2009 Annual Report 2 - Shell Center for Sustainability · 2009 Annual Report. 4 ... The project will: • Study the effects of network ... Besides laboratory research on the biochemistry

2

School of Social Sciences6100 M

ain Street, MS-27

Houston 77005

(713) 348-2796http://shellcenter.rice.edu

3

2009 Annual R

eport2009 A

nnual Report

2009 Annual R

eport

4

The Shell C

enter for Sustainability (SCS)

at Rice U

niversity is an interdisciplinary program

of research, outreach, and edu-cation to address actions that can be taken to ensure the sustainable developm

ent of living standards, interpreted broadly, to encom

pass all factors affecting the quality of life, including environm

ental resources.

The Shell C

enter for Sustainability was

founded in 2003 with funding from

Shell O

il Com

pany.

Annual R

eport 20092

5Table of Contents

Executive Sum

mary

4

Research

7

Outreach

21

Education

27

Acknow

ledgments

31

Shell Center for Sustainability

3

6Executive Sum

mary

Annual R

eport 20094 In 2009, the Shell C

enter for Sustainability received numerous pro-

posals for consideration. Five faculty proposals were selected for

funding. These projects included research to com

pare centralized and decentralized w

ater infrastructure; industrial chemical produc-

tion using microbial processes; the analysis of the use of a solar

house; how clim

ate change affects native plant mating system

s; and an environm

entally benign method to control w

ater fouling.

SCS also m

ade a comm

itment to fund a long-term

project to de-velop indicators to m

easure urban sustainability in Houston. T

he project w

ill set a baseline and measure ongoing conditions.

Research team

s included Rice U

niversity faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students in diverse areas from

Mechanical E

ngineeer-ing and M

aterials Science to Architecture and Sociology. T

he research funded w

ill take place in 2010.

7


5

SCS continued to partner w

ith various entities to present speakers and events that focus on sustainability practices on cam

pus, in the region, the U

.S., and abroad.

The annual sustainability conference focused on W

ater In The

Houston M

etabolism-W

ater Needs and W

ater Quality for T

his C

entury. The event brought together m

ore than twenty experts

from the region. T

hey focused on Grow

th, Environm

ent, Health,

and Policy. This year, the conference included a V

isual Art com

po-nent to prom

ote local artists through a competition and exhibition,

Water E

ffects On L

ife.

Through the SC

S internship program, participating students held a

workshop to present an experts panel that discussed funded re-

search that promoted undergraduate participation.

Funded education initiatives were enhanced w

ith the creation of the E

nergy and Water sustainability m

inor.

The Jones G

raduate School of Business M

BA

Program w

ill con-duct a social enterprise case analyss project based on SC

S. The

study will take place in 2010 and w

ill identify key strategies to enhance perform

ance.

SCS w

ill fund the SCS Independent Student Paper aw

ard for 2010. T

he award w

ill promote undergraduate participation.

8

Annual R

eport 20096

9Research

Shell Center for Sustainability (SC

S) sponsored research has gener-ated interest am

ong the Rice U

niversity faculty and in the Houston

area. This interest is gauged by the num

ber of inquiries received for funding. T

he annual call for proposals is issued in the early summ

er. T

his schedule gives potential researchers the summ

er to put their team

s together and prepare a proposal that best meets the SC

S crite-ria, goals and objectives.

SCS staff m

et with various m

embers of the faculty and outside

groups to learn about potential projects and to advise on how these

projects might best align w

ith SCS objectives. T

hese efforts ranged from

research in wind energy to religion, and architecture to electric

cars.

Of the proposals presented to SC

S for consideration, fi ve new sus-

tainable development research projects w

ere selected in 2009. This

research will be conducted during the 2010 calendar year. T

he proj-ects included research to com

pare centralized and decentralized w

ater infrastructure; industrial chemical production using m

icro-bial processes; the analysis of the use of a solar house; how

climate

change affects native plant mating system

s; and an environmentally

benign method to control w

ater fouling.

SCS also funded a project to develop indicators to m

easure urban sustainability in H

ouston. The project is a long-term

comm

itment

by the Center and aim

s to develop a baseline which w

ill measure

change over time.

Research team

s involved with SC

S included Rice U

niversity fac-ulty, undergraduate and graduate students in diverse areas from

M

echanical Engineering and M

aterials Science to Architecture and

Sociology.


7

10SCS aw

arded research grants for 2010 to the following team

s:

The R

eliability, Effi ciency and T

reatment Q

uality of C

entralized Versus D

ecentralized Water Infrastruc-

ture

Team

Qilin L

i, Ph.D., E

nvironmental E

ngineering Program, D

epartment

of Civil and E

nvironmental E

ngineering, Rice U

niversityL

eonardo Dueñas-O

sorio, Ph.D., C

ivil Engineering Program

, De-

partment of C

ivil and Environm

ental Engineering, R

ice University

Isabel Raciny, doctoral student, R

ice University

Project B

ackground

Water system

s in many cities date back to the early 20th century.

