M A SCA RO C ENT ER FOR S UST A I NA BLE I NNOVA T I ON 2021 A NNUAL R EPORT
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
In Memory................................................................................................................................ 3 Who We Are ............................................................................................................................ 4 Looking Ahead......................................................................................................................... 5 Our Team ................................................................................................................................ 6 MCSI Broadens its Influence Through Engagement Across Campus and the World .............. 7 MCSI Research Program Expands Cohort ............................................................................ 11 MCSI Supports Novel Research and Education Programs ................................................... 14 MCSI Partnerships Create Public Good from University Research ....................................... 17 Pitt Sustainability Efforts Recognized by Peers and Community ........................................... 20 Mascaro Center Recognition & Engagement ........................................................................ 23 Media Report ......................................................................................................................... 26 Social..................................................................................................................................... 26 Journal Articles ...................................................................................................................... 32 Conference Proceedings ....................................................................................................... 35 Books .................................................................................................................................... 35 Book Review.......................................................................................................................... 35 Appendix ............................................................................................................................... 36 MCSI Goals ........................................................................................................................... 37
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I N MEMORY This report is dedicated to our founder and inspiration, Jack Mascaro and in memory of MCSI intern, Patrick Eells.
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WHO WE A RE
Established in 2003, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) is the universitywide sustainability center focused on catalyzing sustainability research and education. MCSI leads Pitt’s faculty sustainability engagement via strategy and programs focused on integrating sustainability into the curriculum, groundbreaking sustainability research, and community outreach and innovation.
MCSI's various student opportunities focus on
exploring and experiencing sustainability in research, practice, and performance. MCSI’s Faculty Sustainability Task Force brings together representatives from every Pitt school to advance sustainability through the integration of a multidisciplinary curriculum, groundbreaking research, innovation, community engagement, and partnership. MCSI also creates opportunities to coordinate academic collaborations across campus with Pitt’s other sustainability-focused and -related research centers.
The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation aims to foster and achieve the University’s sustainability vision through the development and integration of curriculum, groundbreaking research, community outreach and innovation.
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L OOKING A HEAD June 2021 Since our founding, the MCSI leadership team has endeavored to include contributions of impact from throughout the Pitt community in our mission. Further, it has always been our goal to ensure that our academic programs contribute to positive outcomes for regional communities and the local economy. As such, MCSI’s core goals coincide directly with the universal values noted in the 2025 Plan for Pitt: Academic Excellence Innovation Community
Collaboration Inclusion Sustainability
One of MCSI’s earliest efforts resulted in a highly selective NSF training grant - a collaboration with universities in Brazil, and with Pitt’s Center for Latin American Studies which resulted in a highly diverse cohort of PhD students, numerous high-quality publications, and outreach to both domestic and international communities. Fast forward to the present - David Sanchez [one of the NSF Trainee cohort, now Assistant Director of MCSI] created a virtual workshop on Sustainability in Island Nations. Given the interest among our faculty and students plus alliances with global companies, our international programs will continue to strengthen and grow. Our efforts have resulted in highly successful research and education programs which have allowed faculty to reap substantial additional research funding [page 13] and also to expand their work to outreach programs in Garfield, Larimer, and Homewood [page 17]. Within the University, MCSI created and piloted courses that underpin the Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate. Our Green Speakeasy Series, despite being forced into virtual mode because of the Covid-19 pandemic, had perhaps its most successful year to date with more than 450 attendees at six events that showcased key thought leaders in sustainability from across the campus [page 7]. Both Teach-the-Teacher and Undergraduate Summer Research Program were also moved into virtual mode, yet these programs continue to grow and thrive [pages 9 and 16]. MCSI’s work is also consistent with the recently released Swanson School’s strategic planning document, “Engineering the Future,” wherein the three pillars are People, Partnerships, and Translation. As an example of one project that encompasses all three: MCSI has created partnerships with diverse groups ranging from companies such as Covestro LLC to the City of Pittsburgh to the Carnegie Science Center. Melissa Bilec led a multi-university team that acquired a major NSF grant to examine circular design convergence – the team includes faculty from multiple disciplines and universities. Melissa also organized an NSF workshop [page 12] on circularity and the global waste problem, which has led, and will likely continue to lead to enhanced partnership opportunities. Our burgeoning partnership with Covestro LLC [page 11] is designed to result in an institute around circular design, perhaps the first one of its kind in the world. With respect to action, “Engineering the Future" outlines a series of key steps to be taken in terms of “Now”, “Next”, and “Beyond”, where each category represents a future milestone period (from 6 months to 3 years), which we have replicated [page 37]. This year has not been without challenges, especially with the passing of our mentor, friend, and motivator, Jack Mascaro. Jack inspired each of us to “be great,” and we seek to honor his greatness through our work every day. As such, MCSI has endeavored to create success and greatness over the past 17 years while employing sustainability as our unifying thread. We hope you as readers find inspiration in the highlights from the 20202021 year and are inspired by our future goals, in honor and in legacy of Jack. Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Dr. Eric J. Beckman, PhD Co-Director
Gena M. Kovalcik, MPPM Co-Director
O UR T EAM Eric J. Beckman, Co-Director Eric sustains a strong research portfolio and works to develop new technologies that expand the frontiers of sustainability. He helps to develop mutually beneficial linkages with industry in order to develop partnerships and collaborative research and, where applicable, technology transfer, contract work, and commercialization of intellectual property. Gena M. Kovalcik, Co-Director Gena is responsible for providing administrative leadership, which includes supervising personnel, financial management, and operations. Gena represents the interests of the Center with academic administration, encouraging and supporting the raising of funds, and managing and ensuring regular communication of Center activities for faculty, students, and external partners. She is accountable for the successful development and implementation of all MCSI events and programs and provides support to the faculty leadership team on all initiatives. Melissa M. Bilec, Deputy Director Melissa is responsible for providing research leadership, which includes developing new programs and promoting and facilitating leading-edge collaborative research. Melissa helps to build and provide support for a community of innovative researchers to enhance research capacity at the University and increase internal and external research opportunities for faculty and students. She works to develop networks between the Center and partners, acting as the nexus between the University and the community developing strong linkages with appropriate departments and programs. David Sanchez, Assistant Director, Education and Community Engagement David is responsible for all of the Center’s education, community engagement, and outreach programs, including directing the undergraduate certificate in sustainability, the Master’s in Sustainable Engineering, and the John C. Mascaro Faculty program. He is responsible for building strong, positive working relationships with faculty, administration, students, and external partners. This includes overseeing the undergraduate and graduate curriculum, K-12 programming, and overseeing outreach programs that benefit our broad education and research agenda. Ellie Cadden, Sustainability Engagement Assistant Ellie manages all office activities including scheduling meetings, maintaining the appointment calendar, travel, proofreading and editing correspondence and budget management. She assists with educational programs, marketing, and logistics. Ellie also manages the design and content of the MCSI website, e-newsletter, and social media communications. Anna Coleman, Sustainability Intern Anna joined MCSI as an intern in 2018 and supports the entire leadership team on all of our programs and initiatives. In particular, Anna leads website updates and e-newsletter efforts.
Gabrielle Sampson, Sustainability Intern Gabby joined MCSI as an intern in 2020 and supports the entire leadership team on all of our programs and initiatives. In particular, Gabby leads our social media efforts.
