notre Dame. While only miles from Lake Michigan, the scope of the Center’s efforts reaches well beyond the Great Lakes. From invasive species in the Great Lakes Region to waterborne diseases in tropical Africa, the mission of the Center for Aquatic Conservation is to promote the application of scientific knowledge to conserve earth’s freshwater resources. The Center for Aquatic Conservation provides opportunities for graduate students, undergraduates, postdoctoral researchers, as well as local secondary teachers through fellowships, stipends, research support, and academic credit. The fellowships include a stipend, waived tuition, and health fees and are open to University of Notre Dame graduate students in all departments. In addition, most CAC-affiliated faculty welcome inquiries at any time about opportunities for graduate work in their laboratory. University of Notre Dame undergraduates are able to participate in research with Center faculty for academic credit. CAC has openings for paid summer research, including Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities.