| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.93 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Texas A&M University
AC-10: Support for Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Ben
Kalscheur Sustainability Assistant Manager Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
TOP grants are funded by the university to promote multidisciplinary learning experiences for Texas A&M students on a large scale. Each grant must reach at least 100 undergraduate or 50 graduate students per year. With total funding of approximately $1M per year, these are 3 year grants awarded to intercollegiate multidisciplinary groups to engage students in research based learning.
In 2015, three grants were approved to advance sustainability
- Aggie B.L.U.E.print Laboratories: Building Lasting University Environments
- A Vision Re-Imagined for the Soltis Center
- Strengthening Democracy Through Critically Engaged Citizenship
In 2016, two grants were approved to advance sustainability
- Global Media Analysis Research Clusters (GMARC) Project
- Famine to Feast: Engaging Texas Food Banks
Students are encouraged to participate in ARISE. The program builds on the proposed projects that will lead to not only scientific discovery and new technology but also pedagogical innovation for training students to become the new interdisciplinary researchers in renewable energy. This will be accomplished through developments of new interdisciplinary curricula that not only train students broadly in the science and engineering required by interdisciplinary developments, but also teach them how these challenges will impact industry, global markets, and the ever developing energy needs of other countries.
Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
ARISE - The increasing consumption of petroleum deposits and the escalating air pollution problems caused by burning fossil fuels have driven the global research community to look for clean and renewable energy sources. Hydrogen, biofuel, and solar energy are among the most environmentally benign alternative energy sources. To build upon our strengths and to take the existing renewable energy programs on campus to the next level of international competitiveness, the Advanced Research Initiative for Substainable Energy (ARISE) was chosen as one of the eight Initial University Multidisciplinary Research Initiatives (IUMRIs).
Texas is traditionally an energy state and Texas A&M University has been known as an energy institute as evidenced by our world class Petroleum Engineering and Nuclear Engineering programs. The energy emphasis is also reflected in the existing renewable energy programs in the University. The Advanced Research Initiative for Substainable Energy (ARISE) will build upon our strengths and take these existing renewable energy programs to the next level of international competitiveness. ARISE plans to connect the fields of technology development, academic research, commercialization, and the policy landscape in the renewable energy field. It will not only facilitate the collaboration among multidisciplinary researchers within the University, but will also help to attract funds from federal, state, and private funding agencies.
Our society will face increasingly large and complex problems in the coming decades. Some of these challenges can be addressed through research, teaching and outreach in the academic fields we work on in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
During the 2012-2013 academic year, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences embarked on an exciting interdisciplinary, faculty-driven initiative to chart our top priorities for the future. This year-long process, which included a series of lectures, white paper development, and a town hall meeting, culminated with the identification of five grand challenges – feeding our world, protecting our environment, improving our health, enriching our youth, and growing our economy.
Each of the grand challenges are multi-disciplinary and interconnected. With this in mind, the College has created a searchable database that allow users to search by faculty research expertise as well as a listing of ongoing, funded research projects. This database and list of projects aim to facilitate discussion and increase involvement in our mission to address the grand challenges.
Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
1. Faculty members should be recognized and rewarded for research, teaching, and service/engagement that contribute at the university or college levels in strategic multidisciplinary areas (which include activities in recognized interdisciplinary programs). Such contributions are as valued as disciplinary contributions, which we are
accustomed to recognizing and rewarding. The procedures should not require that all faculty engage in multidisciplinary activities, but should recognize that such engagements may be in all three primary categories (teaching, creating new knowledge, or service/engagement).
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
The Texas A&M University Libraries (Libraries) provides a wide range of resources and services to support the University's sustainability research and learning.
This includes:
INFORMATION RESOURCES
The Libraries provides a wide and deep collection of information resources that address sustainability. These sustainability resources cover many fields of study including the STEM disciplines, public policy, international affairs, business, marketing, economics and humanities subjects such as ecocriticism and history.
By format, the Libraries sustainability holdings include the following dedicated resources (note these specialized resources are in addition to general materials that also provide valuable information and data):
• 16+ Databases
• 130+ Print and Online Serials and Journals
• 35,000+ Monographic titles
• An institutional repository that provides open access to grey literature, research publications, electronic theses & dissertations, and data sets on sustainability
ONLINE SUBJECT & COURSE SUPPORT
• 79 Subject Guides on Sustainability and Conservation
• 41 Sustainability and Conservation Class Guides
SUBJECT EXPERTISE
34 Subject Specialists that research and support studies in sustainability
Scholarly Communications support to comply with federal mandates on open access to federally funded research and data management.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.