July 30, 2010

Dear Board Member,

Following our successful internationally-focused meeting in Dusseldorf, we want to take a slightly different approach in our July letter. This month, our brief list of sustainability accomplishments focuses on student achievements, below. Afterward, we introduce you to Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom through a video interview that screened at the start of the recent International Conference on Sustainability Science 2010 held in Rome.

Highlights of ASU sustainability activities

• School of Sustainability doctoral students Auriane Koster and Carissa Taylor have been selected as Spirit of Service Scholars for 2010-2011. This award from the College of Public Programs opens the door to a yearlong mentoring and experiential education program that prepares top students to find solutions to critical sustainability issues in the public sector. Read more.

• Multidisciplinary student teams in ASU's EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) GOLD program are applying their engineering, computer science, and construction skills to solve sustainability-related problems for global communities. Among the creative challenges they are addressing is a project to provide reliable solar power to a Bangladesh school for girls and a project to develop a new medical clinic in the African country of Malawi. Read more.

• Several ASU student ventures won 2010-2011 Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative grants for their sustainability-inspired innovations, including new ideas for wastewater treatment, disaster housing, and a high efficiency engine. The Edson grants provide winners with funding, office space, expert mentors, and training to help them move their concepts to reality. Read more.

• Among ASU's record 21 Fulbright Program winners this year are five students who chose to apply their grants to further their career goals in sustainability:

  • Jeremy Wendte, a former Peace Corps volunteer and a senior in electrical engineering, will study solar electrification in Bangladesh to understand the role photovoltaic power can play in a developing nation.

  • Christina Clancey-Rivera, a National Hispanic Scholar and graduate in electrical engineering, will attend the University of Alcala in Spain to study microgrids, a promising new technology for managing renewable energy.

  • David Walsh, a doctoral candidate in religious studies will work with the Dene people of the Northwest Territories to understand how Canadian scientists integrate traditional aboriginal knowledge into their research on climate change.

  • Allyn Knox, a graduate in biology and French, will pursue a multidisciplinary master's degree in biogeoscience at the Universities of Lausanne and Neuchatel in Switzerland to address environmental challenges that threaten global health and security.

  • Dusana Schnell-Vivas, a graduate in marketing and Spanish, will study and work in Mexico through the Comexus Binational Business Program as part of her preparation for a career with a Mexico-based sustainability organization. Read more.

You can email or call us with any questions or comments about this briefing.

Best regards,

Rick Shangraw	Rob Melnick	Sander van der Leeuw
Director rick.shangraw@asu.edu 480-965-8087	Executive Dean rob.melnick@asu.edu 480-965-5233	Dean vanderle@asu.edu 480-965-6214

cc: Jim Buizer

Elinor Ostrom is a research professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is founding director of the Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity. In 2009, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for her work in economic governance, particularly as it applies to shared resources such as pastures, fisheries, and groundwater basins. Her research examines ways that institutions and users operating at widely different scales can work together to sustain such resources. In the video interview, Dr. Ostrom is questioned by Arnim Wiek, assistant professor in the School of Sustainability, about her views on three topics: the relevance of local choices to global sustainability issues, ways to link policy and science, and how to develop a sustainability science community across multiple disciplines. The interview was screened during the introductory plenary session of the International Conference on Sustainability Science 2010 held in Rome, June 23-25 and prompted numerous discussions throughout the conference.

Watch interview with Nobel Laureate Dr. Elinor Ostrom