Focused on the Environment

Lange Leads Steinbrenner Institute

The Steinbrenner Institute Supports Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 University-wide Focus on the Environment

鈥淏uy real estate. They ain鈥檛 makin鈥� any more of it,鈥� Depression-era comedian Will Rogers used to say. It鈥檚 no joke anymore. This is the century when mankind finally must face the reality that our known resources are indeed finite.

And we鈥檒l have to figure out what to do about it.

Carnegie Mellon finds itself in a unique position to address the problem. It鈥檚 led by a university president renowned for his work in environmental water systems. And it has strengths in areas across campus that can have a direct impact on the environment.

From that help to eliminate toxins in waterways to developing clean and efficient for energy and transportation, designs to improve health and productivity, and new courses for students in energy and the environment, Carnegie Mellon is engaged in an effort to re-shape the way society thinks and acts about environmental issues. The ultimate goal is to improve life in the region and the world.

All seven colleges and schools are involved as well as 10 research centers鈥攆rom the to the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry. It鈥檚 a university-wide effort to achieve worldwide results. It鈥檚 one to which the university is committed. And it鈥檚 one Trustee W. Lowell Steinbrenner feels strongly about.

So much so, that he and his wife, Jan, recently pledged $4 million to establish the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research. The center鈥檚 initial focus is on two critical themes: sustainability in energy and the environment; and urban infrastructure, the systems that make cities work.

Led by Executive Director Deborah Lange and Director , head of the , the Steinbrenner Institute is charged with coordinating and enhancing the impact of environmental research and education campus-wide. The institute also grants seed funding each winter to support and encourage new initiatives.

鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of a one-stop shop,鈥� Hendrickson says. 鈥淓nvironmental work spreads across all the different colleges and schools, and it鈥檚 a piece of a number of different projects.鈥� He said, 鈥渘ow there鈥檚 one environmental institute鈥� to pull it all together.

鈥淭he idea is for us to be a communications thread,鈥� says Lange, 鈥渂ecause right now there鈥檚 a bunch of silos working independently. We鈥檙e interested in finding synergies that can help leverage their work.

鈥淲e鈥檙e also interested in how we can help them find funds from non-traditional resources [like the , and 闭.鈥�

Last year the Steinbrenner Institute granted $70,000 in seed funds for several projects. Among them were awards for curriculum development in the for a new course in urban systems and infrastructures; expanded work in the to explore the use of cellulosic ethanol as an alternative fuel; environmental programming for residents and visitors of , Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 new 鈥済reen鈥� residence hall; and a student experiment comparing two different types of green roofs that act as energy insulators.

A Steinbrenner award was also issued to enhance a grant for the 鈥済reening鈥� of early undergraduate education for freshmen and sophomores. Six classes in the , and Design, the , the and an interdisciplinary course called 鈥淢apping the Terrain: Environmental Thinking and Art Practice鈥� aim to educate students about environmental issues and practices.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Lowell鈥檚 [Steinbrenner] vision that every student who comes out of Carnegie Mellon is an environmental steward,鈥� Lange says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of our missions, to change the way the world thinks about the environment. We have the capability to make a real contribution.鈥�

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