CSIF in the Curriculum

How Faculty Can Integrate CSIF into Courses

Researching and developing a proposal to the CSIF can be an excellent assignment in sustainability-related courses. Students can develop valuable skills in project design, budgeting, and proposal writing. The potential to have their ideas chosen for funding and to transform the campus offers students powerful incentives to learn.

Students listening to a presentation in a classroom

To identify the current gaps in our climate neutrality program, students can review historical greenhouse gas emissions reports for Santa Clara University on our Climate Neutrality page.

Students can avoid reinventing the wheel by learning what SCU is already doing about:

Students can identify potential projects by examining sources such as:

The SCU Center for Sustainability’s Living Laboratory Projects Database
Research projects conducted by the SLURP classes (SLURP = Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research)
Projects at other campuses described on the website of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Faculty members can get advice on how to integrate CSIF proposals into their courses by contacting:

Stephanie Hughes
Environmental Studies and Sciences

Since 2008, Stephanie has coordinated with the Center for Sustainability to research and pilot both behavior- and technology-based projects to improve SCU sustainability. Stephanie has done so via introducing individual and team projects in numerous classes, including Energy and the Environment, Garbology (formerly known as Joy of Garbage), and SLURP. Through these efforts Stephanie has learned about the opportunities and challenges of researching and piloting successful projects to reduce waste, energy consumption, and/or water consumption.

Chad Raphael
Communication

As a Faculty Associate for Sustainability, Chad is familiar with the fund’s guidelines. He has experience integrating student projects into courses that have served the Center for Sustainability.