IIT Campus as a sustainability living laboratory for education and research for students

Abstract

As one of its key initiatives, WISER has developed a collaborative program with IIT academic colleges and the Office of Campus Energy and Sustainability (OCES) to achieve its mission of making IIT the most sustainable urban campus in our nation and utilizing the IIT campus as a living laboratory for education and research for both graduate and undergraduate students. At IIT campus, we are committed to significantly reducing greenhouse emissions; focusing on creative strategies for improving energy performance in buildings; reducing the need for carbon-based fuels in the energy supply; and encouraging occupant behaviors that reduce the net environmental impact of the campus. Through our unique requirement for all undergraduate students to enroll in two Interprofessional Projects ( IPRO) courses, and the simultaneous offering of a broad array of graduate and undergraduate research projects, IIT students are getting involved in many ongoing energy and sustainability initiatives using campus energy and sustainability operations as a real-world and practical laboratory. These projects include: micro grid (smart grid) and renewable energy production such as solar and wind, food composting, recycling, and sustainable built environment. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.