This year we are offering several resources to teachers and student teams for the Sustainable STEAM Challenge. As in previous years, student teams can connect directly with a volunteer subject matter expert. Students can either reach out to one of the experts listed below or sign into Launchpad to find a mentor.
Additionally, for the 2020-2021 Academic Year, the Sustainable STEAM Challenge teamed up with the organaizations Solar One and Greener JC to provide research materials and suggested activities for a number of sustainability topics, including air pollution, plastic pollution, biodiversity, energy, food systems, and climate science.
Find all these resources below!
Experts
These subject matter experts volunteered to assist student teams in developing their projects as part of the Sustainability STEAM Challenge for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Yi Bao
Stevens Institute of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Sustainable and smart structures and infrastructure that are adaptive to and help mitigate climate changes
Key Questions: How can we mitigate climate change through sustainable and smart structures? How can we design sustainable and adaptive engineering structures?
Email me: yi.bao@stevens.edu
Dr. Ashish Borgaonkar
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Environmental Engineering, STEM Education
Key Questions: How do you research information? How can we spread the word and educate people in our neighborhood?
Email me: ashish.borgaonkar@njit.edu
Maravilla Clemens
Rutgers University
Sustainability Expertise: Coastal Resilience, Sustainable Development
Key Question: How can we prepare for the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, and practice sustainable development in ways that are rooted in equity and environmental justice?
Email me: maravilla.clemens@rutgers.edu
Jessica Cordaro
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
Sustainability Expertise: STEM Education, Sustainability Education
Key Questions: How can we educate others about sustainability concepts? How can we use STEM to teach others about sustainability and solve problems?
Email me: jesscordaro16@gmail.com
Kate Douthat
Rutgers University
Sustainability Expertise: Plant and Community Ecology, Water Resources and Water Quality, Green Infrastructure
Key Questions: Conceptual: What is the role of plants in urban sustainability? Methodological: How do I visualize and analyze ideas and data?
Email me: kdd56@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Prof. William Heyniger
Kean University, School of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences
Sustainability Expertise: Food & Materials Composting, Food Recycling
Key Question: How can we divert & compost food scraps and other compostable materials in urban environments while also improving soil health/environment and creating job opportunities?
Email me: wheynige@kean.edu
Mike Hornsby
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Electric vehicles and infrastructure, renewable/alternative energy, strategy and policy, environmental compliance and regulation, site remediation, corporate social responsibility.
Key Question: How does energy production and use affect the environment? What can we do to solve climate change?
Email me: hornsby@njit.edu
Matthew Kaplan
ReVireo
Sustainability Expertise: Green Building
Key Question: How do we reduce carbon emissions from buildings?
Email me: mkaplan@revireo.com
Zoë Kitchel
Rutgers University
Sustainability Expertise: Marine biology, coastal development, warming oceans, marine conservation
Key Question: How can we make the Hudson River cleaner? How will sea level rise impact my community? What types of plants and animals are coming into or leaving NY Harbor? How do human activities on land impact the ocean?
Email me: zoe.kitchel@rutgers.edu
Elisabeth Krueger
Princeton University
Sustainability Expertise: Healthy human-nature relationships; water, food & climate; resilience; community building; urban design
Key Questions: How can we live sustainably? Where does our water come from, where does it go, and how can we protect it? How do we prepare for and respond to shocks, such as Covid-19 or sea level rise?
Email me: ekrueger@princeton.edu
Kate Lawrence
Director of Sustainability, City of Jersey City
Sustainability Expertise: Citywide Sustainability
Key Questions: How can we reduce food waste? How can we reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we emit as a community?
Email me: klawrence@jcnj.org
Weina Meng
Stevens Institute of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Sustainable construction materials
Key Question: How can cementitious materials support CO2 utilization and mitigation?
Email me: wmeng3@stevens.edu
Amanda Nesheiwat
Hudson County Improvement Authority
Sustainability Expertise: Sustainable Communities, Recycling, Sustainability Careers
Key Questions: How can you get involved in your community? Why is recycling important? What career options are there in the field of sustainability?
Email me: amandan@hcia.org
Angela Oberg
Rutgers University
Sustainability Expertise: Urban environmental planning
Key Question: How do we make sustainable, livable cities?
Email me: angela.oberg@rutgers.edu
Jesse Rodenbiker
Cornell Aktinson Center for Sustainability; The Dept. of Natural Resources & the Environment at Cornell University
Sustainability Expertise: Social interactions with the environment, environmental science policy, planning, urbanization, global sustainability
Key Questions: How do you practice sustainable consumption? How can you plan for sustainable cities? How do you create local, national, and international policies that protect the environment and promote environmental justice?
Email me: rodenbiker@cornell.edu
Lucia Rodriguez-Freire
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Environmental contaminants; recovery of resources; green technologies
Key Questions: How will a changing environment affect the distribution of pollutants in water, soil, or plants? How can we promote sustainable development? How can we convert waste into valuable resources?
Email me: lrfreire@njit.edu
Fernando Santos
Princeton University
Sustainability Expertise: Strategic interactions, Game Theory, Dynamics of cooperation and collective action to promote sustainability
Key Questions: How can we incentivize individuals to cooperate with each other towards sustainable outcomes? How can we overcome selfish behaviors that obstruct sustainability?
Email me: fernandopedrosantos@hotmail.com
Robert Schmitz
ThinkGreener, LLC
Sustainability Expertise: Carbon Emission Reduction, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Design, Sea Level Rise & Resiliency
Key Questions: How can we reduce fossil fuel consumption by implementing renewable energy solutions and sustainable design? What are the principles of a circular economy? How can living shorelines prevent storm surge damage?
Email me: Rob@Think-Greener.com
Guru Prasath Sivakumar
Chalmers University of Technology
Sustainability Expertise: Sustainable production system, sustainable material selection
Key Questions: How can we manufacture/produce a product in a sustainable way? How do you select alternative materials to make a product sustainable?
Email me: gurugoodly@gmail.com
Launchpad
Launchpad is a project-based learning platform of the New York Academy of Sciences that seeks to inspire and prepare young people as they take on the world’s greatest challenges in STEM. Using Launchpad, students can connect with like-minded individuals, create projects, and work with mentors in topic areas ranging from climate change to racial equity. The Launchpad community consists of 8,000+ passionate students and hundreds of mentors from over 100 countries around the world. Check it out at joinlauchpad.com
Solar One
Solar One is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to design and deliver innovative education, training, and technical assistance that fosters sustainability and resiliency in diverse urban environments. Their programs help individuals and communities explore new ways of living and working that are more adaptive to a changing world.
Find an overview of all Solar One resources HERE.
Interested teams can also sign up for a virtual classroom session on a variety of topics related to energy. Find more information and how to sign up HERE.
Energy Conservation
Renewable Energy
Service Learning
Sustainability & Food Systems
Climate Science
Greener JC
Greener JC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental action organization committed to supporting a more sustainable future in Jersey City. The organization’s actions include but are not limited to, promoting waste and energy reduction through community outreach and educational actions, supporting sustainable development efforts, and facilitating partnerships to help the community be resilient in the face of global climate change.
Biodiversity
Air Pollution