| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.91 |
| Liaison | Julie Hopper |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2023 |
University of Southern California
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Julie
Hopper Data Analyst Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
USC has several programs to encourage students across academic programs to conduct research that explicitly addresses the concept of sustainability, furthers our understanding of the interdependence of ecological and social/economic systems, or has a focus on a particular sustainability challenge.
1) USC Center for Sustainability Solutions:
Undergraduate Sustainability Grand Challenge Fellowship Program (USGCF)
The USC Center for Sustainability Solutions (CSS) created the Undergraduate Sustainability Grand Challenge Fellowship (USGCF) program to support, through a competitive process, multidisciplinary research projects focused on sustainability. Funded by the CSS, and open to undergraduate students in all USC majors, the USGCF will contribute to extending to the larger USC community the values espoused by the Viterbi School of Engineering, the Price School of Public Policy, and the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program.
The fellowships are for a one-year duration, renewable for up to 3 years based on annual proposal submission and evaluation. The maximum annual award will be $5k: there will be $3k allocated for the academic year and $2k for the summer. Proposals may be for the full year, for the academic year, or for summer only. Approximately 10-12 Fellows will be selected, assuming receipt of sufficient proposals of merit. The fellowships will be for a one-year duration, renewable for up to 3 years based on annual proposal submission and evaluation. The maximum annual award will be $5k: there will be $3k allocated for the academic year and $2k for the summer. Proposals may be for the full year, for the academic year, or for summer only. Approximately 10-12 Fellows will be selected, assuming receipt of sufficient proposals of merit.
More Information: https://sustainabilitysolutions.usc.edu/fellowship/
2) Zinsmeyer Summer Undergraduate Research Program
The complex environmental challenges of today require a deeper understanding of societal choices and behavior, just as much as they rely on comprehending the natural science principles that underlie them. The USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability 2021 Zinsmeyer Summer Program will financially support three USC Dornsife undergraduate students to conduct research with USC researchers at this cutting-edge intersection of the social and natural sciences. In doing so, this program furthers our understanding of the interdependence of ecological and social/economic systems.
More information: https://dornsife.usc.edu/wrigley/undergraduateinterns/
3) Summer Environmental Communications Internship Program
Science communication and storytelling is an essential skill in the 21st century. As society grapples with challenges at the intersection of environment and society, science communicators help move research out of the laboratory and into the minds and hearts of decision-makers, the public, and next generation changemakers. This internship is open to continuing USC undergraduate students; preference given to majors in Environmental Studies, Cinematic Arts, and Communications. The 2023 program consisted of programs including Graphics For Plastics: Visualizing Sustainable Solutions, Coastal Policy Communications and Outreach, Photographic Storytelling from the Field on Catalina Island, Information to Advance Sustainable Seaweed Farming, Communicating for Coral Conservation, Climate Change Policy and Environmental Activism, Elevating Environment and Equity. More Information:
https://dornsife-wrigley.usc.edu/education/undergraduate-internships/wrigley-institute-environmental-communications-internship/
4) Wrigley Institute REU: Coastal Ocean Processes
This NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports eight motivated undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds to conduct independent but guided research that focuses on Coastal Ocean Processes during a 9-week program at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, CA.
The program provides students with hands-on research experience, training in laboratory and field methodologies, introductory lectures and special seminars in oceanography and marine science, academic and career advice, professional development workshops, group activities and field trips to explore Catalina Island's unique ecosystems.
In addition to training the next generation of ocean and marine science leaders, teachers and scholars, this program is dedicated to enhancing equity and inclusion of future oceanographic and marine science communities. The program seeks mentors and student participants who can contribute to this mission during and after participation in the program.
More Information: https://dornsife-wrigley.usc.edu/education/undergraduate-internships/reu/
5) USC Sea Grant
USC Sea Grant's "Urban Ocean" research program is intended to develop and sponsor projects directed at solving the particular problems associated with urbanization in and adjacent to the coastal zone. The aim of the program is the development of ideas, information and techniques that help those who manage the ocean, especially in California, but also nationwide. USC Sea Grant funds natural and social science research projects through our biannual call for proposals and through program development funding opportunities. There is also funding for graduate students through fellowship opportunities and Sea Grant traineeships. More Information: https://dornsife.usc.edu/uscseagrant/funding/
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
USC has several programs to encourage academic staff across disciplines to conduct research that explicitly addresses the concept of sustainability, furthers our understanding of the interdependence of ecological and social/economic systems, or has a focus on a particular sustainability challenge.
