Reflections on interdisciplinary sustainability research with undergraduate students
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 5 May 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the article was to convey experiences with pioneering interdisciplinary sustainability research by involving undergraduate students. Experiences with initiating and conducting multiple research projects spanning engineering and sustainability are described, and recommendations for programs and faculty in other institutions of higher education that plan to implement or support similar endeavors are discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
The article and presented conclusions are based on three separate research projects, where specific examples as to how those projects were developed as well as challenges and rewards faced during the project are described.
Findings
It is concluded that faculty should not refrain from working with students from different backgrounds and disciplines. Bringing different backgrounds and perspectives to a project enables a big picture view of problems at hand and leads to better solutions that are more in line with the three pillars of sustainability, while at the same time providing valuable hands-on experience to undergraduate students.
Originality/value
By its very definition, sustainability is an interdisciplinary field and, thus, requires novel approaches for education and research compared to other settled fields of science. A viable way to increase the role of sustainability in higher education is to foster interdisciplinary research and teaching. The institutions role in promoting such efforts has been discussed together with example strategies that were found to be successful as well as those that were not. The article presents results of potential successes in projects where the traditional disciplinary bounds have been breached, and an interdisciplinary approach has been used to achieve project goals. The article also gives examples on what types of sustainability research can be conducted with undergraduate students.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Financial support was received from the University of New Haven Facilities Department to fund undergraduate students who worked on two projects described in this article. Other financial support to fund a student researcher was received through the University of New Haven Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, and indirectly through the Carrubba family who are the donors supporting the Fellowship Program.
Citation
Aktas, C.B. (2015), "Reflections on interdisciplinary sustainability research with undergraduate students", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 354-366. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-11-2013-0153
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited