Earth and Society Initiative
The Earth and Society initiative will provide seed money to stimulate cross-cutting scholarship and grant writing activity in areas such as:
- Infectious Disease & Environment
- Nutrient Dynamics in Urban & Rural Landscapes
- Freshwater Ecosystem Restoration
- Agroecology at the Rural-Urban Fringe
- Urban Design & Healthy Communities
- Energy Use and Reliance on Fossil Fuels
- Conservation, Population, & Ecosystem Health
- Reinventing the use of materials
Principles
Principles that guide this initiative include:
- Civic science will be promoted, engaging critical and important questions regarding environmental health and quality, and the application of these questions to problems we face as a society and in our communities.
- An interdisciplinary approach will be emphasized, with cross-cutting efforts that tap into the strengths and talents of various disciplines.
- A diversity of approaches will be encouraged, including a variety of efforts from terrestrial to aquatic to atmospheric, campus based to community based, biophysical and social.
- Excellence will be fostered through stewardship of emerging ideas, peer-review, and openness.
- Results will be generated across discovery, learning, engagement, and commercialization of environmental technology.
Concentrations
The areas of concentration shown in Figure 1 were developed in order to best implement the proposed results, principles, and mission that will guide the UIUC Earth and Society Initiative.
Four basic, manageable categories into which we divide activities are: Discovery, Engagement, Learning, and Commercialization of Environmental Technology. Current and potential initiatives are grouped in each category according to their primary role, recognizing that each initiative will overlap and interact across areas.
- Discovery refers to research and scholarship. The initiatives shown represent a combination of large-scale centers, along with a number of smaller interdisciplinary initiatives.
- Engagement refers to the civic sciences, outreach, and policy initiatives. Proposed initiatives include an expansion in Sea Grant, as well as summer and annual programs that engage students and civic leaders on environmental issues around the world.
- Learning refers to interdisciplinary educational programs, several of which are in place.
- Commercialization is the least defined element in the structure at this time. As the other three areas are launched a plan will be developed to optimize opportunities for commercialization of environmental innovations.
Partners
The Earth and Society Initiative is made possible with the help of the following University offices.
- Office of the Provost
- College of Agriculture, Consumer
and Environmental Sciences
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- College of Engineering
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- National Center for Supercomputing Application
