Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.13
Liaison Brandon Trelstad
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Oregon State University
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Brandon Trelstad
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Has the institution developed a definition of sustainability research?:
Yes

A copy of the institution's definition of sustainability research:

Defining Sustainability Research at Oregon State University

As a Charter Participant in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), OSU has made efforts to define and quantify its sustainability related research. The OSU Institute for Natural Resources (INR) in June 2009 issued an inventory of sustainability activities entitled Sustainability at Oregon State University. The OSU Sustainability Office has used elements of the inventory combined with input from OSU researchers to inform the process of quantifying OSU’s sustainability research.

One tool in the assessment process is the following table, modified from the 2009 INR report:

OSU Sustainability Research Focus Areas
Alternative Energy & Energy Sources Blue Sustainability Climate Green Sustainability Materials, Practices, & Technologies Social Systems
Bio-based energy Coastal & ocean sciences Adaptation Agriculture Bio-based materials Agricultural & resource economics
Passive nuclear Fisheries Human dimensions Ecosystems & habitats Bio-remediation Rural studies
Solar Water & watersheds Impacts Forests Environmental toxicology Land use and smart growth
Wave Mitigation Landscapes Green technologies Green building
Wind Processes Soils Green communities
Adapted from Sustainability at OSU (Institute for Natural Resources) and US Environmental Protection Agency

In addition to categorizing research into the areas in the table above, a sustainability research evaluation committee used recent work by the College of Business to help define sustainability research. Researchers from the colleges of Liberal Arts, Science, and Engineering also contributed to the following statement:

An OSU research activity is considered sustainability related if it combines examination of an environmental aspect combined with examination of a social OR an economic aspect. While all three sustainability aspects should play some role in the research activity, only the environment aspect plus one other aspect must be examined in depth.

As indicated in OSU’s Strategic Plan, research activities should advance the science of sustainable earth ecosystems, improve human health and wellness, promote economic development and social progress, or expand the current knowledge base within sustainability focus areas listed in the table above.


Has the institution identified its sustainability research activities and initiatives?:
Yes

A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the inventory:

An agreement between the OSU Sustainability Coordinator and the OSU Vice President for Research made during calendar 2010 resulted in a flow of research information that would be reported on an annual basis. Research Office staff provided a database of OSU research conducted during Fiscal Year 2010.

Sustainability Office staff and students reviewed proposal titles and, based on the faculty committee's institutional definition above, selected proposals for further review to search for elements of sustainability.

Full proposals were then requested from the Research Office and reviewed for sustainabiltiy-related content. A preliminary list was sent to the faculty committee for concurrence or modification.


Does the institution make its sustainability research inventory publicly available online?:
Yes

The website URL where the sustainability research inventory is posted (required if claiming Part 3 of the credit):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.