Inaugural Campus as Living Lab sustainability grants awarded to 10 projects

The Climate and Sustainability Office and Sustainability Leadership Council announced the winners of the inauguration Campus as a living laboratory Sustainability Grants, which will provide awardees with up to $50,000 to fund sustainability research and teaching projects in which JHU campuses test scalable innovations. This year’s recipients represent five of the university’s nine academic units and include researchers, instructors and students.

The winners were recognized during, among others: ceremonial event on October 11 with the premiere of new JHU products Climate and Sustainable Development Action Plan. After presenting the winning proposals, the co-chair of the Sustainability Leadership Council and professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health Peter Winch stressed the importance of subsidies.

“This program will be a cornerstone in identifying and improving our university’s sustainability potential,” he said Center. “The program will work synergistically to implement the goals of the Climate Action Plan and the Sustainable Development Plan. We hope it will generate ideas and innovations that can be integrated and scaled.”

Once the projects are implemented, fellows will share results with university leaders to demonstrate opportunities to leverage JHU campuses as educational tools and contribute to solutions included in the university’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan.

The Campus as a Living Laboratory program was developed by a multidisciplinary working group composed of faculty, staff and students from the Sustainability Leadership Council and staff from the Office of Climate and Sustainability. Information about the program and future scholarship opportunities is available at: JHU sustainability website.

Research grants

Olin Pond: water quality, hydrodynamics and stormwater management efficiency

Awarded: Ciaran HarmanAssociate Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering and Earth Planetary Science, Whiting School of Engineering

Engineering scientists will install sensors in wetlands next to Olin Hall to collect data and monitor their effectiveness in reducing stormwater runoff and retaining pollutants. The project will result in student research leading to potential improvements.

Quantification of methane emissions in the JHU sewage system with exoelectrogenic methanotrophs

Winners: Ruggero RossiAssistant Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering; Sarah PreheimAssociate Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering

Scientists will develop and install biosensors in JHU’s sewer systems to quantify methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and accurately estimate the impact on the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Course instructor stipends

Preparing future teachers to teach environmental justice and sustainability

Awarded: Hunter GehlbachProfessor, Pedagogical School

The course will train environmental educators on the educational characteristics of teaching about climate change, sustainability, planetary health, and environmental justice, as well as strategies to help students prioritize environmental issues.

An automated way for students to measure and identify food waste to inform responsible consumption initiatives

Awarded: Alissa Burkholder MurphySenior Lecturer, Whiting School of Engineering

As part of the Multidisciplinary Engineering Design course, a team of students will design an automated system for weighing and identifying food waste in JHU dining halls. Through the project, Hopkins Dining will gain information on the relationship between recipe selection, menu selection, and the effectiveness of food waste reduction initiatives.

Collect and store rainwater to reduce irrigation water use on campus

Awarded: Nusaybah Abu-MulawehSenior Lecturer, Whiting School of Engineering

In this multidisciplinary engineering design course, students will design a modular solution to collect, store, and distribute rainwater for garden irrigation on JHU’s Homewood campus and K-8 school in Baltimore, teaching students about design approaches to stormwater management.

A course on forest ecosystems and sustainable development

Awarded: Jerry BurgessAssociate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Students in this course will explore the resilience and ecological benefits of on-campus urban forests through hands-on fieldwork and develop recommendations for improving campus green spaces and protecting local water resources.

Engaging students in campus climate action through arts-based communication

Award: Saraniya Tharmarajah, Instructor in Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health

In this course, students will identify climate action behaviors on the JHU campus and apply behavior change theory to create climate communication campaigns that will be presented on campus through lectures, seminars, demonstrations, and workshops.

Student scholarships

JHU Travel Dashboard: Tracking and encouraging sustainable travel

Awarded: Rose weekscandidate at the Bloomberg School of Public Health

A public health student will create a dashboard visualizing emissions from university business travel to raise awareness, inform strategies, and suggest strategies to mitigate associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Zero Carbon Electricity Plan supporting the AI ​​Research Campus

Award: Ziting Huang, PhD candidate, Whiting School of Engineering

The engineering student will develop a feasibility plan to forecast the growing energy demand of the new Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute, exploring approaches including on-site renewable energy, energy storage, and power purchase agreements from local clean energy facilities.

Operating room respiratory equipment recycling program

Awardee: Melanie Alfonzo Horowitz, medical student, School of Medicine

The medical student will develop a pilot laryngoscope recycling initiative, educate and survey operating room staff, and measure reduced hospital waste and savings.