1) President’s Sustainability Initiative Award
The President’s Sustainability Research Award will provide seed funding to enable researchers to submit highly competitive applications for federal funding, including large center and related programs, early career awards, and individual research projects. The goal of using these funds is to maximize the probability of obtaining federal research support for the proposed effort. The project period for awards made under this program will be one year.
Suitable topics include: Human Health and Well-Being, Infrastructure and Built Environment, Natural Environment/Ecosystem Services, Communications, Policy, & Institutions, and
Risk Analysis and Economic Impacts.
More Information: https://rii.usc.edu/funding/presidents-sustainability-research-award/
2) USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability Faculty Innovation Awards
The Faculty Innovation Awards each provide up to $50,000 in support of USC faculty research that improves our knowledge about, or offers solutions for, global environmental and sustainability challenges. Research must align with one of the Wrigley Institute’s three interdisciplinary Research Centers. The centers cover distinct but interrelated themes:
Earth & Environmental Systems, Applied Environmental Solutions and Social Transformation.
Eligibility for Faculty Innovation Awards is open to tenure-track and RTPC faculty from all USC departments and schools, and proposals may come from single investigators or teams working within or across USC divisions. Research funded under this program should yield scholarly publications and other forms of high-impact outreach during the 24 months that an award is held. Successful candidates will be identified as Wrigley Institute Affiliated Faculty Members. 2022 Faculty Innovation Award recipients are eligible to apply, but must propose a new project for this funding cycle. More Information: https://dornsife-wrigley.usc.edu/research/faculty-innovation-awards/
3) The Presidential Sustainability Solutions Fellowship program
This fellowship program seeks to advance the capacities of early-career scholars and researchers to conduct interdisciplinary research on sustainability problems. Applications from any field are welcome; all USC Schools are participating in this program. An interdisciplinary and diverse cohort of fellows will address challenges in one or more of the following areas: human health and well-being; infrastructure and the built environment; natural environment and ecosystem services; communications, policy, and institutions; risk analysis and economic impacts.
Each fellow will be mentored by two or more USC faculty members from different disciplines. In addition to their primary affiliation with their chosen research groups, each fellow will dedicate ~20% of their time to programmatic activities with their cohort and other members of the campus sustainability community. Activities include seminars, weekly ‘coffee hours’, an annual retreat, and other team and knowledge-building opportunities.
The fellowships are typically 2-year appointments, with an anticipated start date between January and August 2023, and the potential of applying for a 3rd year as appropriate. Fellows will receive an annual salary of $75-80k (depending on stage of training), up to $3k for relocation expenses, a competitive benefits package, and $7k per year for research expenses, conference travel, and publication costs. More Information: https://www.ssf.usc.edu
4) USC Center for Sustainability Solutions
The USC Center for Sustainability Solutions leverages, elevates and enhances USC’s existing sustainability-related teaching, research, and outreach with the goal of positioning USC as the preeinent partner for international agencies, national and local governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations to develop solutions to the most pressing urban environmental challenges, and advance the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The Center’s mission is to advance the application of basic science and technological solutions to specific urban contexts, with an eye on developing practical solutions and sound public policy for a more sustainable and equitable future.
The Center encourages USC faculty to engage via:
a) Proposing topical lunches to bring together researchers from across campus in an informal setting to introduce new faculty to related sustainability scholars on campus, and to ‘test the waters’ for potential future interdisciplinary collaborations. Its informal setting fosters a wide-range of discussions; b) Proposing a half-day internal technical symposium on specific thematic areas to provide a forum for groups of USC faculty to learn more about the technical details of each other’s research programs; and c)providing sustainability-centered resources for faculty to incorporate into their research and teaching https://sustainabilitysolutions.usc.edu/usc-sustainability-resources/
More information: https://sustainabilitysolutions.usc.edu/about-us/our-unique-approach/
5) MADRES Center for Environmental Health Disparities
The NIH-funded Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors Center of Excellence on Environmental Health Disparities Research (MADRES, madres.usc.edu) is supporting one-year research projects that aim to address scientific gaps in the understanding of the unequal burden of adverse environmental health impacts in susceptible communities. The goal of the program is to advance environmental health disparities research while also increasing representation of members of health disparity populations in scientific and community-based research. The program awards grants up to $50,000 for researchers.
