Earth and Society Initiative

Although one can identify units within universities across the country that have outstanding records of environmental scholarship, thus far, few institutions have discovered a way to tap the diversity of their strengths in order to produce a level of impact that goes beyond a single department, college, or center.

Illinois' assets, combined with our unique setting, can generate a number of specific results. The Earth and Society Initiative will enable the University to:

1. Develop specific research efforts that use the University's unique geographic setting as a laboratory, and that have global ramifications. An example might be the application of post-genomic research and supercomputing to issues such as infectious diseases, disease vectors, and potential bio-terrorism threats.
2. Benefit from a higher profile, based on awareness by society of the important environmental issues that we address, and the leadership role we play. For instance, the Midwest, if not the entire United States, could come to see the University as the place to turn when communities or businesses have questions about environmental quality. State and federal legislators will turn to the University for expert opinions and information. The University will become one of the few places that can convene diverse stakeholders to resolve complex environmental issues.
3. Obtain increased funding for environmental science programs. We will carefully target proposals to NSF, NIH, EPA, USDA, and other agencies, resulting in the development of one or two national centers and a variety of smaller, but still substantial, grants.
4. Improve faculty involvement and collaboration on environmental issues at all levels. For instance, one goal of a campus-wide environmental program would be to launch six to ten new interdisciplinary teams that address a specific environmental issue.
5. Increase commercialization of research and intellectual property.
6. Connect environmental education to civic science and real world settings.
7. Integrate the Scientific Surveys. This effort will develop specific, effective ways of working with, and improving integration of, the Scientific Surveys on campus.