The 91社区 Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI) Fellowship is an opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to work on co-designed sustainability research projects while cultivating a shared learning experience. The five funded teams will work on their projects over a nine-month period, meeting monthly to share progress, challenges and provide feedback.听听
The program was developed to provide grad students and postdoctoral fellows with an opportunity to work on exciting ideas in sustainability research with colleagues from outside of their labs, departments, and disciplines. Its inaugural projects come from 8 departments and programs across 5 faculties. In total, 15 grad students and postdocs will make up this year鈥檚 cohort. The full list of projects is available below.听
鈥淭oday鈥檚 global problems are too complex to be tackled using the traditional departmental structures of universities,鈥� shared Evan Henry, MSSI Director. 鈥淎t the MSSI, we want to train and equip the next generation of sustainability leaders and researchers with the know-how and practical experience to conduct interdisciplinary research. The breadth of projects selected in this inaugural cohort is truly inspiring and makes me excited to see how this fellowship evolves throughout the years.鈥� 听
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Our 2024 91社区 Sustainability Systems Initiative Fellows:听
Evaluating 91社区鈥檚 Sustainability Education Fellowship听
Using 91社区's Sustainability Education Fellows (SEF) program as a case study, this project examines if, how, and to what extent sustainability training initiatives are an effective means to support education for sustainable development (ESD). Laurianne Debanne (Geography), Stephanie Leite & Justus Wachs (Integrated Studies in Education), Christopher Luederitz (Management)听听
Protective coatings to prevent materials degradation in marine environments听
This project explores the synergistic effects of mechanical and chemical degradation in materials. It will study the mechanical wear and corrosion of high entropy alloy coatings鈥攁n emerging class of materials鈥攁nd aid materials selection for energy technology in marine environments. Lin Wu (Mining & Materials Engineering), Le贸n Zendejas Medina (Chemistry)听听
Smart Insecticide听
The project aims to develop a smart biopesticide targeting caterpillar pests by exploiting their unique, highly alkaline gut pH, unlike mammals and beneficial insects like honeybees. This approach improves pesticide specificity, thereby reducing health impacts from accidental exposure and environmental impacts from excessive pesticide use. Mohammad Jamil Kaddoura & Unnikrishnan Kannan (Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry), Yintin Chen (Plant Science)听听
Replacing glass with novel biodegradable polymeric composite听
This project aims to address the environmental and economic challenges posed by non-biodegradable glass waste by developing a novel biodegradable polymeric composite and introducing a superior sustainable alternative that biodegrades naturally. Hardik Singla (Biological and Biomedical Engineering), Pouria Tirgar Bahnamiri (Bioengineering)听
Measuring Inequity in Active Transport Infrastructure
Today, many cities are redesigning their streets, transforming car infrastructure into public space or bicycle infrastructure. This often meets resistance by car advocates. This project seeks to improve public communication about street redesign to address backlash by designing a measure to capture the imbalance in street space for transport infrastructure. Jose Arturo Jasso Chavez, Alexandra Kinman, Daniel Romm, & Pegah Salsabilian (Geography)听
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Over the next nine months, these teams will continue to collaborate and benefit from personalized guidance and support from MSSI. This includes monthly cohort meetings, progress tracking, and assistance in navigating unforeseen challenges. At the end of their fellowship next spring, a final showcase will be held for teams to present their completed projects.听
