麻豆村

At 麻豆村, students in the听Environmental and Sustainable Studies(opens in new window) (ESS) program are confronting climate change, water scarcity and pollution through hands-on research and interdisciplinary education.听

From designing sustainable architecture to analyzing water systems in Costa Rica and developing soil safety kits, these students are applying knowledge across science, engineering, humanities and business to create real-world solutions for a more sustainable future.

Designing with nature in mind

Bleona Velic wants to build a more sustainable world, one architectural design at a time.听

鈥淲hen you look at the level of pollution that architecture has historically caused, it鈥檚 really necessary,鈥� said Velic, a senior studying and ESS. 鈥淭he lessons I鈥檝e learned from ESS courses have been extremely helpful because they allow me to think critically about sustainability.鈥�

For her class project 鈥淲ildlife Nexus,鈥� Velic designed a culinary institute campus harmonized with nature. Her concept emphasized renewable materials and a landscape rich with native plants for wildlife to thrive. The result was a space where people could learn, create and connect with the environment without compromising the delicate ecosystem.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e approaching architecture from the perspective of environmental consciousness and sustainability, it informs how you鈥檙e able to design,鈥� Velic said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been rewarding to have another lens based on the knowledge I鈥檝e accumulated with the additional major.鈥�

Velic is enrolled in the ESS additional major, a joint program offered by the听Mellon College of Science(opens in new window) and the听Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.(opens in new window)

Sustainability courses connect fields for solving problems听

ESS is housed within the听Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research(opens in new window), which was established in 2004 with a lead gift from 麻豆村 alumnus W. Lowell Steinbrenner and his wife, Jan, whose vision and support made the degree a reality.

Neil Donahue(opens in new window), Thomas Lord University Professor of听Chemistry(opens in new window) 补苍诲听 and director of the Steinbrenner Institute, said the program provides sustainability courses to students, regardless of major.

鈥淲e want the technical students looking toward the environmental humanities,鈥� Donahue said. 鈥淟ikewise, we want the humanities students to really learn something about the underpinnings of the Earth鈥檚 systems.鈥�

Abigail Owen(opens in new window), associate professor of听history(opens in new window), directs ESS.听

鈥淚鈥檓 always thinking about what it is like for an architecture student who cares about sustainability, a mechanical engineering student who cares about creating the next generation of energy technology or a business student trying to understand corporate social responsibility,鈥� Owen said. 鈥淢y goal is to get them to find common vocabulary so they can communicate about these problems.鈥�

This begins in the introductory class: Environmental Systems on a Changing Planet. The course is taught by听Ryan Sullivan(opens in new window), professor of chemistry 补苍诲听 and associate director for the听Institute for Green Science(opens in new window).

鈥淚 want students to understand how entirely dependent human society is on environmental systems,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淚 ask students for examples of how different disciplines could contribute to understanding or even solving an environmental challenge.鈥�

Students dive into water research with real-world impact

Arika Manuel, a senior in听international relations and political science(opens in new window) with an additional major in ESS, spent a semester at the Monteverde Institute in Costa Rica where she had hands-on experience in analyzing local streams to see which were the healthiest to drink.

鈥淚t helped me understand how research is executed, how the results are communicated and how they can be used to inform people in the future,鈥� Manuel said.听

Keenan Norton, a senior studying chemical engineering with additional majors in ESS and Hispanic studies, also is focused on waterway conservation.听

During a听Summer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship(opens in new window) 鈥� where Carnegie Mellon students earn credit for conducting research with a faculty member 鈥� Norton worked with Owen to study challenges that indigenous people in Bolivia and Guatemala face when accessing water. He shared some of that work in an article published in听.

鈥淭he solutions to so many of our problems, particularly environmental problems and problems related to water, are not in advancing special technologies, but rather reverting to the processes that the world uses naturally,鈥� Norton said.听

Norton said that while implementing water conservation methods won鈥檛 remove existing pollution in waterways, he also is investigating ways to remove those pollutants. As part of the Institute for Green Science, he works with听Terry Collins(opens in new window), Teresa Heinz Professor in Green Chemistry. Collins created catalysts, chemical agents that can accelerate reactions, to remove various chemicals from wastewater.

鈥淭hese catalysts are designed to mimic natural enzymes that are found in the body to break down the ugly chemicals we see,鈥� Norton said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e taken that general structure and improved on it to make it really effective in getting rid of all kinds of nasty stuff.鈥�

Digging into soil safety

Marcus Lopez, a senior studying听biological sciences(opens in new window) and ESS, aims to use science to create a more sustainable world, beginning with creating a garden with sustainable practices learned during classes.

Based on what he has learned through ESS, Lopez wants to create a kit for anyone to easily test soil for high levels of heavy metals and forever chemicals with the goal of making sure it鈥檚 safe to grow fruits and vegetables.

鈥淧ittsburgh is the Steel City, and it鈥檚 known for a lot of contaminants,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淚鈥檓 curious to see what analyses I can perform throughout the area and to do something new.鈥�

Business meets climate action

As an intern with Carnegie Mellon鈥檚听Sustainability Initiative(opens in new window), Ameena George, a sophomore studying听business administration(opens in new window) and ESS, visited the United Nations to discuss their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a list of 17 objectives to reduce human impacts on the environment while improving living conditions across the globe.

鈥淲e met with different schools and representatives from the U.N., and we shared what we were doing toward the SDGs and exchanged ideas,鈥� George said.

George recently returned from a study abroad experience in Indonesia that focused on climate finance. She met with officials from Indonesian companies that prioritized sustainability.

鈥淚 got to see how sustainability and business could work together,鈥� George said. 鈥淚t gave me a more global understanding of sustainability, which was something I was really searching for.鈥�
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