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MCSI B ROADENS ITS I NFLUENCE T HROUGH E NGAGEMENT A CROSS C AMPUS AND THE WORLD Green Speakeasy Events Remote work provided a unique opportunity to engage a broad and diverse group of speakers for our Green Speakeasy Series. We were delighted that the virtual format and cross-campus collaboration significantly increased attendees with more than 455 people joining us for the six events. To hear directly from our Pitt Leadership on their vision for Sustainability at Pitt access the Pitt Dean’s Talk Sustainability video here.
Pitt Climate Action Talk for Swanson School Alumni Dr. Melissa Bilec and Pitt Director of Sustainability, Dr. Aurora Sharrard provided an update on the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the Pitt Climate Action Plan. More than 100 Engineering alumni and friends joined the conversation. Climate Action Plan preview shows roadmap to carbon neutrality | University Times | University of Pittsburgh
Pitt Employee Professional Development Courses MCSI’s Ellie Cadden and the Office of Sustainability’s Samantha Ford co-taught the Sustainability Foundations course. This course was attended by 52 professional staff and is a preamble to our Professional Development Sustainability Certificate for employees.
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Pitt First Year Program impact MCSI has trained student volunteers to provide sustainability presentations within first year seminars and other classes. This year, our team of student leaders provided presentations to 41 classes and impacted nearly 1800 students doubling the number of students from last academic year.
Pitt Greenhouse Gas Inventory Melissa Bilec and her graduate student, Jessica Vaden completed Pitt’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory for FY2019, helping support development of the Pitt Climate Action Plan, predicating carbon neutrality for the Pittsburgh campus by 2037.
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Virtual Field Trip - UCLA Center X Dave Sanchez virtually hosted an all-girls STEM Academy from Los Angeles in his lab for an education field trip where they discussed water quality, engineering, and science. We collaborated with UCLA Center X and engaged more than 30 students. Read more about the event here:
Global Engagement Series – Guam As part of a Virtual Global Engagement Series created in the Fall with the Pitt Office of Study Abroad, Dave Sanchez presented virtually on Sustainability of Island Nations.
Teach-the-Teacher - Summer 2020 Dave Sanchez transitioned the Teach-theTeacher to a virtual format and hosted ~20 teachers in June 2020. In collaboration with the UCLA Center X, they hosted Middle School science teachers for a 2-day workshop that provided them with training and modules they could take back to their classroom. Indirectly, the program engages more than 2000 students.
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Pitt Day of Giving MCSI’s Ellie Cadden led efforts for Pitt Day of Giving for all Sustainability programs - including Office of Sustainability, Water Collaboratory, Center for Sustainable Business and the Student Office of Sustainability. These efforts have a primary goal of generating awareness of sustainability efforts throughout our campus. It also helped to generate more than $3,500 in support. Day of Giving - Give to Pitt Sustainability!
Carnegie Science Center Shows Role of Filters in Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Melissa Bilec developed this new display at the Carnegie Science Center that depicts how the right filters in an HVAC system can add a layer of protection to indoor air. Image provided by Carnegie Science Center.
“As an advocate for science literacy, we saw the pandemic as an opportunity to combine a message about real research, current events and museum collections in one place. We didn’t want to just dwell on the pandemic for our visitors….but we did want to reassure them about our precautions while they are here, to connect research to real-world examples, like protecting our valuable collections - and our valued guests.” --Dennis Bateman, Director of Exhibits, Carnegie Science Center”
Empowering Women and Girls Melissa Bilec and graduate student, Jessica Vaden, are working with Pitt alumna, Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya, and her organization Kakenya’s Dream on educational modules around environmental justice.
MCSI R ESEARCH P ROGRAM E XPANDS C OHORT OF E NGAGED R ESEARCHERS AND F ORGES NEW P ATHWAYS Covestro Program The newly created Covestro LLC Circular Economy Program, led by Drs. Eric Beckman and Melissa Bilec, will create a comprehensive academic initiative that will be focused on training the next generation of engineers to lead in the circular economy.
“Sustainability is a core value for the University of Pittsburgh and Covestro, and bringing these two organizations together will act as a force multiplier in achieving circularity for the materials industry. --Richard Skorpenske, Covestro”
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NSF Workshop to set Circular Economy Research Agenda led by Bilec Melissa Bilec received $98,000 from the National Science Foundation to convene a panel of experts for a workshop on the circular economy that will help set the research agenda for years to come. The workshop brought together experts and thought leaders in academia, industry, government, and nonprofits to discuss circular economy design from molecules to the built environment. During three, three-hour sessions over three weeks, the workshop was an opportunity for the wide array of invited constituents to discuss and develop ideas in circular economy research. Reach more here.
Practical Strategies for Inclusive Engineering Education More inclusive classrooms improve learning and academic performance, and under-represented students in particular benefit from inclusion. Melissa Bilec and April Dukes are leading a project called “Collaborative Research: Increasing Implementation of Proven Inclusivity Practices in Undergraduate Engineering Education” that will provide tangible guidance to educators for operating an inclusive classroom.
The Built Environment and Climate Change In collaboration with Drexel University’s Dr. Simi Hoque, Melissa Bilec is exploring and developing an analytical framework for predicting urban building energy consumption considering different energy source types and associated greenhouse gas emissions under different climate scenarios. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation with $225,000 awarded to the University of Pittsburgh. This work will fill a gap in our understanding of how to interpret and address climate change-related stresses on building performance. This will provide guidance for the development of standards addressing new building design, but also promote improved adaptation and mitigation strategies in the existing building stock, while taking life cycle environmental impacts into account.
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2021 MCSI Seed Grant Follow-on Funding Totals $2.5MM The goal of the MCSI Research Seed Grant Program is to catalyze the formation of convergent research teams focused on sustainability and associated solutions. Since 2004, MCSI has supported over 113 faculty research projects, resulting in nearly $30 million in follow-on funding.
