Image from 2017-2018 CALS project on campus lighting

Faculty and students who are interested in applying for funding from the (CALS) program are invited to attend an information session to learn more about the application and review process.

Sessions are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 9, from noon-1 p.m. in Eggers 155; Monday, Feb. 12, from 11 a.m.-noon in HL 441A, and Tuesday, March 6, from 2-4 p.m. in HL 441A. Rachel May, Ph.D., sustainability education coordinator, will be available to answer questions at those times.

The CALS program supports research, student projects, outreach or course development that engages the campus in addressing climate change and sustainable systems. Applicants—either individuals or teams—may request research or seed grants of up to $25,000 or education/pedagogy grants of up to $10,000. A total of $75,000 is available for this round of funding. Applications are due by April 2, 2018, and the grant period is from May 15, 2018, to June 30, 2019.

To download the RFP, visit sustainability.syr.edu/cals/. Those who are unable to attend the information sessions are invited to contact Rachel May in the Office of Sustainability Management at 315.443.9726 or sumay@syr.edu.

The call for proposals sought projects that address climate disruption and offer opportunities for communication and outreach to the campus and wider community.

The following projects were selected:

• College of Engineering and Computer Science students Alex Johnson, Yige Yang and David Zheng, under the supervision of Cliff Davidson, Thomas and Colleen Wilmot Chair in Engineering, and Assistant Professor Ben Akih-Kumgeh, will work on evaluating the water and energy performance of the large green roof at the ���ϲ����� Center of Excellence building. Other advisors on the project include Assistant Professor Tarek Rakha (School of Architecture); Deanna McCay, EMPOWER program manager; Associate Professor Don Torrance (Newhouse School); Associate Professor Sharon Dotger (School of Education); and Assistant Professor Todd Moss, Whitman School.
• Assistant Professor Bess Krietemeyer (School of Architecture), in collaboration with Professor Jason Dedrick (School of Information Studies) and Associate Professor Peng Gao (Maxwell School), proposed a project titled, “Campus Light Mapping: Analysis and Visualization of Sustainable Smart Lighting for Reducing GHG Emissions and Improving Campus Safety.” They will use GIS and energy simulation tools to map the nighttime illumination on campus, to identify opportunities for solar lighting and other efficient solutions, and to create a mobile map of safely lit walking routes around campus.
• Assistant Professor Rakha and Associate Professor Senem Velipasalar (College of Engineering and Computer Science) will pursue a project to test unmanned aerial systems they have previously developed for measuring heat leakages from buildings. They will test the system on South Campus and use the results to inform the campus about energy efficiency issues and to offer suggestions for retrofitting the buildings.
• Professor of Practice Svetoslava Todorova (College of Engineering and Computer Science) will collaborate with graduate students Katie Duggan, Elliot Twilley and Sounak Das on a mobile application to track the water and energy consumption of dormitory residents and to encourage behaviors that promote conservation of resources.
• Emily Brown, legal writing professor in the College of Law, will supervise two law student research assistants, who will review climate change rules proposed by the federal government and distill the proposed rules into accessible summaries that can be quickly understood and shared via social media.

Funding for CALS grants comes from the ���ϲ����� Climate Action Plan. As energy efficiency efforts have been implemented in recent years, some of the savings have gone into a fund for this purpose. The initial round of funding, totaling $50,000, was awarded in January.

For the second round of funding, 15 applications were received, with requests for funding totaling nearly $200,000. The call for proposals encouraged multidisciplinary projects and projects from a broad range of disciplines; applicants and collaborators represented the School of Architecture, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, College of Engineering, School of Information Studies, College of Law, Maxwell School, Newhouse School, College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Whitman School. The selection committee was drawn from an advisory group of faculty from all the schools and colleges.

The first round of funding was announced in January, and six projects are currently underway. Two are research projects that focus on energy: membrane technology for power plants and connecting electric vehicles to the smart grid. Two others are looking into the physical effects of climate change: one aims to understand the flow of water on campus under various climate scenarios and another studies the impact of plants on carbon and nutrient cycles. And the remaining projects are about student engagement with climate change and sustainability: creation of an historical account of the student divestment movement and construction of an interactive installation that uses virtual reality to help students understand their use of energy and other resources.

The second round of funding is for projects undertaken between May 15, 2017, and June 30, 2018. All proposals must spell out clearly how the project relates to climate disruption, and all must include outreach or educational activities that promote awareness of sustainability issues on the ���ϲ����� campus. Projects may include faculty or student research, applied research, campus infrastructure or landscape projects, outreach campaigns, service projects or course development.

The ���ϲ����� Climate Action Plan, which was released in 2009, is providing the competitive funding as part of the CALS program, overseen by a team of faculty from across the university. The project merges academic scholarship with the University’s broad initiatives to meet energy efficiency goals, while having the campus become a testbed for innovative ideas.

The Call for Proposals and application materials can be found at . The deadline for submission of proposals is April 10.