Kentucky State University receives grant from National Science Foundation

Kentucky State University has been awarded nearly $400,000 by the National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program through its Targeted Infusion Projects initiative for a three-year project entitled “Building a Curriculum and Learning Community for Workforce Readiness in Interdisciplinary Sustainability Science,” which will be led by assistant professor of sustainable systems Dr. Suraj Upadhaya. The project will create an undergraduate sustainability certificate that will introduce students to how the environment, society, technology, and the economy intersect.

According to an article on Kentucky State University’s website, Dr. Marcus Bernard, who serves as the dean of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, was quoted as saying of the grant award, “This award strengthens how Kentucky State fulfills its mission as an 1890 land-grant institution. By connecting teaching, applied research, and community engagement, we are preparing students to lead, serve, and succeed in a rapidly changing workforce.”

The undergraduate sustainability certificate will be open to students of all majors and will provide students with a cross-disciplinary perspective that connects engineering, technology, agricultural sciences, and business. The certificate will feature both new and revised courses, including foundations of sustainability, leadership in complex systems, and applied sustainability practice. Participating students will also become part of a Sustainability Learning Community, develop their portfolios, and complete community-based learning experiences. Students will become prepared to enter into their careers with sustainability and leadership skills.

Dr. Upadhaya said, “Many of today’s sustainability challenges cannot be addressed from a single disciplinary perspective. This project will help students connect what they learn in the classroom with real-world challenges and develop the technical, leadership, and problem-solving skills they will need in their future careers.”

In addition to developing the new certificate program, the grant project will also produce an open-access curriculum toolkit that can be utilized by other institutions, furthering the project’s sustainability mission. 

Also on the grant project team are co-principal investigators Dr. Buddhi Gyawali, who is a professor of geospatial applications, climate studies, and human dimensions, and Dr. Jyotica Bhatra, who is the chair of the School of Engineering and Technology and an associate professor of physics. Senior personnel for the project are Dr. Manisha Parajuli, assistant professor of forestry, and Dr. Sarah Carr, assistant professor of animal science.

Dr. Gyawali said, “Sustainability challenges are inherently interconnected. Bringing together perspectives from geospatial science, climate studies, human dimensions, agriculture, and other disciplines will help students understand those connections and apply their knowledge to real-world problems including sustainable planning, management and use of university resources.”

The project will run through August 2029.

For more information about Kentucky State University, visit the school’s website.