Title
Source
Faculty
Amount
Convergence Accelerator: Workshop on Design for a Circular Economy from Molecules to the Built Environment
National Science Foundation
Bilec, Beckman, Jiang
$98,800
PIPE: Proven Inclusivity Practices for Engineering
National Science Foundation
Bilec, Duke
$300,000
Climate Impacts on the Urban Built Environment
National Science Foundation
Bilec, Melissa
$450,000 $225,000 (Bilec)
Greenhouse Gas Inventory FY 2020
Pitt Facilities
Bilec, Melissa
$21,000
Designing a Piezoelectric-Powered Buoy
NOAA, NREL
Hornbostel, Katherine
$10,000
Enhancing Atomistic ModeLing: Physically Robust Atomistic Machine Learning Models for Predictive Insights into Solvated Chem Reactions
INTER/MOBILITY
Keith, John
$79,000 EUR
Automated Acoustic Monitoring of Focal Bird Species in Dynamic Forest Restoration Blocks in the PA Wilds and Laurel Highlands
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
Kitzes, Justin
$198,742 ($180,680 direct)
Floristic Inventory and Threat Assessment of Yellow Oak-Redbud Woodlands in the Allegheny Plateau
PA Dept of Natural Resources
Kuebbing, Sara
$23,876
Cooperative Catalysts for a Zero-Waste Chemical Economy (Beckman Young Investigator Award)
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Fndt
McKone, James
$600,000
Robust Bio-electrochemical Electrodes for Space Applications
NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab
Sanchez, David
$25,000 ($140,000K)
Sustainability in Micronesia
GSC
Sanchez, David
$40,000
Developing an Energy-Conscious Traffic Signal Control System for Optimized Fuel Consumption in Connected Vehicle Environments
US Department of Energy
Stevanovic, Alex
$2,366,460 ($519,044 direct)
Attacking the Global Plastics Waste Problem
Pitt Momentum Grant
Veser, Goetz; Beckman, Eric
$400,000
MCSI S UPPORTS NOVEL R ESEARCH AND E DUCATION P ROGRAMS A CROSS THE DISCIPLINARY S PECTRUM 2021 Faculty Awards in Sustainability This program is designed to engage faculty who want to advance the University’s mission of interdisciplinary excellence in sustainability research and education. To read more about the faculty and their projects go here. Leonard Peters Faculty Fellowships Michael Blackhurst, UCSUR Danielle Andrews-Brown, Geology & Env Science Tony Kerzmann, Mechanical Engineering John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellowships International Development Policy (IDP) BADGE David Fraser, University Honors College Müge Kökten Finkel, GSPIA A New Approach to Decision Making Under Uncertainty with Applications to Electric Grid Operation Oliver Hinder, Industrial Engineering John C. Mascaro Faculty Scholarships Development of a Digital Twin for Green Energy Management and Security in a Picogrid Laboratory Robert Kerestes, Electrical & Comp Engineering Electric Motor Materials and Designs for a Sustainable Electrified Future Brandon Grainger, Electrical and Computer Engineering Paul Ohodnicki, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Introduction to Engineering for Humanity Ian Nettleship, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science John C. Mascaro Faculty Lectureships Sustainable Food Systems Course Corey Flynn, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Writing Sustainability Steven LeMieux, Department of English Citrus juices as an environmentally benign catalyst for chemical transformations. Manisha Nigam, Pitt Johnstown
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Undergraduate Certificate
Transcription of Distinction
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40 graduates with certificate
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MCSI led; approved Spring 2021
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18 different departments
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19 students enrolled
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1 awarded in April 2021
Certificate Core Courses •
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Current Issues; 2 sections with 82 undergraduate and 10 graduate students Sustainability Capstone; 52 undergraduate and 5 graduate students
MS in Sustainable Engineering ●
15 students admitted
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22 applications submitted
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40 in progress
Enhanced MSSE Recruiting and Applications Dave Sanchez led the transition of the MS in Sustainable Engineering (MSSE) to the new CAS Liaison admission system as well as worked with Stephanie Opalinski and Associate Dean Bob Parker to initiate the following recruitment programs for the MSSE: Pitt2Pitt (Pitt 2020 graduates), EAGr (Pitt SSOE juniors and seniors), and Compass (non-engineering students).
Designed “Central Eurasian Water Future” course supported by National Endowment for Humanities Dave Sanchez designed a course in collaboration with Prof. John Camillus, “Central Eurasian Water Future” and drawing 19 undergraduate students, focused on Kazakhstan and incorporated analytic approaches from the Business of Humanity® Project (http://boh.pitt.edu). The course’s emphasis on Kazakhstan allowed students to explore contemporary issues relating to water in Central Eurasia. With guest lectures by Dr. Shanazarova (Religious Studies/History), Dr. Elissa Bullion (Anthropology), Dr. Vasili Rukhadze (Political Science), and Dr. Sanchez, they introduced students to the historical, cultural, and political complexity of Central Eurasia, the course advocated for emphasizing Kazakhstan on the grounds that this country not only provides a lens on challenges to water sustainability in the region but also has the largest economy in Central Europe.
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Undergraduate Summer Research Our undergraduate research program has supported nearly 300 students. Historically this program has engaged engineering students and projects. However, this academic year we expanded the scope of the program to include non-technical projects and students. This proved tremendously successful with 98 applications and 29 students supported for the summer of 2021. Read about all of our student project pairings.
MCSI P ARTNERSHIPS C REATE P UBLIC G OOD FROM UNIVERSITY R ESEARCH
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HOMEWOOD Greenhouse for Year-Round Growing Through a Pitt Year of Engagement Grant (written by Ellie Cadden MCSI Sustainability Engagement Assistant and interns Gabby Sampson and Anna Coleman), Dr. David Sanchez will be able to expand his work with the Oasis Project and Pitt Hydroponics. A new greenhouse will enable the expansion of the growing season, offer new growing space for Pitt Hydroponics and provide new educational opportunities. Construction and initial use of the greenhouse also serves as a volunteer opportunity for students.
IEEE and the Ruach Bicycle Club MCSI Faculty Fellow, Bob Kerestes, working with the IEEE Power and Energy Society Student Chapter will be mentoring youth to learn the mechanical aspects of a bike and how to use the mechanical energy generated from their bike to charge a mini led headlights. This project is through a collaboration with the Homewood Community Engagement Center and the Ruach Bicycle Club.
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CITY OF PITTSBURGH Sustainability Capstone Course & Collaborations with External Partners Drs. David Sanchez and Faculty Fellow, Tony Kerzmann led 57 students on 13 projects with a broad range of partners including: Avient Corporation, Corning, The Mosaic Company, Carnegie Museum of Art, The Bible Center Church, McCandless Township, Solar Renewable Energy LLC, Pillars Assets, and the City of Pittsburgh. As an example, in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh, students designed a park to aid Pittsburgh in its goal of zero waste by 2030. The park design offers plenty of new green space in the city while also serving as a community gathering space, educational center and waste management facility. Learn more about this innovative circular economy design in the student video.
“...the work you all accomplished in one semester is totally outrageous...Seriously quality work- I've never gushed like this over a class project. And you're all a pleasure to work with on top of it. Congratulations and thank you! --Rebecca Kiernan, Principal Resilience Planner, City of Pittsburgh”
Marshall Plan for Middle America The Marshall Plan (MP4MA) was developed by Pitt’s Center for Sustainable Business with the support of key project partners. Drs. Melissa Bilec and Mike Blackhurst played critical roles in the MP4MA’s development and are now working with the City of Pittsburgh and others to activate the concepts.
TEN Program Dr. Melissa Bilec has partnered with The Efficiency Network (TEN) with the aim of developing an energy education program to support Pittsburgh Public School (PPS) with a specific focus on the Allegheny Traditional Academy (ATA) housing K-8. TEN is currently completing an energy conservation project for PPS ATA, with an aim to utilize this construction project for experiential learning opportunities.
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Sustainable Traffic Operations in the City The City of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission are working with Dr. Alex Stevanovic’s research group on modeling efforts related to more sustainable traffic operations in the City of Pittsburgh. His PITTS Lab team is working on developing a microsimulation model for the Pitt campus and will then start to optimize signal timings in order to reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Building such a comprehensive and accurate model (consisting of various transportation modes such as private cars, buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians) requires a great amount of traffic data, including origin-destination traffic demands, turning movement counts, signal timing plans, etc. This is where their partners - the City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), help by providing required traffic data and other relevant materials. The map shows the model of Pitt’s campus in a traffic microsimulation tool overlayed on the GIS network.
Solar Farm in Jefferson Hills MCSI Faculty Fellow, Tony Kerzmann, is assisting a local landowner in Jefferson Hills with the design, engineering, permitting, and project management of Allegheny County’s first commercial solar farm. The solar farm will be a 3.5 MWdc solar array that will span approximately 10 acres and be comprised of more than 9000 solar panels. Over a 30-year lifespan, the solar farm is projected to produce more than 130 million kWh of clean electricity, with an average annual output of approximately 4 million kWh. The clean electricity that is produced will offset over 200 million pounds of CO2 which is the equivalent to planting 1.5 million trees.
Market Science in Bloomfield MCSI Faculty Fellow, Sara Kuebbing and her team of students participated in “Market Science”, which is an event coordinated by the Biology Department outreach staff at the Bloomfield Farmers Market.
