Reflections on interdisciplinary sustainability research with undergraduate students

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of the article was to convey experiences with pioneering interdisciplinary sustainability research by involving undergraduate students. Experiences with initiating and conducting multiple research projects spanning engineering and sustainability are described, and recommendations for programs and faculty in other institutions of higher education that plan to implement or support similar endeavors are discussed. Design/methodology/approach -The article and presented conclusions are based on three separate research projects, where specific examples as to how those projects were developed as well as challenges and rewards faced during the project are described. Findings -It is concluded that faculty should not refrain from working with students from different backgrounds and disciplines. Bringing different backgrounds and perspectives to a project enables a big picture view of problems at hand and leads to better solutions that are more in line with the three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time providing valuable hands-on experience to undergraduate students. Originality/value -By its very definition, sustainability is an interdisciplinary field and, thus, requires novel approaches for education and research compared to other settled fields of science. A viable way to increase the role of sustainability in higher education is to foster interdisciplinary research and teaching. The institutions role in promoting such efforts has been discussed together with example strategies that were found to be successful as well as those that were not. The article presents results of potential successes in projects where the traditional disciplinary bounds have been breached, and an interdisciplinary approach has been used to achieve project goals. The article also gives examples on what types of sustainability research can be conducted with undergraduate students.

Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto

“…There is growing movement for universities to take a more active role in society by conducting solution-driven research and engaging with community partners, for the benefit of both students and the broader community [4,5,20]. In 2017, the University of Toronto formed a Presidential Advisory Committee on Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability which set goals for the university to contribute [3].…”

“…It is widely acknowledged that sustainability is a perspective inextricably tied to complex and systemic problems, and its approaches are necessarily framed by the attempt to develop relevant practical solutions that integrate theories, practices and insights from diverse bodies of knowledge [16][17][18][19]. Hence, as Aktaş suggests, "a viable way to increase the role of sustainability in higher education is to foster interdisciplinary research and teaching" [20] (p. 354). Although U of T's School of the Environment offers interdisciplinary B.A.…”

How to walk the talk? Developing actions for sustainability in academic research

“…A first step in this 'translation' endeavor is to recognize that no single higher education institution starts from scratch. There is a huge amount of sustainability-relevant research going on within the existing academic disciplines, while there is also a growing awareness of the need for a more transformative, complementary approach to address current sustainability challenges (Aktas, 2015;Clark, 2007;Costa and Scoble, 2006;Gardner, 2013;Jain et al, 2013;Perrings, 2007). Implementing these transformative approaches to research is not an easy task though, and many obstacles are in place, ranging from career incentives and funding issues to leadership and cultural issues (Ferrer-Balas et al, 2010;Waas et al, 2010).…”

Seleção do método de elaboração de Arquitetura de Processos mais adequado para auxiliar a promoção da sustentabilidade na perspectiva de processos no contexto de uma instituição de ensino superior

“…Durante a última década, um número crescente de instituições de ensino superior buscou incorporar e institucionalizar os princípios da sustentabilidade em seus currículos, pesquisas, operações, divulgação e elaboração de relatórios (LOZANO, 2010). Tal busca ocorreu devido à necessidade de satisfazer as exigências de uma nova geração de estudantes e, ao mesmo tempo, tentar responder às preocupações crescentes sobre questões globais de sustentabilidade (AKTAS, 2015).…”