Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future promotes Undergraduate Research

Formed in the summer of 2022, Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future brought together researchers from over 50 different departments and programs and integrated two key research centers on campus—the Purdue Climate Change Research Center and the Center for the Environment.  While the institute has spent the academic year working with faculty to develop its organizational structures while supporting new research teams and working to advance research priorities in various areas of sustainability, supporting early career researchers and undergraduate research activities has also been an area for development.  Says senior managing director Lynne Dahmen, “Extending our faculty expertise in interdisciplinary research on sustainability topics down to the undergraduate level has been an interest of ours, and the DUIRI program is a great vehicle to advance this goal.”

Started in 2008, the Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship (DURI) program is designed to involve Purdue undergraduates in the interdisciplinary research environment of Purdue’s research centers and institutes. Over 650 students have been involved in more than 500 projects, with approximately 80% coming from STEM fields and 20% from social sciences. The program provides opportunities for students to work with researchers from Purdue’s centers and institutes (formerly associated with Discovery Park) on cutting edge research projects that involve combining two or more disciplinary strengths. Working closely with researchers, students experience the excitement, challenge, and power of truly interdisciplinary research in the fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that is currently located within the Discovery Park District. These projects are broadly organized across the areas of global sustainability, security and health. According to DUIRI Director Peter Bermel, “By leveraging enduring support from the Lilly Foundation, DUIRI aims to broaden opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in interdisciplinary research, while providing faculty with autonomy to select their preferred research topics, collaborators, and students.”

Traditionally, the faculty associated with the global sustainability area have worked with three centers: the Center for the Environment, the Climate Change Research Center and the Center for Global Food Security. For example, in 2020, the Center for the Environment and the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Sustainable Food, Energy, Water and the Environment worked with DUIRI to fund thirteen student fellowships that supported research and travel to Peru. This summer, the ISF has worked closely with the staff of the DUIRI program to develop an inaugural summer experience that will connect the faculty, graduate/post-doc mentors and the students more closely as a cohort. ISF has provided funding to cover the faculty portion of the project (currently, faculty pay approximately one third of the costs of the research fellowship provided to the students) and is involved in the recruitment and selection of the interdisciplinary projects while faculty choose students who have applied for the projects.

This cohort will kick off the summer with a launching meeting in mid-May and the students will continue to meet with each other each month in June, July and August.  In addition to participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium in August, the students will also be featured at the ISF Fall Research Expo and be encouraged to publish in the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research.

The table below provides information about the projects, faculty mentors and students involved in this summer’s program.

For more information about ISF, contact: Lynne Dahmen (ldahmen@purdue.edu)

For information on the DUIRI program, contact Kate Mitsch (kmmitsch@purdue.edu)