P ITT S USTAINABILITY E FFORTS R ECOGNIZED BY P EERS AND C OMMUNITY
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AASHE STARS Gold The University of Pittsburgh has achieved AASHE STARS Gold for the first time. Three years after achieving its first ever Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (AASHE STARS) rating (Silver), Pitt is proud to again be recognized for its sustainability accomplishments over the last three years with an AASHE STARS Gold rating (valid through 2024). MCSI leadership played a key role in the submission. The University accounted for 258 sustainabilityrelated courses across 41 distinct departments. Peruse Pitt’s full AASHE STARS documentation here.
Pitt Commits to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2037 The University of Pittsburgh has committed to becoming carbon neutral on its Pittsburgh campus by 2037, its 250th anniversary. Through partnerships, efficiencies, renewable sources, and more, we will build on the success of our Sustainability Plan and existing GHG reduction of 22% since 2008 to reach carbon neutrality. Melissa Bilec serves as a member of this leadership team and has led the GHG inventories. Watch video here.
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Pitt Sustainability Dashboards Special recognition and thanks to Jonathan Coles (SSOE ’20), who has helped create all Pitt Sustainability Dashboards with Pitt’s Office of Sustainability to-date. The project was initiated with the 2019 MCSI Summer Undergraduate Research Program and is advised by Dr. Aurora Sharrard (Sustainability), with initial input by Dr. Melissa Bilec, and Dr. Michael Blackhurst (UCSUR). All Interactive Pitt Sustainability Dashboards
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2021 Pitt Sustainability Champions In recognition of their leadership and commitment to Pitt Sustainability, 25 members of the University community were selected as 2021 Pitt Sustainability Champions. These Champions represent undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff from 10 different academic departments and 14 different offices. Learn more about our Champions here.
Undergraduate Students Hannah Chen, Health Information Management Anna Coleman, Global Studies Julianna Cooper, Geology and Enviro Science, Political Science Zachary Delaney, Geology and Enviro Science Sydney DuBose, Geology and Enviro Science Maya Knee, French and Italian, Political Science Anfernee La Cruz, Geology and Environmental Science Liz Logan, Geology and Enviro Science Louis Tierno, Geology and Enviro Science Anfernee La Cruz, Geology and Enviro Science Gabrielle Sampson, Geology and Enviro Science Graduate Students Eric Raabe, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, CONNECT Jessica Vaden, Civil and Environmental Engineering Kelsey Wolfe, Administrative and Policy Studies, Office of Pitt Serves
Faculty Tony Kerzmann, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Staff Kim Barlow, Office of University Communications Caitlin Courtney, Pitt Eats Joshua Jones, Department of Chemistry Will Mitchell, Office of Facilities Management Kristin Olexa, Purchasing Services William Parker, Pitt Eats Dez Stuart, Office of PittServes Timothy Howland, Pitt Eats Monica Rattigan, University Store Meagan Sotirokos, Maggie & Stella’s Ciara Stehley, Office of PittServes
“We see you; we appreciate you. This has been an incredibly challenging year. So everything you have done to increase the culture of sustainability on the Pitt campus is seen, is appreciated. And we thank you." -- Erika Ninos, Sustainability, Student Affairs
M ASCARO C ENTER R ECOGNITION & E NGAGEMENT Faculty Awards Eric Beckman, Elected National Academy of Inventors Fellow David Sanchez, Soska Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership Award
External Boards and Committees American Society of Engineering Education – National (Env. Engr Division) (Secretary) David Sanchez Engineering Science Academic Advisory Committee (Member) David Sanchez Food21 – Sustainable Regional Food Systems (Senior Advisor) David Sanchez (IPIKU) Indigenous Pacific Island Knowledge U. (Representing all 5 national entities of Micronesia) David Sanchez International Society for Industrial Ecology, Sustainable Urban System (Co-Chair) Melissa Bilec Sustainable Pittsburgh, CEOs for Sustainability Advisory Board (Member) Gena Kovalcik U.S. Technical Advisory Group for International Organization for Standardization, TC323 Circular Economy (Member) Melissa Bilec
Internal Boards and Committees
Carbon Commitment Committee, including Carbon In/Offsets & Sequestration Sub-Committee (Member) Melissa Bilec Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Sustainability (Member) Melissa Bilec Gena Kovalcik Community Engaged Scholarship Forum Planning Committee (Member) Gena Kovalcik (co-lead for AY22) Swanson School of Engineering Academic Committee (Undergraduate/Graduate) (Member) David Sanchez Year of Engagement Committee (Member) David Sanchez
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Journal Leadership Editorial Board for Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, sister journal to Environmental Research Letters Melissa Bilec ASCE Architecture Engineering Associate Editor and Special Editor for Circular Economy and Regenerative Buildings Melissa Bilec Subject Editor for International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Melissa Bilec ASCE Natural Hazards Review, Trial Associate Editor Melissa Bilec PLOS-ONE Academic Editor Melissa Bilec
Invited Lectures Internal
Pitt Mentoring and Advising Summit Gena Kovalcik (Invited Speaker) “Hispanic Heritage Month” Swanson School of Engineering Workshop Oct.12, 2020, Virtual David Sanchez
International “Plastic Economy in a Health Care Crisis.” Global Council for Science and the Environment, Plastic Cohort Workshop, April 12, 13, 15, 2021, Virtual. Melissa Bilec “Hybrid/Flex model applied to higher education” UNISINOS Brazil Workshop Jan.13, 2021, Virtual David Sanchez
National “Circular Economy and the Built Environment in Our High-Tech World.” NIST Circular Economy in the High-Tech World Workshop, January 27, 2021, Virtual Melissa Bilec “Converging on Circular Economy Solutions for the Built Environment.” International Congress on Sustainability Science & Engineering, August 3-5, 2020, Denver, Colorado. Melissa Bilec Seminars at Universities or National Research Institutes “Convergence Around the Circular Economy.” Carnegie Mellon University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, May 1, 2020, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Melissa Bilec
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Workshop and Conference Organizations Sustainable World Without Waste, May 6, 10, 12, 2021, Virtual. Organizers: Bhavik Bakshi, Melissa Bilec, Tim Gutowski, Elena Irwin, Cynthia Isenhour, Dusan Sekulic, Thomas Theis, Valerie Thomas. NSF Convergence Accelerator: Design for Circular Economy from Molecules to the Built Environment Workshop,September 18, 24, 30, 2020, Virtual Workshop. Organizers: Melissa Bilec (PI, lead organizer), Eric J. Beckman, Jenna Jambeck, Jason Locklin, Gemma Jiang, Fernanda Cruz Rios Ford Buildings and Infrastructure Technical Committee, ISSST, June 21-25, 2021, virtual Melissa Bilec American Society of Engineering Education – National (Env. Engr. Division) - June, 2022, Minneapolis MN Program Chair: David Sanchez American Society of Engineering Education – Regional (Northeast Central) - March 2022, Pittsburgh PA Conference Chair(s): David Sanchez and Irene Mena
Swanson School of Engineering Leadership In addition to her Co-Directorship of MCSI, Gena Kovalcik served as Interim Director of Strategic Business and Financial Operations for the Swanson School of Engineering (SSOE) from September - December 2020. She was then appointed Strategic Advisor to SSOE Dean James Martin, continuing to help formalize and lead development of SSOE’s strategic processes and operationalizing strategy across all Swanson School units while still leading MCSI.
