Sustainability Resources
As part of engaging with the University of Alberta's research and teaching communities, as well as building bridges across disciplines, we have collected various resources and funding sources on this webpage. Please make use of these resources collected from across the university, as well as some that are created or managed by the Sustainability Council.
If you have questions or suggestions, email sustainability@ualberta.ca
Funding for research assistants
Students gain experiential learning by conducting research. At the same time, they can participate in developing the solutions and data that we need to build a better world—the work that University of Alberta academics are doing every day.
If you are looking for a research assistant for a project you have in mind—or if you don’t have a project, but are willing to be a mentor—the Sustainability Council can help.
The URI Undergraduate Researcher Stipend enables undergraduate students to carry out mentored, interdisciplinary research projects. Students in any year and any discipline can find a supervisor and apply for a $7500 stipend for 4–12 months. Of particular note to sustainability research, a number of stipends are reserved for:
- campus-based sustainability research
- projects conducted by women, students with disabilities, or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students and supervised by a Future Energy Systems researcher
- projects supervised by a Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences researcher
- dissemination funding to support social justice research
The next application deadline is February 27, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
Funded through energy savings, Campus Sustainability Grants can be awarded to support “Campus as a Living Lab” type projects—research that uses the university campus as a testing ground for more widely applicable sustainability solutions.
Research should improve operations and practices, advance the stewardship of our natural environment, conduct collaborative research in sustainability, encourage integrated and collaborative solutions to sustainability problems, or advance a culture of sustainability on our campuses.
Micro grants are available at any time for up to $2,000, while major projects can receive up to $50,000, disbursed three times a year.
If a student approaches us with an idea for an undergraduate research project, we connect them to potential supervisors on our affiliate list.
E-Conferencing Resources
Give a top notch online presentation
You’re presenting at an online conference and you want to nail it. You’re an expert who knows your material, so presenting isn’t a problem. But how can you be sure the whole online video part works?
Use these tips to get ready for any live video presentation. You’ll look and sound your best, and it will build your reputation as a go-to presenter for the growing slate of online conferences.
Hold speaking events online
To deliver over 20 lectures and workshops this year, the Sustainability Council has put together a guide for moving these events online. It outlines how to set up Eventbrite for promotions and Zoom for video conferencing. There is a checklist to run through with presenters, ensuring they are set-up well before showtime. And split-and-defined roles and task lists for staff ensure each event runs smoothly.
While this guide is specifically tailored for the Sustainability Council, we hope it can be a useful starting point for other event organizers at the University of Alberta.
Organize an entire conference online
Learn the best practices KIAS developed over five years of running Around The World, an annual, online-only conference. This toolkit will help you start exploring exciting new conference formats that can take advantage of the online space. Tailored to the University of Alberta, you'll get ideas for building a case, mastering the tech set-up, maximizing interaction and making the most of campus resources.
Start e-conferencing to bring new voices into the conversation, reach scholars in remote locations, build a worldwide audience, innovate academically—and shrink your carbon footprint at the same time!
Right Research: Modelling Sustainable Research Practices in the Anthropocene
Edited by the University of Alberta’s Chelsea Miya, Oliver Rossier and Geoffrey Rockwell.
The essays in this volume critically examine scholarly research practices and ask what accountability educators and researchers have in ‘righting’ their relationship to the environment. The volume further calls attention to the geographical, financial, legal and political barriers that might limit scholarly dialogue by excluding researchers from participating in traditional modes of scholarly conversation.
As such, Right Research is a bold invitation to the academic community to rigorous self-reflection on what their research looks like, how it is conducted, and how it might be developed so as to increase accessibility and sustainability, and decrease carbon footprint.
The volume follows a three-part structure that bridges conceptual and practical concerns: the first section challenges our assumptions about how sustainability is defined, measured and practiced; the second section showcases artist-researchers whose work engages with the impact of humans on our environment; while the third section investigates how academic spaces can model eco-conscious behaviour.
Potential funders and collaborators
Developing the energy technologies of the near future examines their integration into current infrastructure and considers their social, economic, and environmental impacts. Interdisciplinary collaboration is strongly encouraged.
An international research to jointly develop solutions to challenges in energy and the environment, ecosystem and resource informatics, and healthcare.
Kule Institute for Advanced Study
A major endowed institute supporting collaborative and interdisciplinary research in the social sciences, humanities and fine arts, and focusing on research with the potential for national or international recognition.
The Discovery Mall was purpose-built to support interdisciplinary research teams. Over 800 m2 of flexible space are dedicated to the Health Sciences Council.
Scholarships and financial awards for students
For the STARS report, the Sustainability Council lists scholarships and financial awards related to sustainability. If you are looking to fund undergraduate or graduate studies, check out these two listings for potential leads.
Supports for research (STARS report)
Department-specific awards (FGSR listing)