Interested in a summer internship experience that offers the opportunity to gain real-world experience in sustainability and community engagement, while supporting solutions for sustainable communities? Apply for the SLS 2019 Summer Internship Program! Applications are now open. Read about the experience of one of our 2018 interns, working with SLS partner Transformation Alliance.
I can say without a doubt that my two-and-a-half months working with Odetta for the TransFormation Alliance last summer was (pun intended) transformative. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Michael Bryan II, and I served as TFA's Programs Intern; I am a third-year, International Affairs major from Georgia Tech with a minor in pre-law, and a concentration in urban development—try saying that three times fast. From Stone Mountain (yes, the home of Donald Glover), I have been in the Metro…
We are pleased to provide you with another blog post from our 2018 Global Student Ambassadors. This week, we highlight the Language for Business and Technology (LBAT): Spain program which provides students with the opportunity to spend six weeks in Madrid and Grenada, studying current issues in politics, socio-economics, and sustainability in Spain and the European Union. Our Global Student Ambassador in this program, Sandhya Ramachandran, wrote a series of blog posts about her experiences exploring sustainability initiatives in Spain, as well as her experiences in Mexico. Read her complete set of blog posts here.
SLS continues its Global Student Ambassador Program, partnering with multiple Study Abroad programs at…
We are pleased to provide you with another blog post from one of our 2018 SLS Global Student Ambassadors. This week, we highlight the Language for Business and Technology (LBAT): Germany program, which takes students throughout Germany and explores regional perspectives in lifestyles, history, and traditions, as well as from an industrial point of view. Our Global Student Ambassador in this program, Paula Ruiz, wrote a blog about her experiences, highlighting various sustainability related issues she studied, including the culture of smoking, meat consumption, and …
When I got the invitation to become involved with the RCE Greater Atlanta and the Youth Network back in July, I was not a hundred percent sure what I was getting myself into, but I knew it was a great opportunity. As I got involved, I began to understand more and more the mission of the RCEs and the opportunities they create to accomplish sustainable development. However, it was not until some months later when I got the opportunity to attend the 7th RCE Meeting of the Americas in Posadas, Argentina that I truly felt the impact that these RCEs can have. Representatives from the RCEs across the U.S., Canada and Latin America gathered to share their research and activities as well as discuss steps we can take together for future work. Dr. Roger Petry, co-coordinator of the RCE Saskatchewan in his presentation to us touted the importance of stories, and indeed the stories of these different RCEs and their accomplishments that were shared at the conference were truly inspiring and…
Interested in Study Abroad? SLS is affiliated with TEN study abroad programs that offer students the opportunity to study sustainable communities from a cross-cultural perspective. Several summer programs still have spots available. Check out this blog post from Kathleen Weil, our SLS Global Student Ambassador for the 2018 Japan Summer Program in Sustainable Development.
If you have ever wanted to study sustainability, Japan is the place to do it. Even though the Japan Summer Program on Sustainable Development was taught by experts on sustainable development, I learned the most about sustainability outside the classroom, exploring Tokyo and traveling around Japan, picking up insights on transportation, technology, culture, and politics that formed a more rigorous and comprehensive understanding of sustainability. Not only did I learn about sustainability, but I also lived it. The classes translated these lessons into a more effective and utile…
SLS is thrilled to announce the winners of its third Student Showcase. This semester’s showcase, held December 4th in Klaus Atrium, had 60 entrants, more than 130 attendees, and a wonderful diversity of projects. Our three winning projects are described below. The faculty recipients of the SLS Student Choice Award for Excellence in Teaching were Dr. Bethany Jacobs (Writing & Communication Program), Dr. Neha Kuma (Interactive Computing and International Affairs), and Dr. McKenna Rose (Writing & Communication Program). Nominating students described the impact of their terrific teaching. Of Dr. Kumar’s class, students wrote “Neha Kumar is an incredible lecturer with a passion [about and] knowledge base [in] technology and poverty. Her classroom is designed to encourage discussion and to make students really think about big problems, especially creating sustainable communities” Dr. Rose’s students wrote, “Dr.…
David Eady is the new Industry Engagement Manager with the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) and the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business. In this role, he will deepen and expand relationships with the business sector to advance strategic objectives within the two centers, working as part of the SLS Partnerships Team. He has a master’s degree in Urban Studies, concentrated in Community Planning and Development, from Georgia State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, focused on environmental ethics, from University of Georgia.
I grew up in a small college town (Oxford, Georgia) on the eastern edge of Atlanta’s metropolitan area. My spouse and I moved back to Oxford after I completed graduate school, and we live in an historic home that’s been in my family for five generations—six if you count my kids.
I started out my professional life as a community organizer working on environmental and public health challenges in low-income,…
Since this spring, the Climate Change Fellows have been working to provide cross-college research sharing. The Climate Change Fellows are composed of two subgroups, including the Education Working Group (led by Kim Cobb, Jennifer Hirsch, and Matthew Realff) and the Research Working Group (led by Marilyn Brown, Michael Change, and Rich Simmons). These groups combine to expand Georgia Tech's environmentally focused course offerings as well as research projects offered across campus. The Climate Change Fellows program is sponsored by the Global Change Program, Serve-Learn-Sustain, the Strategic Energy Institute, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, the Ray C Anderson Center for Sustainable Business, and the Climate Change and Energy Policy Laboratory.
Recently, 11 projects from teams of Climate Change Fellows were funded by the Global Change Program, Serve-Learn-Sustain, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Strategic Energy Institute, Ocean…
In Summer 2018, Serve-Learn-Sustain partnered with the iGniTe First Year Summer Launch Program to introduce an exciting new Sustainability Track. For this linked courses program, faculty across multiple disciplines collaborated with community partners, with SLS, and with each other to educate students on our chosen theme: Equitable and Sustainable Development.
There was no more fruitful place to do this than Atlanta, Georgia, where the nationally renown Atlanta BeltLine project has raised important questions about sustainability and urban infrastructure, as well as gentrification. As students gathered for the summer session, they got a first-class introduction to these issues through a bus tour of the Atlanta BeltLine; they also attended a public talk with Ryan Gravel (whose Georgia Tech Master’s thesis launched the BeltLine years ago), and they participated in a student workshop: “‘What is Infrastructure?’ Building a More Sustainable & Equitable Future in Atlanta and…
The RCE Greater Atlanta Launch Event took place on October 10th, 2018 at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. RCE Greater Atlanta is the 6th RCE in the U.S. and the 166th in the world. Despite the evening’s stormy weather, the Launch Event was well-attended by educators, professionals, community members, and students. Dr. Jennifer Hirsch, an RCE Greater Atlanta Co-Founder and Co-Lead summarizes the event’s success best: “After almost two years of work getting to this evening, it was energizing and encouraging to see such a diverse crowd turn out – including so many students from many different institutions. The planning was also very participatory, with students, faculty, and partners putting together the event and the educational materials. I’m honored and excited to be involved from the beginning!”
The Launch Event…