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Hanley Sustainability Institute

Networking our Future

By Charlotte Shade

My name is Charlotte Shade and I am a Sustainability Representatives Leader and Spatial Analyst for HSI. I am a senior studying biology, sustainability, and GIS. I have been very involved in sustainability efforts since I came to UD, and my position at HSI has been a great way to apply my dedication to real life situations. I am currently involved in three large projects: campus mapping, a sustainability assessment survey, and planning a sustainability conference.

mappingCampus Mapping. The campus mapping project that I oversee started as a SEE 401 project. With my training in ArcGIS, I am able to take this project to the next level and create a tool for all of campus to use. I hope to get a final version of the map done before I leave HSI. This map is meant to be a tool for everyone at UD: students, faculty and staff. Right now, I am mainly working with facilities to understand what features on the map may be a good tool for them to use to make campus more sustainable. However, the map will be published publicly, so students can also use it to formally assess the sustainability of the University of Dayton. Five amazing volunteers are also helping  create the map. It has been a great experience teaching GIS to younger students who have never used the software.

Sustainability Assessment Survey. This survey has been a passion project of mine. I had the idea for this survey during a HSI meeting. We talk a lot about how we think UD perceives sustainability, but we do not have any concrete data to support our claims. So I worked with HSI’s Post-Doctoral fellow, Dr. Felix Fernando, to create this survey. We’re hoping to use the results from this survey to advance HSI’s efforts in the future. (Use this link to participate in HSI’s survey now!)

Student Sustainability Leaders: Networking our Future. With the efforts of students and faculty, the University of Dayton will be hosting a sustainability conference next fall, on September 23. All Ohio students are invited to attend Student Sustainability Leaders: Networking Our Future; a student-run, student-centric conference celebrating undergraduate and graduate contributions, and supporting future leaders in sustainability careers. The event will be held at the University’s River Campus. Registration for the event is free and all student attendees will receive a free one-year membership to NCSE. Students of all disciplines are invited to attend, and present their research and scholarship. Registration is now open and will close on Sept. 9. For more information go to http://www.go.udayton.edu/sustainabilityleaders.

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