Sustainability Student Associate Position(s) for Spring 2019

The Sustainability Studies Program @RooseveltU is hiring one (or more) undergraduate students to serve as Sustainability Student Associates for the Spring 2019 semester. Information and application instructions for the position can be found on Student Employment website: just login to the Career Central job posting system and upload your letter of interest and cover letter.

Deadline for applications is Monday 1/14. Interviews will be conducted that week in person or via Zoom with the goal of hiring by the week of 1/21. Depending upon the applicant pool, the available hours (12/week) may be split among 2-3 students. Cover letter required; writing sample optional (can be paper written for a class); résumé optional but recommended.

Desired Majors: Sustainability Studies, Sociology, or Biology preferred; however, all majors will be considered.

Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability and strong work ethic.

This 12 hour/week at $12/hour student position supports the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the SUST Program at Roosevelt by the following (other duties as assigned):

• developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the program director, department faculty, Operations and Planning staff, and the RU Green student organization;
• managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & WB Rooftop Garden;
• providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, both on- and off-campus;
• supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;
• coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., SUST Symposia & Earth Month);
• performing alumni outreach;
• serving as the primary student liaison between the SUST Program and the university community in the advancement of RU’s 2015-2020 Strategic Sustainability Plan

The Student Associate(s) will work closely with the SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson, and utilize the RUSLab at the Chicago Campus as their home base. Funding for the position has been provided by Testa Produce of Chicago.

Please email Prof. Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) for questions about the position or application process.

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Congratulations to Our December 2018 Graduates!

Last Friday, 14 December 2018, Roosevelt University hosted its commencement ceremonies in the historic Auditorium Theatre at its downtown Chicago Campus. The Department of Sociology, Sustainability, and Community Development warmly congratulates all of our graduates who earned BAs in Sociology and Sustainability Studies as well as MAs in Sociology. Our department was brilliantly represented by Samantha (BA’ 18) and Katia Martinez (BA ’18), twin sisters and sociology majors who were selected to give the student commencement address — the first time in Roosevelt’s history that the event featured two student speakers. (You can listen to their speech in the video below.)

Samantha and Katia weren’t the only dynamic duo graduating, though. Also crossing the stage together were Michelle Giles (BA ’18 Sustainability Studies) and her husband Corey Giles (BA ’18 International Studies), who both graduated with honors in their respective programs — a rare and joyous example of spouses celebrating their simultaneous graduations. Michelle also served this fall as the president of the student environmental organization, RU Green. Here’s a photo of Michelle, Corey, Michelle’s parents, and SUST Profs. Graham Pickren and Mike Bryson at our post-commencement reception. (We used the stairs to get everyone’s head on the same plane except for Michelle, that rebel.)

Our list of proud Sustainability Studies graduates also included Darlene Buibas, Matthew Harlovic, Brittany Janney, Melissa Tate, and Nick Waskowski. Graduating with BAs in Sociology were Cara Connaghan, Emma Harmon, Angelica Lopen-Terres, Katia and Samantha Martinez, Julian Taylor, Kelly Travers, and Timothy White. Last, but not least, earning their MAs in Sociology were Casie Alexander, Erika Garcia, and Frank Massolini.

Mr. Massolini merits special mention: as noted in this remarkable profile on the RU website, he began his graduate studies in sociology in 1973, living in the Herman Crown Center and meeting his future wife in statistics class. Though successful in his academic work that year, he ran out of funds before he could finish his degree. Despite the setback to his educational goals, Mr. Massolini embarked upon four decades of work, travel, and volunteerism. As he puts it, “I secured a great job with an international shipping company and traveled to Southeast Asia 35 times. I volunteered for both the PROMISE (Partnership to Rescue Our Minors from Sexual Exploitation) Program with the Salvation Army, and for Anne’s House, Illinois’ first privately funded long-term trauma-based residential home for child sex trafficking victims.”

In a full-circle journey back to the Roosevelt community, Mr. Massolini resumed his sociology studies this summer and finished his remaining credits to earn his MA degree — literally a lifelong goal for a person whose journey seems to be embody the ethos of RU’s social justice mission. Congratulations to Frank Massolini and to all our December 2018 graduates!

Brittany Janney (BA ’18) with her parents at SUST profs Graham Pickren and Mike Bryson (14 Dec 2018)

Matt Harlovic (BA ’18) with SUST prof Mike Bryson

Samantha & Katia Martinez (BA’ 18)

Schaumburg Park District Job Fair on Dec. 28th

Are you into fun? Looking for a part-time job where you can make a difference? Attend the Schaumburg Park District Job Fair from 1-8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 28th. Learn about immediate part-time job opportunities and summer 2019 positions. Reserve your spot here. All interviewees will be entered in a drawing for prizes.

