THE Office of Climate and Sustainability and the Sustainability Leadership Council announced the first prize recipients The campus as a living laboratory Sustainability Grants, which will provide awardees with up to $50,000 in funding for sustainability research and teaching projects that use JHU campuses to test scalable innovations. This year’s recipients represent five of the university’s nine academic divisions and include researchers, faculty and students.

The winners were recognized during a celebration event on October 11 alongside the launch of the new Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. After presenting the winning proposals, Sustainability Leadership Council co-chair and Bloomberg School of Public Health professor Peter Treuil stressed the importance of subsidies.

“This program will serve as a cornerstone for identifying and enhancing our university’s potential for sustainability,” he told the Hub. “The program will work synergistically to achieve the goals of the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan. Hopefully it will generate ideas and innovations that can be integrated and scaled.

After implementing the projects, fellows will share their results with university leaders to demonstrate opportunities for JHU campuses to be used as learning tools and contribute to climate action plan solutions and sustainability of the university.

The Campus as a Living Lab program was developed by a multidisciplinary working group comprised of faculty, staff and students from the Sustainability Leadership Council as well as staff from the Office of Climate and Sustainability. Information about the program and future grant opportunities is available at JHU Sustainability Website.

Image caption: Winner Ciaran Harman with undergraduate Joey Stanley

Picture credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

Research grants

Olin Pond: water quality, hydrodynamics and performance of stormwater management

Winner: Ciaran HarmanAssociate Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering and Planetary Earth Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering

Engineering researchers will install sensors in the wetland next to Olin Hall to collect data and monitor their effectiveness in reducing stormwater runoff and trapping contaminants. The project will result in student-led research to inform potential improvements.

Quantifying Methane Emissions in the JHU Sewer System with Exoelectrogenic Methanotrophs

The winners: Ruggero Rossiassistant professor, environmental health and engineering, Whiting School of Engineering; Sarah Preheimassociate professor, environmental health and engineering, Whiting School of Engineering

Researchers will develop and install biosensors in JHU’s sewer lines to quantify methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to accurately estimate the impact on the university’s greenhouse gas emissions .

Course Instructor Scholarships

Preparing future educators to teach environmental justice and sustainable development

Winner: Hunter Gehlbachprofessor, School of Education

The course will train environmental educators in the pedagogical features of teaching about climate change, sustainability, planetary health, and environmental justice, as well as strategies to help students prioritize environmental issues.

An automated way to measure and identify student food waste to inform responsible consumption initiatives

Winner: Alissa Burkholder Murphylecturer, Whiting School of Engineering

As part of a multidisciplinary engineering design course, a team of students will design an automated system to weigh and identify food waste in JHU dining halls. The project will inform Hopkins Dining about the relationship between recipe selections, menus and the effectiveness of food waste reduction initiatives.

Image caption: Debi Denney, Deputy Director of Sustainability, with two fellows, Alissa Burkholder Murphy and Nusaybah Abu-Mulaweh

Picture credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

Collect and store rainwater to reduce water consumption for irrigation on campus

Winner: Nusaybah Abu-Mulawehlecturer, Whiting School of Engineering

In this multidisciplinary engineering design course, students will design a modular rainwater collection, storage, and distribution solution for garden irrigation at JHU’s Homewood campus and at a Baltimore K-8 school, teaching provide students with design approaches to stormwater management.

Course on forest ecosystems and sustainability

Winner: Jerry Burgessassociate professor, earth and planetary sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

Students in this course will explore the resilience and ecological benefits of urban forests on campus through hands-on field work and develop recommendations to improve campus green spaces and protect local water resources.

Engaging Students in Climate Action on Campus Through Arts-Based Communication

Winner: Saraniya Thamarajah, instructor, health, behavior and society, Bloomberg School of Public Health

In this course, students will identify climate action behaviors on the JHU campus and apply behavior change theory to create climate communications campaigns that will be presented on campus through lectures, seminars , screenings and workshops.

Scholarships

JHU Travel Dashboard: Track and encourage sustainable travel

Winner: Rose weeksdoctoral student, Bloomberg School of Public Health

A public health student researcher will create a dashboard visualizing emissions related to university business travel to raise awareness, inform strategies, and suggest strategies to mitigate associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Zero-carbon electricity plan to support AI research campus

Winner: Ziting Huang, doctoral student, Whiting School of Engineering

An engineering student researcher will develop a feasibility plan to forecast the growing energy demand of the new Institute for Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence by exploring approaches such as on-site renewable energy, energy storage and agreements to purchase electricity from local clean energy sites.

Operating Room Airway Equipment Recycling Program

Winner: Melanie Alfonzo Horowitz, medical student, School of Medicine

A medical student researcher will develop a pilot laryngoscope recycling initiative, train and survey operating room staff, and measure the amount of hospital waste reduced and cost savings.