Virginia Tech
IN-3: Innovation 3

Emerging Sustainability Professionals Internship Program Program Innovation: What makes this program innovative is the blend of interdisciplinary research with defined classroom and project based learning outcomes. Additionally, the teams of students are working on projects that are tied into an evolving campus sustainability operating system that is comprised of six main pathways to a sustainable campus. This integration of student development and campus sustainability progress is a true institutionalization of sustainability at Virginia Tech and a unique approach to tackling campus challenges. Program Overview: Developed and coordinated by the first sustainability intern in the Office of Energy and Sustainability, an extremely innovative student sustainability internship program is being implemented at Virginia Tech with a focus on student development. Students are charged to develop creative solutions to campus sustainability challenges while being provided with structure to understand the project itself and skills based workshops that offer individual and professional development opportunities. Started in the spring of 2010, this program is in the middle of its third cohort and evolving into a more robust program each semester. What makes this program unique is the emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration between all of the layers of the university and its focus on the synergy between project based and classroom based learning outcomes. The projects chosen for the program allow interns to apply the concepts and skills learned in the classroom to real world challenges that exist right here on campus to gain experience working with their peers in different career fields. Although these are unpaid positions, the Office of Energy and Sustainability is committed to providing a worthwhile experience by offering students an opportunity for rapid personal and professional growth. The emphasis on cross discipline problem solving is expected to enable interns to both sharpen their skill set and expand it by learning from their peers. Not only is this program one of a kind in this region, but is innovative in the higher education realm. Although a student internship program was mandated in the university’s sustainability policy, the basis for this type of program came out of the identified need for a program that developed a “sustainability lens” for undergraduate students before entering the working world. Program Mission & Vision: Our current undergraduate and graduate students are the sustainability professionals of tomorrow. They will enter the working world with a new set of challenges and parameters that will define the work that they can and will do, regardless of their field. Because of this, it is critical that we, as an institution of higher education, prepare our students for the world that they will soon be leading by providing them with the critical skills and a learning environment that will prepare them to be the inventors of a sustainable future. With the foundations in collaborative research and interdisciplinary teamwork to tackle campus sustainability, this project and classroom based learning experience will train students to be able to understand and address society’s most pressing challenges. Program History and Timeline to Date: There have been three groups of students to participate in this program thus far. Each group has had slightly different structures and program components to test different program management strategies and learning outcomes. The program is continually expanding with each graduating cohort. The next step of the program is the first studio based cohort that will run the entire 2012-2013 academic year. Below is the timeline of this program’s development and summaries of program outcomes to date: • October 2007 - December 2009: First campus sustainability intern hired • January - May 2010: First team of interns with little program structure • May - December 2010: Program Lull, no interns • January - May 2011: Second team of students - pilot cohort based program model • June - December 2011: Third team of students - advisory team inclusion and hybrid between previous model and studio based program First Cohort Summary: The first team of interns helped the program grow from its infancy. One of the biggest lessons learned during the first semester was how to coordinate the program as a whole. Total, there were ten students working on four different projects. The major success that was seen during this first semester was the completion of the trash and recycling infrastructure assessment project that surveyed 52 different buildings across campus to identify areas of strength, weakness, and where the most strategic locations would be for resource collection stations. This type of data collection would only be possible through the people power of an intern team. The intern’s work provided critical data for the Comprehensive Waste Management Plan which was in its early stages of development (the Comprehensive Waste Management Plan was finalized in July 2011). Second Cohort Summary: The second cohort was much more structured and successful than the first and really laid the foundation for the studio class program that will be implemented next year (see Next Steps section for more details). There were 22 student participants working on four main projects during the spring 2011 semester. The four projects were focused on the development of a campus wide sustainability portal, working with the Athletics Department to establish a sustainability program, developing a framework for a sustainability advisors (eco-reps) program, and research on best practices for sustainable collegiate football game day operations in collaboration with the US EPA and a panel of technical experts from six other colleges and universities. Each