More information: https://madres.usc.edu/pilot-projects-program/
6) Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center (PSR)
METRANS emphasizes research directed at solving significant metropolitan transportation problems while contributing to knowledge. Their Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center (PSR) research program is organized around four themes: Technology for improved mobility, improving mobility for disadvantaged populations, improving resilience and protecting the environment, and managing mobility in high growth cities and regions.The challenge for EPA Region 9 (Pacific Southwest Region) is to reduce environmental impacts while meeting the mobility needs of society, fostering healthy communities, and supporting economic growth. Research is needed to address this challenge along these fronts:
- Infrastructure and operations: lifecycle use of materials and practices in roadway construction, maintenance, and operation; assessment of environmental implications of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) strategies;
- Travel demand: effectiveness of strategies for shifting driving to transit, walking, and bicycling; implications of automated cars for land development patterns; role of new mobility services in daily household travel; and
- Vehicle and fuel technologies: assessment of new-generation fuel and vehicle technologies, including battery, plug-in hybrid, roadway-powered, and fuel cell electric vehicles, with respect to lifecycle emissions, private and social costs, consumer behavior, and regulatory and market policies.
Research project awards have a maximum of $100,000 per year.
More information: https://metrans.org/
7) USC Sea Grant
USC Sea Grant's "Urban Ocean" research program is intended to develop and sponsor projects directed at solving the particular problems associated with urbanization in and adjacent to the coastal zone. The aim of the program is the development of ideas, information and techniques that help those who manage the ocean, especially in California, but also nationwide. We fund natural and social science research projects through our biannual call for proposals and through program development funding opportunities. We also fund graduate students through fellowship opportunities and Sea Grant traineeships. Please read below to learn more about these opportunities as well as funding available from the National Sea Grant Office.
More Information: https://dornsife.usc.edu/uscseagrant/funding/
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 copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The University Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (UCAPT) serves as the ultimate advisory body to the Provost, who retains final authority on behalf of the President. Panels of UCAPT advise the Provost on tenure decisions, and promotion and appointment to tenure-track and tenured Associate Professor and Professor positions and the awarding of the distinction of Clinical Scholar. The University Committee on Library Appointments, Promotions, and Continuing Appointments advises the Provost on senior librarian ranks. The University Committee on Research, Teaching, Practitioner, and Clinical Promotions advises the Provost on promotions not involving the grant of tenure, where a dean disagrees with the recommendation of a faculty committee.
USC has been ahead of the curve in recognizing interdisciplinary scholarship in its written policies around tenure and promotion. Dating back to 2013, USC's official policy handbook has recognized collaborative research, digital scholarship, and provided the means for interdisciplinary scholars to have this work reviewed by faculty that can assess research from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
Candidates for appointment, promotion, and tenure must demonstrate a program of scholarship independent from their Ph.D. supervisors or post-doctoral mentors, and their record must provide evidence of original intellectual contributions to collaborative projects. The University supports both independent and collaborative work. In some fields collaborative work is the norm. In evaluating a dossier with collaborative work, UCAPT looks to distinguish the intellectual contributions of the candidate. In some fields, the new faculty member’s early publications will be outgrowths of the Ph.D. dissertation. In such cases, there should be publications that show the candidate’s further intellectual growth.
If the preponderance of a candidate’s research is collaborative, one way that the nature of the candidate’s independent contribution is assessed is through confidential letters from collaborators. The candidate’s personal statement can also play an important role in identifying the nature of the candidate’s independent contribution to joint work. Candidates are encouraged to provide this information in the personal statement if some of their work is collaborative.
For collaborative work in multidisciplinary teams, a candidate should demonstrate evidence of his or her unique and original contribution to multidisciplinary teams. The National Institutes of Health criteria state that participants in team research can demonstrate this evidence through “independent publication of methodological or seminal contributions to the candidate’s specific research area; where possible, explicit in-print acknowledgment of unique creative contributions in multi-author publications and/or selection for presentation of team findings at national and international scientific conferences; members of research teams should demonstrate peer recognition of their specific contributions and some publications should highlight their distinctive research; creative and unique contributions to team productivity should be documented.”
A candidate who conducts collaborative research should make clear in the personal statement and on the CV what his or her specific contributions were to the collaborative work.
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
USC Libraries houses a Sustainability Research Guide with information on USC's sustainability goals, initiatives, and news. The guide also houses sustainability-related journals, books, and other resources in the following areas:
- Ecology & Conservation
- Climate Change
- Energy
- Food & Agriculture
- Urban Planning
- Business
- Transportation
- Engineering & Technology
For more information, see the Sustainability Research Guide: https://libguides.usc.edu/sustainability
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research 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.