Arizona State University
AC-10: Support for Research

GISER (Graduates in Integrative Society & Environment Research) is a graduate student organization at ASU dedicated to exploring, enabling, and encouraging integrative, collaborative work that engages with environmental and societal themes. Collaborative work happens through a diverse set of programming, including in-person gatherings (collaboratories, workshops, guest speakers, and field trips), virtual (newsletter, project archives, and student networking), and resourcing (funding program). GISER has received crucial financial and organizational support form ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, School of Sustainability, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, School of Life Sciences, and Graduate College. http://giserasu.org/
The Global Development Research Program encourages international student research in sustainability. ASU is among six universities chosen to partner with the Global Development Lab of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Through this partnership, ASU created the Global Development Research Program, which enables graduate students to obtain USAID Research and Innovation Fellowships that foster global collaboration, advance use-inspired research and improve lives. https://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/degrees/usaid-ri-fellowships/

Innovation Space is an entrepreneurial joint venture among four schools at ASU. The program brings together students from the Design and the Arts, Engineering, Business, and Sustainability. The goal of the transdisciplinary education and research lab is to teach students how to develop products that create market value while serving real societal needs and minimizing impacts on the environment. Students gain hands on experience working with students and faculty from other disciplines for credit. https://innovationspace.asu.edu/students/

The School of Sustainability offers a Sustainability Champions Scholarship to incoming, undergraduate students that wish to incorporate sustainability into their studies at ASU. Students that are awarded can either apply the scholarship to their tuition and education expenses, or to a sustainability research or applied project during their time at ASU. https://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/admissions/scholarships-grants/champions/

SustainabilityConnect provides a listing of sustainability internship and project opportunities for students wanting to gain employment, research, educational, or volunteer experience in sustainability. https://sustainabilityconnect.asu.edu/
Additionally, Arizona State University supports numerous opportunities for undergraduates and graduates to participate in real world interdisciplinary research to help students bridge the gap between textbooks and careers. Many programs offer funding and academic credit. These programs include: the Research Experiences for Undergraduates funded by NSF; Study Abroad, which offers more than 300 programs in over 60 countries around the world; Undergraduate and Graduate Internships with community businesses and organizations, Graduate Research Assistantships, and Graduate Summer Grants. https://sustainability.asu.edu/education/

The website URL where information about the student research program is available:
http://giserasu.org/
https://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/degrees/usaid-ri-fellowships/
https://innovationspace.asu.edu/students/

Sustainability Scientists and Scholars is a special designation for university researchers who conduct important work on sustainability topics. Sustainability science requires a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach, integrating practical experience with knowledge and action drawn from the spectrum of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, medicine, engineering, mathematics, humanities and the arts. The formalization of a community of sustainability scientists-scholars from throughout the university-and ultimately from other research institutions-is meant to accelerate the pace of discovery and formally recognize the many contributors to this field.
Two titles have been created for Arizona State University researchers who are substantively involved in sustainability research. These designations are “Senior Sustainability Scientist,” and “Distinguished Sustainability Scientist.” If more suitable, faculty may also use the designation of “Scholar” versus “Scientist.” All Arizona State University faculty (Research or Clinical, Professors of Practice, tenure-track or tenured) who have conducted important sustainability research are eligible for the title Senior Sustainability Scientist. Faculty who have garnered highly significant honors for their work in sustainability—such as a Nobel Prize, membership in a U.S. Academy, a Regents’ or President’s Professorship, a Julie A. Wrigley Chair, or other major recognition determined by the Institute’s Directorate—will be appointed a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist.
Benefits of the Designation include:
• Seed funding
• Events assistance and Invitations to networking events
• Membership in working groups organized around particular research themes
• Access to the Institute’s proposal team and the communication’s team for assistance
• Priority access to a suite of meeting rooms, ‘parachute office space,’ and administrative services at the Institute
• Use/promotion of the new title at academic conferences/presentations, on business cards/websites

The website URL where information about the faculty research program is available:
https://sustainability.asu.edu/people/resources-for-sustainability-scientists-scholars/

Tenure is awarded on the basis of excellence and the promise of continued excellence, which is measured not only by individual achievement but also by contributions to the academic unit’s and university’s current and future mission and objectives; thus the tenure review process of necessity takes into account the mission and objectives of each academic unit and the university during the assessment of the professional accomplishments of the faculty under review.
http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd506-04.html

This policy is in support of one of ASU’s Mission & Goals which states “Establish ASU as a global center for interdisciplinary research, discovery and development by 2020” to
• Become a leading global center for interdisciplinary scholarship discovery and development
• Become a leading American center for discovery and scholarship in the social sciences, arts and humanities
• Enhance research competitiveness to more than $700 million in annual research expenditures
• Augment regional economic competitiveness through research and discovery and value-added programs

The website URL where information about the treatment of interdisciplinary research is available:
https://president.asu.edu/about/asucharter

ASU Libraries provides ongoing sustainability research support on many levels for ASU faculty, staff, students, and community users. ASU Libraries subject librarians provide research assistance regarding sustainability research as their subject expertise role. In ASU’s “Subject Librarians Directory, library users can easily find a sustainability librarian and contact them to help with their research. The library purchases sustainability materials via approval plans, and via subject librarians, with sustainability assignments. ASU Libraries subject librarians support information literacy for sustainability research. They provide online assistance for ASU students via web accessible library or research guides, which include database research, course guides for sustainability classes, citation support, learning objects, and statistics. ASU Libraries have several research guides related to sustainability.

The website URL where information about the institution's library support for sustainability is available:
http://libguides.asu.edu/
https://lib.asu.edu/librarians

Please see web links in each section.

Lisa Murphy