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M EDIA R EPORT S OCIAL
Earth Day 2021 Facebook Engagement •
Intro:
435 people reached, 8 engagements
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Ng/PFAS from Public Source:
1,252 people reached, 28 engagements
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Bilec et al/Circular Economy:
449 people reached, 2 engagements
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Sanchez/NSF award:
605 people reached, 15 engagements
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Leu/Superomniphobic coating:
529 people reached, 3 engagements
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MCSI/Sustainability Champions: 479 people reached, 3 engagements
Earth Day 2021 Twitter Engagemen t •
Intro:
9,212 people reached, 48 engagements
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Ng/PFAS from Public Source:
1,017 people reached, 10 engagements
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Bilec et al/Circular Economy:
935 people reached, 7 engagements
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Sanchez/NSF award:
1,106 people reached, 40 engagements
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Leu/Superomniphobic coating:
685 people reached, 3 engagements
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MCSI/Sustainability Champions: 751 people reached, 12 engagements
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Alumni Newsletters MCSI initiated a Pitt Sustainability Alumni and Friends Newsletter in 2019. This academic year, we published 3 newsletters and now reach more than 800 subscribers with a 20% open rate. Sign up for our mailing list here.
Pitt Sustainability YouTube channel Pitt Sustainability now has its own YouTube Channel, which provides a new space for MCSI to share its work alongside other campus-wide efforts. All recorded Green Speakeasy events are now hosted on the site.
Podcasts MCSI’s Melissa Bilec was also recently featured on the Swanson School EnginEARS podcast. On this episode, Melissa Bilec talks about the Center, some of its initiatives, and the impact it's had in the Pittsburgh community. She explains the concept of Circular Economy and shares some tips for bringing sustainability into our daily lives. Listen here. This episode was dedicated to John C. "Jack" Mascaro, MSCI benefactor and namesake: September 3, 1944- July 19, 2020. Eric Beckman was featured in the Pitt Sustainability Series spearheaded and hosted by MCSI Faculty Fellow Michael Blackhurst. The talk features Dr. Beckman’s work related to the Global Plastic Waste Program. Listen here.
Media Mentions
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July 7, 2020: Searching for the Silver Lining in Drinking Water Disinfection Pitt Researchers receive $330K to test whether silver modified shower fixtures effectively prevent opportunistic pathogen exposure (Gilbertson et al, news release) • Eurekalert: 1,941 views • Facebook: 706 people reached, 16 engagements (Reactions, Comments, Shares, and Clicks) • Twitter: 1,793 impressions, 67 engagements July 20, 2020: In Memoriam – John C. “Jack” Mascaro Statement from Dean James R. Martin II • Facebook: 1,086 people reached, 148 engagements • Twitter: 11,318 impressions, 271 engagements July 22, 2020: Understanding the Microbial Community in Our Showers Haig’s New INHALE Lab Tests How Consumer Choices Impact Their Exposure to Microbes in Shower Water (news release) • Facebook: 786 people reached, 35 engagements • Twitter: 2,946 impressions, 151 engagements July 22, 2020: Jack Mascaro, founder of one of Pittsburgh's largest construction firms, dies at 76 (Tim Schooley, Pittsburgh Business Times) July 23, 2020: Pittsburgh builder and sustainability pioneer Jack Mascaro dies after long illness (Paul Guggenheimer, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) • Facebook: 1,086 people reached, 148 engagements • Twitter: 2,499 impressions, 55 engagements July 23, 2020: Obituary: John C. 'Jack' Mascaro / Builder of Heinz Field, science center embraced 'green' construction (Janice Crompton, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) July 29, 2020: Engineering a Carbon-Neutral Power Plant Katherine Hornbostel Receives ARPA-E Grant to Design Natural Gas Plant that Captures More Carbon Than It Produces (news release) • Eurekalert: 3,446 views • Facebook: 1,320 people reached, 124 engagements • Twitter: 4,187 impressions, 105 engagements August 1, 2020: Founder of Mascaro Construction, Heinz Field Builder, Dies at Age 75 (Harry Funk, Washington Observer-Reporter) August 5, 2020: Sustainable Chemistry at the Quantum Level John Keith explores the sustainable potential of computational quantum chemistry (Keith, news release) • Eurekalert: 4,616 views • Facebook: 595 people reached, 15 engagements • Twitter: 3,062 impressions, 39 engagements August 20, 2020: A Blueprint for Greener Catalysis New Paper Published in Science Explores the Use of Earth-Abundant Metals in Catalysis (Keith, news release) • Facebook: 557 people reached, 14 engagements • Twitter: 3,296 impressions, 36 engagements
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September 3, 2020: Three Pitt Professors Selected as 2020-21 MCSI Leonard Peters Faculty Fellows (news release) • Facebook: 555 people reached, 16 engagements • Published in University Times September 20, 2020 September 7, 2020: Pitt's Construction Management Program Featured on the "Building PA" Podcast (Sebastian, news release) • Published by Office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo • Additional media hits include Pittsburgh Business Times, WBNG-TV • Twitter: 890 impressions, 10 engagements September 17, 2019: Plotting a Course for the Circular Economy Melissa Bilec Receives $98K from NSF to Lead Circular Economy Workshop (news release) • Facebook: 607 people reached, 10 engagements • Published in University Times October 15, 2020 September 18, 2020: Adding a Layer of Protection to Indoor Air Melissa Bilec Creates Exhibit for Carnegie Science Center to Show the Role of Filters in Stopping the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 (news feature) • Facebook: 494 people reached, 17 engagements • Twitter: 1,058 impressions, 13 engagements September 23, 2020: Using Artificial Intelligence to Connect Vehicles and Traffic Infrastructure Collaboration Awarded $1.89M Department of Energy Grant to Develop Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (news release) • Eurekalert: 5,363 views • Facebook: 555 people reached, 16 engagements • Twitter: 6,278 impressions, 62 engagements September 28, 2020: Pitt students invent Canal Battery Guard, a novel way to keep your phone battery alive longer • Published by Next Pittsburgh • Facebook: 762 people reached, 19 engagements September 30, 2020: Powering AI in Sensors with Energy Harvested from Nature Jingtong Hu and collaborators received an NSF award to enable AI in sensors that are powered by energyharvesting technology (news release) • Eurekalert: 2,106 views • Facebook: 481 people reached, 18 engagements October 14, 2020: MSCI Green Speakeasy – Climate Change in Alaska (Pitt Event Calendar • Twitter: 5,216 impressions, 23 engagements December 2, 2020: PFAS chemicals are ubiquitous. A Pitt scientist is working to protect you from thousands of types at once Two of the 'forever chemicals' have been studied widely and show a wide range of harmful effects. A Pitt researcher is helping to tackle the problem: What do we do about the other 4,000+? • Originally published in Public Source • Facebook: 816 people reached, 19 engagements • Twitter: 1,823 impressions, 25 engagements December 7, 2020: Growth in Medical Waste Poses Threat to Public Health In the age of COVID-19, a team of researchers is developing a plan to turn single-use medical devices into a safe supply chain of reuse and reinvention (Bilec, news release) • Facebook: 372 people reached, 1 engagement • Twitter: 3,449 impressions, 7 engagements
