InTeGrate Project

With support from Science Education Resource Center (SERC) @ Carlton College, with a grant through the National Science Foundation, the CLUS participated in the InTeGrate program from 2015-2016. InTeGrate is focused on interdisciplinary teaching about earth for a sustainable future, and their model programs bring an earth-focus to the undergraduate classroom. The project title was “Cultivating Sustainability through General Education Coursework, Professional Development, and High-Impact Co-Curricular Programming and Career Development at Shippensburg University.” Visit the SERC website for more information.

Overview
No longer can colleges or universities ignore the need to produce campus environments that promote stewardship and sustainability at all levels and for all peoples.  The over use and abuse of natural, economic, and human resources have all led to significant challenges for today’s society. Given historic and current trends, colleges and universities must be part of the solution by providing a path forward by developing, modeling and teaching best practices when it comes to resource conservation.

With this in mind, during academic year 2015-2016, faculty from Shippensburg University Departments of Biology and Geography & Earth Science received a grant for nearly $49,000 to help support integration of sustainability into a range of courses here at Shippensburg. The grant is supported by funds from the National Science Foundation and is coordinated by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College. Shippensburg received one of about 15 implementation grants awarded to a range of universities and colleges across the country.  The program encourages colleges and universities to integrate “Teaching for a Sustainable Future” into undergraduate courses across a wide range of disciplines including the humanities, social sciences, and traditional sciences and math.

Shippensburg University’s grant titled ” Cultivating Sustainability through General Education Coursework, Professional Development, and High-Impact Co-Curricular Programming and Career Development” provides funding to support professional development activities, and a whole range of programs to support student learning outside of the classroom whether through faculty-student research, service-learning opportunities, internships, and more.  These projects are ultimately aimed at providing high impact outcomes for our students so they are successful in their career development.

2016 Programs Included:

  • Campus-Community Sustainability Forum (April 2016) open to the public, students, administrators, and faculty
  • Sustainability Field Conference (May 2016) open to faculty, staff and student leaders who are interested in learning more about sustainability in our region
  • Faculty Curriculum Development Workshops
  • Service-Learning Opportunities at the SU Campus Community Farm, the Food Recovery Network, ShipShape Day, and with other local and regional partners
  • Sustainability Outdoor Film Festival (September 2016)
  • Career Day Events (November 2016)
  • Click here for a list of other events!
Affiliate Scientists:

Sean Cornell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Geography-Earth Science

Project Lead: InTeGrate

B.S. from University of Rochester
M.S. from University of Cincinnati
Ph.D. from University of Cincinnati

I teach courses in Geology, Oceanography, and related fields where my specialty is focused on coastal processes and sea-level rise hazards. I am a faculty researcher at the Chincoteague Bay Field Station and routinely involve students in sustainability projects working on environmental restoration of shorelines in coastal areas. Here on campus, I am actively involved in the Campus Community Farm and have been working on sustainability projects with students to support education and community-outreach.

Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Biology

B.S. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D. from University of South Dakota

Dr. Thomas’ research is focused on the physiological aspects of vertebrate organisms, including habitat use. Research from this field has become more sought after by wildlife managers and government agencies in the face of global climate change and will continue to be an invaluable asset as changes to current climate patterns are altered in the coming years.

Antonia Price

Project Manager, Department of Geography-Earth Science

H.B.S. in Biology from University of Utah

Antonia received an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Utah, with Undergraduate Research Scholar designation. As Project Manager for the Center for Land Use and Sustainability, she oversees various research initiatives and leads communication efforts. Antonia has a background in community outreach and science education, and enjoys communicating science to diverse audiences.