Scientists who seek intensely interdisciplinary study could be the beneficiaries of increasing interest in the emerging field of sustainability research, with new university programmes offering novel opportunities. Portland State University in Oregon and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, are the most recent entrants to the field. They follow the example set by institutions such as the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University in Tempe.
Broadly defined, sustainability bridges disciplines to determine how to meet the resource needs of the present without adversely affecting future generations. In practice, that means assembling teams of ecologists, economists, biologists and social scientists to find solutions and strategies for big problems, such as meeting future energy needs.
Portland has received US$25 million from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation towards sustainability research and teaching, and Cornell's $10-million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will be used to develop the field of 'computational sustainability' — using computer-science techniques to manage natural resources more effectively.
Portland's provost, Roy Koch, says their approach is to connect curiosity-driven research to short-term goals. Within the next 2 years, they plan to recruit at least 10 faculty members, 10–20 graduate students and up to 5 postdocs to tackle technical issues surrounding alternative energy sources, sustainable urban communities and developing the metrics of sustainability. He also hopes to set up a visiting faculty programme to forge national and international connections.
Cornell's Institute for Computational Sustainability involves scientists from both Cornell and other US research institutions, whose work will involve merging disparate data sets related to areas such as environmental science and economics. One example is modelling the evolution of fish populations to assist with the designation of no-fishing zones.
The main focus of the NSF grant is to train some 12 graduate students each year. Cornell also wants to attract postdocs who are interested in computer science or applied maths. Carla Gomes, the institute's director, says that "computer scientists aren't aware that their expertise can impact issues of sustainability, and we hope to inject computational thinking into problem solving."