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December 8, 2020: Eric Beckman elected newest National Academy of Inventors Fellow from University of Pittsburgh (news release) • Eurekalert: 2,532 views • Facebook: 806 people reached, 35 engagements • Twitter: 7,226 impressions, 64 engagements December 14, 2020: Engineering a More Sustainable Future for Farming Featured Research in Nature Nanotechnology Investigates the Use of Engineered Nano-Materials in Agriculture (Gilbertson, news release) • Facebook: 507 people reached, 6 engagements • Twitter: 1,917 impressions, 46 engagements December 16, 2020: Carbon Capture’s Next Top Model New Research Led by Pitt Analyzes Modeling Techniques for Carbon Capture Technology (Hornbostel, news release) • Eurekalert: 2,624 views • Facebook: 432 people reached, 15 engagements • Twitter: 942 impressions, 5 engagements January 28, 2021: Sustainability Distinction Now Available for Undergraduates • Published by Pittwire • Facebook: 493 people reached, 9 engagements • Twitter: 1,286 impressions, 18 engagements January 29, 2021: The Planet’s Battleground for Climate Change MCSI Welcomes Divya Nawale for Green Speakeasy Series (news release) • 1,904 page views on Eurekalert • Facebook: 1,168 people reached, 85 engagements • Twitter: 1,425 impressions, 20 engagements February 2, 2021: Mapping PFAS Contamination in Packaged Foods Carla Ng and collaborators will map potential human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from domestic and imported food packaging (news release) • Facebook: 440 people reached, 5 engagements • Twitter: 1,659 impressions, 55 engagements February 3, 2021: The Business of Bees The Economic Value of Insect Pollination Services is Much Higher than Previously Thought in the U.S., New Research Finds (Khanna et al, news release) • Eurekalert: 3,792 views • Facebook: 405 people reached, 7 engagements • Twitter: 2,811 impressions, 44 engagements • NSF.gov News – posted February 18, 2021 • NSF Discovery Files – posted March 16, 2021 o Twitter: 13,282 impressions, 53 engagements February 18, 2021: Building on a Fruitful Engagement Grant Helps Pitt Hydroponics Club Expand an Urban Greenhouse and Combat a Food Desert (news release) • Published by Pittwire • Facebook: 407 people reached, 3 engagements February 19, 2021: Green Speakeasy: Deans Discuss Accelerated Sustainability Goals at Pitt (news release) • Facebook: 397 people reached, 1 engagement • Twitter: 918 impressions, 5 engagements • University Times, February 23, 2021
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February 22, 2021: Undergraduate Ethan Arnold-Paine Wins De Nora Pitch Competition with PFAS Remediation System Idea (news release) • Facebook: 575 people reached, 16 engagements February 23, 2021: PFAS in the House: Are toxic “forever chemicals” a steady drip in this reporter’s home? (Great Lakes Public Radio) • Twitter: 2,524 impressions, 85 engagements April 2021: Model Behavior Pitt researcher Carla Ng is uncovering the dangers of ‘forever chemicals.” (Pitt Magazine) • Twitter: 1,521 impressions, 15 engagements April 14, 2021: New Report Serves As A Road Map To Decarbonize Healthcare (Melissa Bilec; Forbes Magazine) • Twitter: 687 impressions April 15, 2021: Swanson School Faculty and Students Named MCSI Sustainability Champions (news release) • Facebook: 806 people reached, 124 engagements • University Times, April 21, 2021 April 23, 2021: Pitt hosts eco-friendly events to celebrate Earth Day, encourages sustainability (The Pitt News) May 11, 2021: Engineering Catalysts That Turn Seawater into Fuel Pitt and University of Rochester Researchers Receive $300K to Develop Catalysts for Naval Seawater-to-Fuel Technology (Mpourmpakis et al, news release) • Eurekalert: 1,658 views • Facebook: 687 people reached, 199 engagements • Twitter: 1,557 impressions, 57 engagements May 17, 2021: The 2021 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 Harold Rickenbacker PhD ’19 (GreenBiz.com) • Facebook: 450 people reached, 7 engagements • Twitter: 928 impressions, 11 engagements May 18, 2021: First-Hand STEM Experiences from Coast to Coast Seniors from Girls Academic Leadership Academy in LA Tour Pitt Lab in Virtual Field Trip (Sanchez et al, news release) • Facebook: 486 people reached, 21 engagements • Twitter: 2,361 impressions, 20 engagements May 20, 2021: Storing the Sun’s Energy ChemE’s James McKone will collaborate with small businesses to advance renewable energy and improve storage using solar-powered technology (news release) • Facebook: 389 people reached, 7 engagements • Twitter: 1,102 impressions, 576 engagements June 1, 2021: Seeking Sustainable Solutions for the Global Challenge of Safe Drinking Water Leanne Gilbertson will use a $500K CAREER award to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal to ensure access to clean water (news release) • Eurekalert: 1,744 views • Facebook: 492 people reached, 6 engagements June 1, 2021: Community mourns sudden passing of Patrick Eells (former MSCI intern; Telluride Daily Planet) • Facebook: 1,074 people reached, 143 engagements • Twitter: 755 impressions, 38 engagements
J OURNAL A RTICLES
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Macneill, A.J., Hopf, H.W., Khanuja, A., Alizamar, S., Bilec, M.M., Eckelman, M.J., Hernandez, L., McGain, F., Simonsen, K.A., Thiel, C.L., Young, S.B., Lagasse, R., Sherman, J.D. (2020). “A Call for Medical Device Industry Transformation: Toward a Circular Economy.” Health Affairs, 39(12). https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01118 Rickenbacker, H.J., Vaden, J.M., Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “Engaging communities in air pollution research: Investigating the effects of indoor air quality and the built environment on quality of life.” ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering, 26(4):04020041. https:// DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000439 Mohammadiziazi, R., Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “Application of machine learning for predicting building energy use at different temporal and spatial resolution under climate change in U.S.” Buildings, 2020, 10, 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10080139 Gardner, H.M, Hasik, V., Banawi, A., Olinzock, M., Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment of a Living Building.” ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering, 26(4):04020039. https:// 10.1061/(ASCE)AE.19435568.0000436 Sherman, J., Thiel, C.L., MacNeill, A., Eckelman, M.J., Dubrow, R., Hopf, H., Lagasse, R., Biaolowitz, J., Costello, A., McGain, F., Stancliffe, R., Anastas, P., Anderko, L., Baratz, M., Barna, S., Bhatnagar, U., Cai, G., CasselsBrown, A., Cimprich, A.F., Cole, H., Coronado-Garcia, L., Duane, B., Grisotto, G., Hartwell, A., Kumar, V., Kurth, A., Leapman, M., Morris, D., Overcash, M., Parvatker, A., Pecheon, D., Pollard, A., Robaire, B., Rockne, K., Sadler, B., Schenk, B., Sethi, B., Sethi, T., Sussman, S., Thompson, J., Twomey, J.M., Vermund, S., Vukelich, D., Washim, N., Wilson, D., Youngs, S., Zimmerman, J., Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “The Green Print: Agenda for the Advancement of Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare.” Resources, Conservation and Recovery, Volume 161, October 2020, 104882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104882 Rickenbacker, H.J., Collinge, W.O., Hasik, V., Ciranni, A., Smith, I., Colao, P., Sharrard, A.L., Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “Development of a Standardized Protocol and Data-Driven Survey Instrument for Indoor Air Quality Assessments in Energy Conservation Districts.” Sustainable Cities and Society, 52(2020) 101831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101831 Akinbade, Y., Nettleship, I., Papadopoulos, C. and Harries, K.A. (2020) Modelling full-culm bamboo as a naturally varying functionally graded material, Wood Science and Technology, 107, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-02001246-6 Gauss, C., Kadivar, M., Harries, K.A., and Savastano, H. (2020) Chemical modification of D. asper bamboo with citric acid: effects on the physical-chemical, mechanical and thermal properties, Journal of Cleaner Production https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123871 Leng, Y., Xu, Q., Harries, K.A., Chen, L., Liu, K. and Chen, X. (2020) Experimental study on mechanical properties of laminated bamboo beam-to-column connections, Engineering Structures, 210, 110305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110305 Gauss, C., Harries, K.A., Kadivar, M., Akinbade, Y. and Savastano, H. (2020) Quality assessment and mechanical characterization of P. edulis bamboo treated with CCB and DOT, European Journal of Wood and Wood Products 78(2), 257-270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-020-01508-x Akinbade, Y., Harries, K.A., Sharma, B., Nettleship, I. and Ramage, M. (2020) Variation of through-culm wall morphology in P. edulis bamboo strips used in glue-laminated bamboo beams, Construction and Building Materials, 232, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.117248 Ben Alon, L. Loftness, V., Harries, K.A., and Cochran Hameen, E. (2020) Integrating Earthen Building Materials and Methods into Mainstream Construction, Journal of Green Building, 15(1), 87-106. https://doi.org/10.3992/19434618.15.1.87
