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Championing Sustainability Education at the U

Jennifer Watt, PhD
Jennifer Watt, PhD, leads sustainability education efforts at the University of Utah as the director of sustainability education. Her role focuses on expanding and advancing sustainability-related educational opportunities across the university.

Key Responsibilities

Supporting Faculty
Supporting Faculty
Dr. Watt offers programs and resources that help faculty integrate sustainability into their courses. This includes incentives and guidance for incorporating sustainability topics.
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Reporting
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Reporting
Dr. Watt's team oversees the tracking of sustainability achievements in academics, contributing to the university's STARS reporting.
Collaboration
Collaboration
Dr. Watt works closely with campus leaders to align educational goals with the university's Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Strategy 2030.

Sustainability in Course Curricula

SUST Attribute
The university uses a set of criteria to identify courses with the "SUST" attribute, making it easier for students to find classes focused on sustainability. Academic departments from a variety of disciplines offer sustainability-related courses.

Tracking and Reporting
Tracking the SUST attribute helps the university meet external requirements, earn points in the STARS report and showcase the integration of sustainability into coursework.

Recent Initiatives

Faculty Research Project
A recent project, funded by the Lemelson Foundation, allowed Dr. Watt to collaborate with the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering to integrate sustainability topics into ABET-accredited programs. This initiative will expand into other colleges in the future.

Faculty Focus Groups
Dr. Watt and her team facilitate focus groups to gather insights from faculty on incorporating sustainability into curricula. Colleges interested in participating can contact her for more details.