Academics and Research
New Initiatives
Working towards an environmental & sustainability studies minor
A working group of the President’s Sustainability Committee is in the final stages of preparing a proposal for an Environmental and Sustainability Studies minor. The proposal is expected to be reviewed by UT Arlington’s Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, which then would forward it to the Undergraduate Assembly for consideration. Ultimately the proposed minor must be approved by the provost, the president and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board before it may be offered to students. The earliest the proposed minor is expected to be offered to students, if it is approved at all review stages, is fall 2010.
2009-2010 One Book delves into sustainability
Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future will serve as the central text for UT Arlington’s common reading experience program called One Book. The text will be read and discussed in all 2009-2010 freshman composition courses, as well as in other courses that choose to adopt it and join the campus-wide discussion. This thought-provoking book, as well as the many lectures and discussions on the theme of sustainability that will take place throughout the year will help motivate, inspire and strengthen the University-wide commitment to sustainability.
Get a copy of the OneBook Deep Economy Study Guide
See the OneBook schedule of events
NEW course: The Ethics of Environmental Sustainability
Timothy L. Henry, Honors College Assistant Dean and Biology Lecturer
Drawing on many interdisciplinary areas, this course will demonstrate how environmental problems can be approached from a variety of perspectives. While this course doesn’t seek to provide all the answers, it hopes to teach how to recognize environmental ethical problems, and how to think productively and sustainably about them. At the conclusion of this course, the goal is for students to have developed sophisticated and nuanced ideas about problems in environmental ethics, and sustainable concepts that may alleviate them. This junior/senior seminar course is being taught as a part of UT Arlington’s Active Learning for Critical Thinking initiative.
NEW course: Sustainability for Everyone
Architecture Professor Douglas Klahr will offer a new course in Fall 2009 about sustainability. Entitled ARCH 4395: Sustainability for Everyone, the goal is to assemble a dynamic group of students from different departments in a manner that reflects the truly interdisciplinary nature of the subject: economic, environmental, philosophical and societal. Readings will be taken from books such as Cradle-to-Cradle, The Bridge at the Edge of the World, The Ethics of Climate Change, Six Degrees, Hijacking Sustainability, and The Transition to Sustainability. Interested upper-level students can learn more about Professor Klahr via ratemyprofessors.com, contact him via his Facebook page, e-mail him, or stop by his office in Room 423 of the Architecture building.
Faculty Research and Areas of Expertise
Engineering Students Learning to Address Sustainability
Beginning in Fall 2009, engineering students will be part of concerted efforts to improve their knowledge of and competency in addressing sustainability issues in engineering design and problem solving. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, sustainability concepts will be integrated via one-class modules into 12 core engineering courses. Also as part of the program, senior civil, electrical and industrial engineering students will have the opportunity to participate in a multi-disciplinary sustainable engineering senior design project. Seniors will collaborate to design, fabricate and assemble a portable biodiesel production refinery for the UT Arlington campus. Civil Engineering Assistant Professor Melanie Sattler is coordinating the Engineering Sustainable Engineers program. Her collaborators include Drs. Yvette Weatherton and Stephen Mattingly from Civil Engineering, Kambiz Alavi from Electrical Engineering, and Victoria Chen and Jamie Rogers from Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Learn much more >
Mavericks help Korean companies go green
Thomas Vinson-Peng, program director of Zero Waste Network at the UT Arlington Center for Environmental Excellence in Austin, has been selected for the 2009 Volunteer of the Year award from the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable for his work in educating Korean companies on cleaner production. The award will be presented Sept. 22 in Washington, D.C. Vinson-Peng led five teams of volunteers on site visits to over 60 companies. As a result, several companies have begun undertaking projects to conserve water, reduce electricity and more safely manage their chemicals. The companies also increased their knowledge of lean manufacturing and environmental management systems through workshops and site visits.
Sustainability Research and Course Guides Online
Looking for articles, books, multimedia, and other reference materials on sustainability? Check out the new guide on the UT Arlington Library’s web site. Suggestions for new links and resources are always welcome.
Green Roof Project
UT Arlington installed its first Green Roof in April 2008, which included roofing systems, irrigation, plant materials and about 30,000 pounds of soil. If you’re interested in more information, contact David Hopman.
Connect with UT Arlington Expertise
Many individual faculty members conduct environmentally-related research. Find them in UT Arlington’s unique one-stop experts site. Search Experts >
Center for Renewable Energy Science and Technology
CREST coordinates research, development, and technology transfer in the area of renewable energy at The University of Texas at Arlington. More >
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for Enterprise Excellence
Located at the Automation & Robotics Research Institute of UT Arlington, the SBDC for Enterprise Excellence works with small businesses to assess their performance in Profit, People, Planet, to ensure they have a balanced Triple Bottom Line. More >
Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC)
Located at the Automation & Robotics Research Institute of UT Arlington, TMAC collaborates with manufacturers to improve their competitiveness and sustainability by identifying opportunities and implementing appropriate solutions in processes, operations, global competitiveness, and workforce development. More >
The Ecology Group
The Ecology Group highlights research and related activities by ecologists in the Biology Department.
Zero Waste Network
The Zero Waste Network, a part of UT Arlington’s Center for Environmental Excellence in the Division for Enterprise Development, collaborates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop cost-effective methods to conserve natural resources.
Academic Courses and Programs
Want to better understand sustainability issues in city planning? The relationship between engineering and architecture in building a green roof? Understand environmental values in different cultures throughout history? From Architecture to Urban and Public Affairs, Science to Engineering, and Liberal Arts to Business, explore sustainability through the lens of various disciplines and careers.
