| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.76 |
| Liaison | Krista Bailey |
| Submission Date | July 29, 2011 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Pennsylvania State University
ER-15: Sustainability Research Identification
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Has the institution developed a definition of sustainability research?:
A copy of the institution's definition of sustainability research:
Sustainability research aims to understand, develop or assess strategies for sustaining the earth's resources to meet society's current and future needs, and to preserve the integrity of the Earth’s systems.
- Strategies may include technologies, policies, methodologies, or interventions.
- Assessments may consider the environmental, social, ethical, health, and economic consequences of the strategies.
- Resources include clean water, clean air, natural and managed ecosystems, energy, and materials. These elements are interrelated and thus a holistic view is often required.
Has the institution identified its sustainability research activities and initiatives?:
A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the inventory:
Survey of approximately 2600 researchers conducted through the Office of the Vice President for Research was conducted to identify sustainability research activities.
Does the institution make its sustainability research inventory publicly available online?:
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:
Part 1: The Sustainability Council of the Penn State Institutes of the Environment, the central coordinating structure for energy and environmental research at Penn State, was charged with developing the definition of sustainability research. The Committee, comprised of representatives across many colleges and departments, met various times to refine the current definition.
Part 2: Penn State’s sustainability research projects were identified through a survey of all faculty conducting research (See ER Credit 16 for description of survey).
Part 1: The Sustainability Council of the Penn State Institutes of the Environment, the central coordinating structure for energy and environmental research at Penn State, was charged with developing the definition of sustainability research. The Committee, comprised of representatives across many colleges and departments, met various times to refine the current definition.
Part 2: Penn State’s sustainability research projects were identified through a survey of all faculty conducting research (See ER Credit 16 for description of survey).
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.