33 Rivero, J.R.*; Panagakos, G.; Lieber, A.*; Hornbostel, K (2020). Hollow Fiber Membrane Contactors for PostCombustion Carbon Capture: A Review of Modeling Approaches. MEMBRANES, 10, 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10120382 A. Popovski, E. Gzesh, F. Xiong, R. Kerestes, “Integration of COMSOL Multiphysics into an Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Curriculum”, ASEE 2021, Long Beach, CA (accepted) B. Fox, S. Helbig, D. Penizotto, T. Veurink, B. Grainger, R. Kerestes, “Resilience in the Home Office Through A Scaled-Down Microgrid”, ASEE 2021, Long Beach, CA (accepted) Nocco MA, BM McGill, C MacDonough MacKenzie, RK Tonietto, J Dudney, MC Bletz, T Young, and SE Kuebbing. 2021. Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic. Biological Conservation 255:108966. Kuebbing, SE. How direct and indirect nonnative interactions can promote plant invasions, lead to invasional meltdown, and inform management decisions. 2020. D Richardson and A Traveset (Eds.) in Plant Invasions: the Role of Biotic Interactions. CABI Press. McDonough MacKenzie, C, T Chang, M Nocco, R Barak, M Bletz, S Kuebbing, and M Dombeck. 2020. Recurrent neural network reveals overwhelming sentiment against 2017 review of U.S. monuments from humans and bots. Conservation Letters 13:e12747. Reeb RA*, I Acevedo**, JM Heberling, B Isaac, and SE Kuebbing. 2020. Nonnative old-field species inhabit earlyseason phenological niches and exhibit unique sensitivity to climate. Ecosphere 8:e03217. DOI:10.1002/ecs2.3217 Stuble, KA, L Bennion and SE Kuebbing. In Press. Plant phenological responses to experimental warming. Global Change Biology. Holmes MA, LD Bennion, J Whitacre, and SE Kuebbing. In Press. Land-use history and abiotic gradients drive abundance of non-native shrubs in Appalachian second-growth forests with histories of mining, agriculture, and logging. Forest Ecology and Management. Anderson SC, PR Elsen, BB Hughes, RK Tonietto, MC Bletz, DA Gill, MA Holgerson, SE Kuebbing, C McDonough MacKenzie, MH Meek, D Veríssimo. 2021. Trends in ecology and conservation over eight decades. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Ward EB*, DA Doroski*, AJ Felson, RA Hallett, EE Oldfield, SE Kuebbing, and M Bradford. In Press. Positive longterm impacts of restoration on soils in an experimental urban forest. Ecological Applications. DOI:https//doi.org/10.1002/eap.2336. Lapp, S., Wu, T., Richards-Zawacki, C., Voyles, J., Rodriguez, K.M., & Kitzes, J. in press. Automated detection of frog calls and choruses by pulse repetition rate. Conservation Biology. Z. Zhou, Z. Xu, B. Li, G. Wang, and P. W. Leu, “Identification of efficient active sites in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for oxygen reduction reaction,” Journal of Physical Chemistry C, February 2020. Available: Https://Pubs.Acs.Org/Doi/10.1021/ Acs.Jpcc.9b11090 S. Haghanifar, M. McCourt, B. Cheng, J.Wuenschell, P. Ohodnicki, and P.W. Leu, “Discovering high-performance broadband and broad angle antireflection surfaces by machine learning,” Optica, vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 784–789, Jul 2020. Available: http://www.osapublishing. org/optica/abstract.cfm?URI=optica-7-7-784 S. Haghanifar, A. J. Galante, and P. W. Leu, “Challenges and Prospects of Bio-Inspired and Multifunctional Transparent Substrates and Barrier Layers for Optoelectronics,” ACS Nano, vol. 14, no. 12, pp. 16 241–16 265, Dec. 2020, publisher: American Hobbs, Woodson, Melanie, Szilvia, Sanchez, D.V.P., Zorgo, Szilvia Network Analysis of COVID-19 Tweets between and Center for Disease Control ICQE February 2021
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Woodson Hobbs, Rogers Kaliisa, Kamila Misiejuk, Melanie Peffer, David V.P. Sanchez, Jennifer Scianna, Mamta Shah, Hamideh Talafian, Karl Vachuska, Yeyu Wang, Sukie Wang, and Monique Woodard, Challenges and Solutions to Examining Twitter Data: Reflections from QE-COVID19 Data Challenge ICQE February 2021 Kotchey, G.P., Chouinard, C.P., Sanchez, D.V.P., Nanobubble Collapse for ROS generation using dynamic stimuli American Chemical Society August 2020. Mahboobin, A., Sanchez, D.V.P., Incorporating Sustainability into a Bioethics Course American Society of Engineering Education Montreal QC June 2020. Zhou J, Kotchey GP, Sanchez DVP, Hong SH (2020). Integrating bisphenol A degradation function into Shewanella oneidensis. 2020 AIChE annual meeting: San Francisco, CA (changed to virtual). Zhou, J., Fang, K., Kotchey, G.P., Sanchez, D.V.P., Hong, S.H. Characterizing biofilm formation of Escherichia Coli and Shewanella Oneidensis On Different Carbon-foam Electrodes American Society of Microbiology Conference Chicago IL March 2020. Chouinard, C., Klonicki, E., Kotchey, G.P., Fang, K. Hong, S.K., Sanchez, D.V.P., Graphene Nanoplatelets in Bioelectrochemical Systems 2020 Borchardt Conference Ann Arbor MI February 2020 Johnson, C., Sanchez, D.V.P., Identifying the Capability of Real-time Water Quality Sensor Networks Borchardt Conference Ann Arbor MI February 2020 H. Chi, M.T. Curnan, M. Li, C.M. Andolina, W.A. Saidi, G. Veser*, and J. C. Yang*, “In situ Environmental TEM Observation of Two-stage Shrinking of Cu2O Islands on Cu(100) Support during Methanol Reduction”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 22 (2020) 2738–2742. H. Mantripragada* and G. Veser*, “Chemical Looping Partial Oxidation of Methane for Co-production of Syngas and Electricity: Process Modeling and Systems Analysis”, Energy Technol. 8 (2020) 1900580. M. Li, M. Curnan, H. Chi, S. House, W. Saidi, G. Veser, and J. Yang, “The Effect of Orientation on Cu2O Reduction Under Methanol Observed by in Situ ETEM”, Microscopy and Microanalysis 26 (2020), 668-669. Z. M. Schulte, Y. H. Kwon, Y. Han, C. Liu, L. Li, Y. Yang, A. G. Jarvi, S. Saxena, G. Veser, J. K. Johnson, and N.L Rosi, “H2/CO2 separations in multicomponent metal-adeninate MOFs with multiple chemically distinct pore environments”, Chem. Sci. 11 (2020) 12807-12815. Zhao, Yunhao, Kun Li, Matthew Gargani, and Wei Xiong. "A comparative analysis of Inconel 718 made by additive manufacturing and suction casting: Microstructure evolution in homogenization." Additive Manufacturing 36 (2020): 101404. Zhao, Yunhao, Noah Sargent, Kun Li, and Wei Xiong. "A new high-throughput method using additive manufacturing for alloy design and heat treatment optimization." Materialia 13 (2020): 100835. Sridar, Soumya, Yunhao Zhao, and Wei Xiong. "Phase Transformations During Homogenization of Inconel 718 Alloy Fabricated by Suction Casting and Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A CALPHAD Case Study Evaluating Different Homogenization Models." Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion 42, no. 1 (2021): 28-41. Sridar, Soumya, Yunhao Zhao, and Wei Xiong. "Cyclic re-austenitization of copper-bearing high-strength low-alloy steels fabricated by laser powder bed fusion." Materials Characterization 166 (2020): 110437. Sridar, Soumya, Yunhao Zhao, Kun Li, Xin Wang, and Wei Xiong. "Post-heat treatment design for high-strength low-alloy steels processed by laser powder bed fusion." Materials Science and Engineering: A 788 (2020): 139531.