Schaumburg Park District
235 E. Beech Drive
Schaumburg, Illinois 60193
847/985-2115
http://www.parkfun.com

Paid summer research program – Water Quality in the Yucatan Peninsula

A Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program through Northern Illinois University is now recruiting students for a paid research internship for summer 2019. Your RU faculty advisor can work with you to help you get RU credit for your participation in this program. Here are the details from the NIU site:

Join NIU next summer while we investigate groundwater resources in the Yucatan Peninsula! This National Science Foundation-funded research program is open to undergraduates with an interest in water science. No prior research experience is required.

This eight-week program is a full-time, immersive research experience. Students will work closely with faculty mentors from Northern Illinois University, Northeastern Illinois University, and the Yucatan Center for Scientific Research to plan, execute, and present their research projects.

The first two weeks and last two weeks of the program will be completed at the NIU campus in DeKalb, IL, where students will develop their research plan and return to analyze their findings. The other four weeks will be spent in the Yucatan Peninsula. Students will stay in local housing and carry out their research projects in collaboration with faculty mentors and Mexican scientists and students.

Salary:
$4,000 stipend, plus housing, food stipend, and travel allowance

While you don’t need any special skills to participate in this program, we are looking for exceptional students who are hard workers and are willing to develop and improve their research skills. You should be comfortable working outdoors, have organizational and time management skills, and have good attention to detail.

There are no prerequisites for this program, but we would like students to have at least one year of background in one or more of the basic sciences – biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics.

To apply you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. You must also be an undergraduate student graduating no earlier than Fall 2019.

We especially encourage applications from underrepresented minorities, veterans, persons with disabilities, first generation college students, financially disadvantaged students, and students from colleges with limited research opportunities.

Link: https://niu.edu/ese/reu/

 

Solar Job Training Orientation Event

The Future Energy Jobs Act is a new piece of legislation in Illinois that requires utilities to source 25% of their energy from renewables by 2025. This has created a huge demand for new solar and wind power development, and the industry is hiring. A number of nonprofit organizations are organizing a series of Solar Job Training Orientation Events, and one of them is on December 11th (tomorrow).

Here are the details:

Register @RooseveltU for Spring & Summer 2019 Classes!

SUST 220 Water students after their Bubbly Creek canoe trip w/ Friends of the Chgo River, Fall 2017 (M. Bryson)

Here’s a cheerful autumnal thought, something to give thanks for: advising and registration are ongoing for the Spring & Summer 2019 semesters here at @RooseveltU — and there are still seats left in most of our SUST classes. The Sustainability Studies program is once again offering a wide range of on-campus and online courses for the next two exciting semesters of learning, research, and campus outreach projects!

Undergraduate students, please look over the Spring 2019 schedule using this coursefinder, check your remaining course requirements, and email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will help you craft your schedule and provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register.

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Spring 2018:

SUST 101 Humans & Nature (MW 11am-12:15pm, Bryson)* — Waitlisted
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (T 2-4:30pm, Hoffman)◊
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (8-week online, 1/22-3/18, STAFF)§
SUST 220 Water (8-week online, 3/19-5/13, Jones)§
SUST 230 Food (M 2-4:30pm, Gerberich)◊
SUST 240 Waste (8-week online, 3/19-5/13, STAFF)§
SUST 250 The Sustainable University (W 2-4:30pm, Bryson)◊
SUST 330 Biodiversity (8-week online, 1/22-3/18, Hoffman)§
SUST 340 Policy, Law, & Ethics (16-week online, Bryson)
SUST 395 Sustainability Studies Internship (by arrangement, Bryson)

* Ideas course in new CORE general education curriculum, effective Fall 2018; recommended for SUST majors and minors!
§ 8-week accelerated online courses; these work great taken back-to-back.
◊ Experiential Learning (EXL) designated courses: satisfy EXL requirement in CORE.

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Summer 2019:

SUST 361 Urban Ecology (5 Saturdays, 7/8-8/5, Pickren)◊ — NEW Course
SUST 390 Rooftop Garden (on-campus + online, 5/28-8/5, STAFF)◊

◊ Experiential Learning (EXL) designated courses: satisfy EXL requirement in CORE.

We know November is a super busy time of the academic year, but be sure to make a little time to get in touch with your advisor to sign up for the classes you need! For additional useful info, see this Advising Resources page on Prof. Mike Bryson’s faculty website.

SUST students, faculty, & alumni working on RU’s Rooftop Garden, Sept. 2018 (M. Bryson)

 

Film Screening @RooseveltU: “Chicago’s True Nature” (Mon. 11/26)

Join us tomorrow, Nov. 26th, from 12:30-1:45pm in WB 612 @RooseveltU’s Chicago Campus for a film screening of Chicago’s True Nature, a documentary film about the remarkable Forest Preserve system of Cook County, IL. Sneak preview here:

 

This event is hosted by students in PHSC 103 Global Climate Change and co-sponsored by the RU Green student organization. All RU community members welcome. And if you can’t make the screening, you can watch the film online!