Last modified: Friday, August 7, 2009
IU sustainability interns to showcase summer research projects
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 7, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Students engaged in Indiana University Bloomington's 2009 Summer Program in Sustainability will showcase the research projects they have conducted on Friday, Aug. 14.
The third annual Indiana University Sustainability Internship Symposium will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St. The event will begin with oral presentations and will include a lunch featuring local and organic foods, courtesy of the Office of Sustainability and Indiana Memorial Union Catering.
"This event is the culmination of three months of intensive work by an extraordinary group of students," said Michael Hamburger, co-chair of the IU Task Force on Campus Sustainability. "It provides an opportunity for the students to share the exciting results of their work and for the audience to gain an appreciation for the breadth of sustainability-related research going on at Indiana University."
The interns will share their summer research and implementation projects, which include evaluating the state of sustainability at IU with nationally recognized metrics, creating implementation plans for campus and community car-sharing, mitigation of invasive species, and preservation and restoration of campus prairies and wetlands.
Steve Mangan, general manager or the IMU, will host the luncheon. Mangan collaborated with executive chef Damian Esposito to create a gourmet meal for attendees. Organizers wanted to give interns, students, faculty and staff an opportunity to enjoy sustainable food while learning about IU's sustainability-related projects across campus.
"It's our pleasure to host the symposium at the IMU this year," Mangan said. "It's a great opportunity to showcase the progress made on campus and at the IMU on the sustainability issues surrounding us all.
"Damian Esposito has prepared a creative, seasonal and locally procured menu for lunch. Our sustainability intern, Nora Kayden, will be participating in the poster session, to discuss the progress she and our staff have made in composting, recycling, waste reduction, integrated pest management, green chemical usage and local procurement. We hope to use the conversation to further our sustainability efforts and identify the next steps for continual improvement."
Emilie Rex, coordinator for the Summer Program in Sustainability, said, "We've been absolutely impressed with the interns' headway this summer. We have 18 invested and engaged graduate and undergraduate students researching, developing and implementing large-scale projects that will have a direct impact on our campus community and environment. Their dedication and energy have helped us build connections with faculty, staff and students across academic departments and operations. They are at the heart of our movement to advance sustainability on campus."
More information is available online about the Sustainability Internship Symposium. Those interested in attending should RSVP to sustain@indiana.edu by Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Under the recommendation of the Task Force on Campus Sustainability, the Indiana University Office of Sustainability was established to develop a framework and implement a plan for sustainability for the IU Bloomington campus. The mission of the office is to facilitate collaborative academic and operational initiatives aimed at helping the university and community learn and live more sustainably and to address issues of human-environment interaction on a local, regional, and global scale through research, graduate and undergraduate education, and community engagement. It defines sustainability as "thriving within our means to achieve balance among environmental health, economic prosperity, and social equity."
To find out more about the Indiana University Office of Sustainability, please visit https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/.
