George Washington University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Professor Houston Miller has been working with researchers in his laboratory and students enrolled in the University Honors Program Science Proseminar course to design, build, and deploy a greenhouse gas sensor network. The goal is to engage the local population in climate science by collecting data from individual sensors on a database server where they will be visualized and deployed on the web. The core of each sensor is a modest cost, carbon dioxide sensor. A second sensor module measures pressure and temperature. Both sensors communicate using serial links with a RaspberryPi microcontroller. As part of the GW Eco-Equity Challenge, the sensor boxes are shared with DC schools where they are installed to capture data which GW students and DC school children analyze and discuss.

The new Milken School of Public Health is a LEED Platinum building, which provides an excellent teaching tool in the Sustainable Energy classes, taught by Professor Peter LaPuma, in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. He and his students gain access to the roof to show the rain water collection system used for bathroom flush water and the heat recovery system for fresh air brought into the building. His students also learn about the many safety and backup systems in a green commercial building.

Prof. Saniya LeBlanc made use of the university partnership with Duke Energy Renewables (DER) to intertwine research and education by delivering a case study of DER solar farms' technical, financial, and environmental facets and integrating real-world energy applications into graduate and undergraduate courses. The Living Lab started with a 3-day site visit by three faculty and eight students to the DER Pasquotank solar farm in Elizabeth City, NC, and the DER headquarters and remote monitoring center in Charlotte, NC. After the site visit, the team created case studies examining the financial and environmental implications of the solar project. The economic report compared the solar farm power generation and financial metrics to those of a combined cycle power plant and assessed the financial effectiveness of each power generation technology. The environmental report measured the hydrologic impacts of solar farms on the immediate surroundings. Faculty and students worked together closely to develop these analyses. She continues to integrate the project into her teaching and student research.

The GW Food Institute is home to faculty and student scholars engaged in research about all things related to food, from sustainable agriculture to the way diet and meals shape human society. In 2017, student fellows engaged with federal policy makers through a local foods impact conference held in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture. Food Institute student fellows and ambassadors also conduct various research projects that are continuously published on the Food Institute website. For Food Week 2017, the students organized events for each day of the week including volunteering in the student garden, a meatless Monday dinner where students could learn how to make the most of dining dollars while also eating sustainably, and a panel discussion with local women-owned food businesses.

Led by Program Director and Associate Dean Adele Ashkar, GW faculty members Lauren Wheeler, Barb Neal and Joan Honeyman are employing a working/teaching approach with graduate students in Sustainable Landscapes to produce a Sustainable Landscape Guidelines document for the Foggy Bottom campus. In 2015 students conducted an in-depth site inventory and analysis of the campus landscape, including the physical condition of the campus as well as social and behavioral aspects of the use of campus outdoor space by students, faculty, staff and neighbors. The project identifies opportunities for introducing Low Impact Development features (LIDs) on the campus, such as on-site stormwater infiltration and bio-retention systems, pollinator gardens, green streets, edible gardens, and enhanced tree canopy.
In spring 2015, the design team collaborated across multiple disciplines to build a regenerative design approach for the campus landscape. 'Regenerative design’ is one that provides ecosystem services and improves in performance as it grows and matures. Utilizing expertise in landscape architecture, engineering, ecology, horticulture, arboriculture, urban agriculture, rainwater harvesting, soils, as well as benchmarks from the LEED, SITES and LBC rating systems, the design team is created guidelines for a living system landscape that insures function and beauty and plays a prominent part in GW’s commitment to being a model of sustainability.

Dr. Kim Robien in the Milken Institute School of Public Health oversaw research titled “Development of Healthy Food Procurement and Menu Guidelines for the Milken Institute School of Public Health.” Using a total of 2000 calories and 2060 mg of sodium as the daily nutrition targets, the research developed a food procurement plan that aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015, The Partnership for a Healthier America’s Healthy Campus Initiative, and the CDC’s Healthy Workplace Initiative guidelines. The guidelines are available for the Milken Institute School of Public Health, but are also able to be adopted by the University at large.

The GW Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis offers a 12-credit graduate certificate in Walkable Urban Real Estate and Place Management for both MBA and MS in Finance students and non-degree students. Taking advantage of metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s walkable urbanism, students work with faculty in specific neighborhoods to map and understand transportation needs and opportunities to expand walking and biking as transportation options.

Professor Tara Scully who teaches biology and leads our introduction to sustainability course, has begun a new compost project during Spring 2017 with students from her Food, Nutrition, and Service course. Students in the Food, Nutrition, and Service - a course that uses community service as a lens to study biology and food - are able to maintain a sustainable waste system through the compost, a growing trend across the nation in waste reduction. They operate the composting system on the roof of Bell Hall, along with a greenhouse and beehives. Although there are a variety of small composting ventures throughout campus, from the student garden’s open system to back of house composting on the Mount Vernon Campus, Professor Scully’s because she combines academic knowledge from her biology background and community service. Students are learning about the process of breaking down food, the correct proportions of carbon and nitrogen to create healthy fertilizer to turn back into the ground. The compost can be used across campus to promote plant life in the landscaping.

