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Program Background | Determining Projects | Internships to Date |

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Program Background | Back to Top

In its first six months of existence, the IU Task Force on Sustainability established the Internship Program in Sustainability. The program utilizes campus as a living-learning laboratory, enlisting undergraduate and graduate students in research and implementation projects mentored by faculty in academic areas and staff in operations. Now in its seventh season, the program has funded 113 internships.

 

Determining Projects | Back to Top

Initially internship projects were determined based on the immediate needs of the Task Force. The first group of internship projects supplied background information for the first Campus Sustainability Report (January 2008) or helped establish basic functions of the Task Force (i.e. creating a Sustainability website.) Since the establishment of the IU Office of Sustainability (IUOS) in March of 2009, internships are determined based on the strategic goals of the Office and the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board (formerly the IU Task Force on Sustainability.) Office projects fall into one of three categories: internal development, auxiliaries, or ongoing campus projects. Internships housed in the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board are determined by the co-chairs of each of the seven working groups: Academic Initiatives, Energy and Built Environment, Environmental Quality and Land Use, Food, Resource Use and Recycling, Sustainable Computing, and Transportation.

The internship program currently has two sessions: Summer and the Academic Year. During the Summer Program interns work 20 hours per week and are enrolled in a 1-credit seminar designed to provide students a background in sustainability and a forum for collaborating. The Academic Year Program employs interns for 10-15 hours a week. Academic Year interns participate in an informal seminar focused primarily on communication between interns.

Internships to Date | Back to Top

Since its inception, the internship program has employed 82 students in academic and operations related research and implementation projects.

Academic Initiatives & Outreach Energy & Built Environment Environmental Quality & Land Use Food Resource Use & Recycling Sustainable Computing Transportation IUOS/Task Force Strategic Planning