EDUCATION
The fundamental goal of education is to “…implant a
will and facility for learning; it should produce not a
learned but a learning people” (Eric Hoffer); that is,
education’s purpose is to develop an individual
“…equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own
effort.” (Ayn Rand)
Definition: education is the act or process of
imparting or acquiring knowledge, developing the
powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of
preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature
life, and can be a formal process (e.g., systematic
instruction in a class) or an informal process (e.g.,
seminars, independent projects, self-study).
Education: In the classroom
Programs focused specifically on sustainability
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Environmental Engineering
Electrical Power Engineering
Ecological Economics
Values and Policy
Environmental Science
Design, innovation, and society
Other programs, which may indirectly contribute to
a student’s knowledge on sustainability, include:
• Undergraduate Research Program (URP)
• Study Abroad Programs
• Vasudha - Living and Learning Community
Education: In the classroom (cont.)
Rensselaer has multiple courses across
disciplines that focus on sustainability:
– Environment and Society
– Environmental Economics
– Science of the Environment
– Materials and Enclosures
– Environmental and Ecological Systems
– Environmental Impact Analysis
– Introduction to Environmental Studies
– Sustainability and Design
Graduate programs related to
sustainability
• ENGINEERING
– The Engineering, Science, and Entrepreneurship of Fuel Cells (IGERT)
– Environmental Engineering
• ARCHITECTURE
– Built Ecologies
– Lighting
• HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
– Ecological Economics
• SCIENCE
– Geology
– Hydrogeology
Education: Out of the classroom
Sustainability projects and activities that educate students
• National Science Foundation GK-12 Program: Discovery-Based Activities in
Energy and the Environment
• Solar Decathlon (Several students and faculty worked together to submit a
proposal to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, in
which 20 colleges are chosen to compete to design and build the best
energy-efficient home. In 2008, Rensselaer came in a close 21st, and
therefore could not participate in the actual competition.)
• Wind Turbine
Student Organizations
• Ecologic
• Engineers for a Sustainable World
• The Society for Environmental Professionals
• The Student Sustainability Task Force (SSTF)
• Terra Cafe
• Ecohall Challenge
• Green Greeks
Rensselaer Incubator Program
• “Ecovative Design”, “All for Local” and “Arclay, LLC”
Future sustainability activities/plans
Faculty are working to develop majors in sustainability
– STS is pursuing a sustainability studies major
– Engineering is investigating a sustainability studies option through one
(or more) of its existing major degree programs
– There are other existing majors (e.g., Biology, with a concentration in
ecology; or the school-wide Environmental Science major as
administered by E&ES) that are appropriate for students with a strong
interest in sustainability
We expect that some of the common elements within any sustainability
studies major will be a four (4) course core that includes courses in
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Ecological Economics
Biology (with a focus on ecology)
Earth Sciences
Environmental Sociology
as well as common experiences including an introductory
environmental seminar and research experience within the major
Faculty are working to develop a range of sustainability-related minors
in multiple academic departments/schools:
– “Traditional” four (4) course minors
– “Robust” minors (5-6 courses, or more)