Assistant Professor of Geography Melissa Keeley teaches a “Field Methods in Geography” course, which has served as a required senior level class for Environmental Studies Majors. Over the past four years, students in this class have gathered longitudinal data, particularly as it relates to water quality, in Rock Creek Park, a U.S. National Park in D.C. adjacent to the Mt. Vernon campus of GW. This data is shared with Park staff. Each week, students practice “methods” in the Park: monitoring vegetation in the restoration area, examining water quality and stream geomorphology in the nearby Foundry Creek, and undertaking social science research to understand trends in Park use and user behavior. The class culminates in students presenting their own research topic using the Park. Environmental Studies students have a hands-on practical experience that would otherwise not be easily available at an urban university such as GW.

Within the sustainable urban planning certificate program, the course PSUS 6230 - Studio in Sustainable Urban Planning (3 credits) uses the campus and urban community at large to teach students about urban planning. The course is an applied course, trained on the nexus of urban design and neighborhood health impact assessment. It addresses both new and existing urban environments and is grounded in pragmatic approaches to real-world problem solving.

We have a BA and combined BA/MPA program in Human Services and Social Justice. Service-learning is a core component of the Human Services & Social Justice Program. It is incorporated into nearly every course in order to provide students with hands-on experience to apply the knowledge and skills they gain through class discussions and readings to a practical setting.Service-learning students connect with the expansive network of non-profits and public agencies strengthening Washington, D.C. communities. They leverage skills and resources while acquiring professional experience. Most of the non-profits encompass topics including diversity and affordability - from teaching children in low-income preschools how to read, to assisting in providing free arts classes to the communities in Southeast DC at the ARC, a community center.

Students work with Prof. John Forrer on assessing the sustainability of cocoa grown in West Africa as part of a capstone project for the Sustainability Minor in conjunction with the Institute for Corporate Responsibility. Students have the opportunity to pursue research with the Institute for Corporate Responsibility within the GW School of Business. Led by Prof. Forrer, the Institute addresses issues including corporate sustainability governance, sustainable supply chains, and social enterprises.

Planet Forward is the leading online platform for undergraduate journalism related to sustainability. Students at GW have the opportunity to be correspondents for Planet Forward and have their work be featured on the website. The course Sustainability Reporting, taught by Prof. Frank Sesno, teaches students how to approach stories about the environment and sustainability, and the final assignment is to submit a piece to Planet Forward. www.planetforward.org

Melissa Perry, Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, worked with an MPH student to study construction safety practices during construction of the new Public Health building. The study focused on learning more about fall risks over the course of building construction, in order to develop targeted fall-prevention programs. The student reviewed existing tools for auditing fall safety and elements of fall-safety standards from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). GW developed an assessment tool, the George Washington Audit of Fall Risks (GAFR), with input from safety experts, and refined it following a pilot. After the student attended an OSHA construction-safety course, she began conducting regular site observations to see how different potential hazards arise and how safety practices are used at the various stages of building construction, learning that seemingly minute details actually save lives. The student visited the building over 35 times to observe if OSHA requirements were adhered to. Researchers are rarely able to have this kind of access to a worksite for a prolonged period of time, so it provided a unique opportunity to contribute to construction-safety research. Preliminary findings suggest that the study pinpointed jobs and situations that may pose the greatest risks to construction workers.

Assistant Professor of Geography Melissa Keeley teaches an introductory class in the Environmental Studies Major “Geog 1003 Society and Environment,” in which students investigate Rock Creek Park, a U.S. National Park in D.C. that is adjacent to the GW’s Mt. Vernon campus. Students study issues such as how to manage invasive species, collect trash, and maintain trees planted (classes planted trees in 2010 and 2014). Prof. Keeley also teaches an upper division level course “Environmental Quality and Management” as a service learning class in which students engage intensively with the Park. Students examine environmental management issues first hand and often are guided by a National Park Service biologist. They then write a paper summarizing the science surrounding current best management practices for challenges that are selected by the Park Rangers. This is a new type of writing and analysis for students, and provides a valuable input for over-stretched Park staff. The students, in groups, also plan an environmental management project that will engage the GWU and wider community in Park management.

Living laboratories merge academics and campus facilities management to provide students with real-world skills, and for GW, an opportunity to meet its sustainability goals with enhanced student and faculty engagement. GW sees tremendous potential in the campus living lab concept, since it breaks through the current curricular and operational paradigms to add a new model for both education and sustainability action. In theory, a living lab is a given place where problem-based teaching, research and applied work combine to develop actionable solutions that make that place more sustainable. Living Labs have the potential to engage students, staff and faculty in citizenship, leadership in sustainability, and to provide a service that benefits the GW campus. The Living Labs concept speaks powerfully to both sustainability and the GW Strategic Plan and allows us to further enhance our commitment to service and sustainability.