---

News Release

Last modified: Friday, September 10, 2010

IU Office of Sustainability announces internships for the 2010-2011 academic year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- In an effort to continue the growth of the sustainability initiative on Indiana University's Bloomington campus, the IU Office of Sustainability has established internships for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Building upon the tradition of the Indiana University Task Force on Sustainability, the Office of Sustainability (IUOS) addresses issues of environmental, economic and social sustainability in campus operations, academic programs, and university-community relations. The student interns, selected from both undergraduate and graduate student applicants, will work on a broad array of issues related to sustainability, under the mentorship of IU faculty and staff.

"The sustainability internship program is the driving force for the office of sustainability," said IUOS Director Bill Brown. "Sustainability interns and their mentors unite academic and operational brainpower to accomplish cost-effective sustainability initiatives that reduce waste and environmental impact. Ambitious projects like the Energy Challenge, E-Waste Days, and the Hoosier-to-Hoosier Community Sale all were initiated by sustainability interns, and I can't wait to see what the next class has up its sleeves."

From its inception in 2007, the sustainability initiative at IU Bloomington has strived to promote experiential learning as an integral part of the 'greening' of the campus. Sustainability internships have been offered over the past four summers, and internship projects were conducted over the course of the school year for the first time during the 2008-2009 academic year.

The academic year internship program allows students the possibility of finding connections between their projects and the academic programs in which they are enrolled. Interns also will participate in a seminar in sustainability, helping to develop a learning community among participants in the internship program.

"Our interns have similarly strong leadership backgrounds, but academically, they come from all corners of campus," said Emilie Rex, assistant director of sustainability. "The seminar is designed to provide them a space where they can use this range of skills and perspectives collaboratively. As the semester progresses, we find students designing joint programming that creatively addresses multiple internship goals. It's the kind of systems-based thinking that is essential to tackling sustainability-related problems."

Following on the success of the 2009-2010 academic year internship program, IUOS is now accepting applications for 11 new internships for the 2010-2011 academic year:

• Campus sustainability metrics
• Green events
• First year experience
• Sustainability academic programs and research clearinghouse
• Strategic land management
• Feasibility of edible landscaping and gardens on campus
• Hoosier to Hoosier community sale
• E-waste coordination
• Document management and paper reduction
• Transportation infrastructure funding
• Parking demand economics

Details about each of the internship projects are available at https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Intern/_apply2010.html. IUOS will accept applications until 11:59 p.m., Sept. 17. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.iu.edu/~sustain/internships/. Recommendation letters are due no later than 5 p.m., Sept. 20. Questions regarding internships or the application process can also be directed to Emilie Rex at ekrex@indiana.edu.

The Sustainability Internship Program is sponsored jointly by the Office of the Provost and the Vice President for Capital Projects and Facilities. General information about the IU Bloomington Sustainability Program can be found at https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain. Information on past internship projects is also available on the web at https://www.indiana.edu/~sustain/Intern/index.html#progress_iu.

---

---