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C ONFERENCE P ROCEEDINGS Sinex, D.C.E., Besterfield-Sacre, M., Mena, I., Bilec, M.M., Abramowitch, S.D., Wosu, S.N (2020). “The Development and Perceived Impact of Mentor-Mentee Retreats on the Long-Term Development and Enhancement of Mentor-Mentee Relationships.” 2020 Frontiers in Education (FIE), October 21-24, 2020, Virtual, Uppsala, Sweden, pp. 1-9, doi: 10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9274055. Copeland, S.+ and Bilec, M.M.* (2020). “Buildings as Material Banks Using RFIS and Building Information Modeling in a Circular Economy.” Procedia CIRP, 27th CIRP Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) Conference, May 13-15, 2020, Grenoble, France and virtual. American Society of Thermal and Fluid Engineers (ASTFE) 5th-6th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC) - May 26-28, 2010 - Model Form and Discretization Uncertainty of Thermal-fluid-electric Coupled Thermoelectric Systems (36656) ASTFE TFEC - Modeling Bridgman Heating in Thermoelectric Generators (36778) 2021 ASEE Annual Conference - Understanding Key Student Perspectives in an Interdisciplinary Flex-Model Sustainability Course as Compared to a Traditional in Person Course 2021 ASEE Annual Conference - Hydro-Island: Undergraduate Research Modeling an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) System 2021 ASEE Annual Conference - Assessing the Effectiveness of a Flex Model for a Sustainability Course in the COVID-19 Learning Environment 2021 ASEE North Central Section Conference - Experiential Learning through Undergraduate Research on a Roadway Energy Harvesting Design
BOOKS Riboli, Diana, Pamela J. Stewart, Andrew Strathern, and Davide Torri (eds.). Dealing with Disasters -- Perspectives from Eco-Cosmologies. Palgrave Macmillan (2021). Stewart. Pamela J. and Andrew Strathern. Sustainability, Conservation, and Creativity: Ethnographic Learning from Small-scale Practices. Routledge Publishing. [an important contribution to the development of environmental studies in our world today]
BOOK REVIEW Bilec, M.M. (2020). “Book Review: Net Zero Energy Building: Predicted and Unintended Consequences.” Journal of Green Building 15(2):251-252. 10.3992/1943-4618.15.2.251
A PPENDIX MCSI Leadership Team • • • • • • •
Eric Beckman, Bevier Professor of Engineering and Co-Director Mascaro Center Gena Kovalcik, Co-Director Mascaro Center and Strategic Advisor to the Dean SSOE Melissa Bilec, Associate Professor and Deputy Director Mascaro Center, Civil & Environmental Eng. David Sanchez, Assistant Professor & Assistant Director Mascaro Center, Civil & Environmental Eng. Ellie Cadden, Sustainability Engagement Assistant, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation Anna Coleman, Sustainability Intern, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation Gabby Sampson, Sustainability Intern, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
Faculty Sustainability Task Force ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Michael Aklin, Assistant Professor, Political Science Danielle Andrews-Brown, Lecturer and Environmental Studies Coordinator, Geology & Env. Science Drew Armstrong, Associate Professor and Director of Architectural Studies, Architectural Studies Dan Bain, Assistant Professor, Geology & Environmental Science Aaron Barchowsky, Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health, GSPH Eric Beckman, Bevier Professor of Engineering and Co-Director, Mascaro Center Melissa Bilec, Associate Professor and Deputy Director Mascaro Center, Civil & Environmental Eng. Mike Blackhurst, Co-Director of Urban and Regional Analysis, Center for Social & Urban Research John Camillus, Beall Prof. of Strategic Management, Katz School of Business Walter Carson, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences Emily Elliott, Assistant Professor, Geology & Environmental Science Shanti Gamper-Rabindran, Assistant Professor, GSPIA Justin Kitzes, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Grant MacIntyre, Clinical Asst. Professor of Law and Dir. of Environmental Law Clinic, School of Law Gena Kovalcik, Co-Director, MCSI Daniel Mosse, Professor and Chair, Computer Science Cassie Quigley, Associate Professor, School of Education David Sanchez, Assistant Professor & Assistant Director Mascaro Center, Civil & Environmental Eng. Aurora Sharrard, Director of Sustainability, Office of Sustainability John Sebastian, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering Kay Shimizu, Assistant Professor, Political Science Kyle Whittinghill, Lecturer & Environmental Science Undergraduate Advisor, Geology & Env. Science Amy Wildermuth, Dean, School of Law Jeremy Weber, Assistant Professor, GSPIA
External Advisory Board ● ● ● ● ● ●
Chuck Blumenschein, Vice President & Industrial R&D, Veolia Water David Constable, Director, Green Chemistry Institute at American Chemical Society Kendell Ernst, Project Manager, National Renewable Energy Lab Charles Liotta, Vice Provost for Research & Dean of Graduate Studies, Georgia Institute of Technology Annie Pearce, Associate Professor Department of Building Construction, Virginia Tech Aurora Sharrard, Director of Sustainability, University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh Sustainability Steering Committee ● ● ● ● ●
Aurora Sharrard, Director of Sustainability, Office of Sustainability Nicholas Goodfellow, Sustainability Coordinator, Dining Services by Sodexo Gena Kovalcik, Codirector, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation Erika Ninos, Sustainability Coordinator, PittServes, Student Affairs Laura Zullo, Director of Administration, Business & Operations
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MCSI G OALS NOW (6 months)
NEXT (1 YEAR)
BEYOND (3 YEAR) Embed focus on equity by
Create On-Line Faculty Resource Page for sustainability course content
Development MSSE flex and on-line component
establishing and expanding our programs to align with Pitt’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies
Develop graduate student equivalent to first year student presentation
Expand the tracks and focus areas and grow participation in Engineering Sustainability 2022 conference
Translate our work by establishing and nurturing mutually beneficial programs with industry and community partners
Work across campus to Lead conversation and develop environmental justice work at Pitt
Fundraise for Living Lab and Covestro Program
develop strong transdisciplinary partnerships throughout the University
Develop first MCSI PhD Recruit 1st Covestro student
Cohort with a focus on
researcher
recruiting under-represented students
Begin strategic planning for
Work on internal engagement
Transition from Center to
MCSI
to transition to Institute
Institute
Revamp MCSI website
Finalize strategic planning for MCSI