project had two student Project Managers that worked closely with the program coordinator to steer the team towards success. Clear deliverables were set for each project and Project Managers were responsible for making sure that deadlines were kept throughout the semester. While most of the work was done separately, cross team collaboration was facilitated by having cohort wide meetings every month and utilizing a cohort wide Scholar site that enabled teams to share information and ideas on other team’s projects. The Scholar site was also used to provide critical context documents and resources that were important for each team’s project. This was the first cohort that was introduced to classroom based workshops that were facilitated by subject matter experts here on campus. Sessions covered critical writing genres in the working world and the soft skills for becoming a young professional. Third Cohort Summary: This cohort began its work in June 2011 and will continue through the end of November. This cohort’s program structure is a hybrid between the older program models and the studio class structure that will be implemented in academic year 2012-2013. There are 23 student participants working on three main projects with a leadership core of nine Project Managers. Each team is continuing work on projects that were started in the spring 2011 cohort. Below is a summary of each project and its deliverables: Campus Sustainability Web Portal Development: The purpose of this project is to create an information portal for the Virginia Tech community to streamline, connect, and organize all sustainability related activities. Interns will be working with various stakeholders across campus that include, but are not limited to: Virginia Tech Information Technology, Vice President for Administrative Services IT, University Relations, colleges, departmental units, and university leadership. The web portal will be housed at www.sustainability.vt.edu. Interns will focus on the development and coding of a dynamic web portal, in collaboration with the existing Ensemble CMS framework, to organize existing information and details gathered (including all STARS credits data) to facilitate communication and collaboration on sustainability projects on campus. Football Game Best Practices Toolkit Completion & US EPA Partnership Development: The purpose of this project is twofold. It is focused on collegiate game day recycling and sustainability efforts, and partnership building with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Game Day Best Practices Toolkit for Colleges and Universities: The team will continue the work of the spring 2011 team by organizing the research already gathered into a web based guide for institutions of higher education. This toolkit will include a list of best practices in the ten specified areas of game day operations, a “10 Quick Fixes” guide on getting a game day program started, and case studies on the nation’s top programs. Office of Energy and Sustainability and US EPA Partnership Establishment: The team will work with an already established contact in the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery to form a partnership between this internship program and their office. The partnership will enable one team from each cohort of interns to work on a research based project for the US EPA. Greening of Virginia Tech Athletics: Near Zero Waste Games and Rally Towel Fan Engagement The purpose of this project is twofold and has two major components – an effort to reach near zero waste operations at home football games during the fall 2011 season and a sustainability oriented, fund generating rally towel. Near-Zero Waste Home Football Games: Home Hokie sporting events generate tremendous amounts of trash and recycling materials. This part of the project focuses on conducting a full assessment of game day operations, applying the best practices on game day programs that the spring 2011 intern team compiled, and then developing a logistical framework and implementation plan for a near-zero waste (90% diversion rate) football season. Interns are working closely with the Athletics Department and Facilities Services here on campus. Rally Towel Fund Generating Program: Similar to the successful Student Government Association’s (SGA) orange and maroon effect campaigns, a “Green Effect” type program tied to a sustainably produced rally towel will be developed and sold to generate funds for sustainability initiatives on campus. It will be sold and promoted throughout the season to work in conjunction with the near zero waste game day efforts. A partnership has been formed between the Office of Energy and Sustainability, Athletics Department, Virginia Tech Services, Student Government Association, Graduate Student Assembly, the Environmental Coalition, and SustainU to work on this program. Next Steps and Program Development: The programmatic details for the first studio based cohort are still being developed. This will build off the successes that have been seen to date and will bring in more classroom based learning opportunities. A more formalized structure is being created that deepens the ties between the student teams and the six strategic pathways to campus sustainability. This connection between student teams and pathways will solidify a robust sustainability operating system that is driven by the development of our students. Below is a timeline snapshot of the five year strategic plan that is in development to drive this program: • January - August 2012: Studio based program and curriculum development (no interns) • August 2012 – May 2013: Studio Program Launch in 2 pathways to campus sustainability with 4 teams • August 2013 – May 2014: Studio Program Year 2 with teams in 4 pathways (8 total teams) • August 2014- May 2015: Year 3, 12 teams working in all 6 pathways