These system

s have exceeded or are approaching their lifespan. C

entralized systems suffer from

frequent leaks and failures, biofi lm

growth, and long transport distance from

treatment facilities to end

users. This leads to w

ater loss, microbial and chem

ical contamina-

tion, disruption of service, and high energy consumption. T

he long hydraulic residence tim

e in large centralized systems also leads

to formation of toxic chem

icals such as disinfection byproducts (D

BPs). In addition, w

ater supply demand increases rapidly w

ith

Annual R

eport 20098

11population growth, w

hile global climate w

arming leads to a de-

crease in water supplies. H

ence there is an urgent need to improve

the reliability, integrity, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of the w

ater infrastructure and to decrease the likelihood of failures, ser-vice disruptions and w

ater quality deterioration so the public health is protected. T

his great challenge presents an opportunity to reassess century old centralized system

design and consider a paradigm shift

in water infrastructure.

The objective of the research is to com

pare the reliability, energy effi ciency and public health related w

ater quality of centralized, decentralized and hybrid w

ater systems. T

he research will also de-

velop guidelines for the design of water infrastructure system

s that incorporate energy and w

ater-effi ciency as well as alternative w

ater resource m

anagement practices.

The project w

ill:

• Study the effects of network topology on perform

ance via numeri-

cal simulation and analytical form

ulations based on graph theory and system

reliability, unravel the connection between w

ater system

confi guration and system reliability, and determ

ine long term sus-

tainability of water system

s.

• Modify an existing hydraulics m

odel to allow sim

ulation of pump-

ing energy consumption and w

ater quality for decentralized and


9

12hybrid systems. T

he research will also consider suitable treatm

ent technologies.

• Incorporate chemical reaction kinetic m

odels into the distribution system

hydraulics model. T

his chemical m

odel will sim

ulate the form

ation of DB

P and trihalomethane in centralized, decentralized,

and hybrid systems.

Reducing E

nergy Use A

nd Carbon D

ioxide While P

ro-ducing Industrial C

hemicals B

y Effi ciently E

ngineered M

icrobial Processes

Team

George B

ennett, Ph.D., E

. Dell B

utcher Professor of Biochem

istry & C

ell B

iology, Rice U

niversity K

.-Y. San, Ph.D

., E. D

ell Butcher Professor of B

ioengineering, Rice U

ni-versity Tao L

in, Graduate Student in B

iochemistry and C

ell Biology, R

ice Uni-

versity

Project B

ackground

The objective of this project is to develop and prom

ote greener pro-cesses for the form

ation of useful industrial chemicals from

renew-

able energy sources. The processes developed w

ould lessen petro-leum

and energy consumption and have a reduced environm

ental

Annual R

eport 200910

13footprint. T

he general context for the work is the increased concern over

the environmental im

pact of industrial processes, especially those that generate carbon em

issions and hazardous waste pollution. T

he chem

ical industry seeks greener production methods for im

portant chem

icals.

Microbial conversions play an im

portant and expanding role in chem

ical production. Favorable characteristics include reduction of petroleum

usage and energy coupled with reduced form

ation of haz-ardous w

aste. The project focus has been on processes that reduce

the carbon dioxide footprint. Researchers are focused on the produc-

tion of large-scale chemicals w

ith established uses and properties. In previous w

ork researchers developed a new bioprocess for the

formation of succinate that consum

es carbon dioxide while form

ing the product at near theoretical yield. T

hey now seek to produce other

industrially useful organic acids that can be made through m

icrobial pathw

ays. Am

ong such compounds is itaconic acid, listed as one of

the top 12 chemicals from

biomass in a D

epartment of E

nergy report of 2004. It is used directly w

ith co-polymers, has desirable proper-

ties for the fi ber industry, and serves as a precursor for a large family

of 5-carbon chemicals.

Chem

ical synthesis is costly and ineffi cient. Researchers w

ill use various feedstocks to produce the itaconic acid. T

he methodology


11

14involves the modifi cation of pathw

ays using the tools of molecular

& synthetic biology w

ith host organisms that can perform

the major-

ity of the biosynthetic steps. B

esides laboratory research on the biochemistry and engineering of

the organism, undergraduates w

ill work w

ith the BC

M C

enter for E

ducational Outreach to prom

ote classroom use through online and

printed materials. O

ften, the only knowledge of m

icrobes presented to young students is the germ

relationship to disease. In this edu-cational effort w

e will expand the scope of the current program

by adding inform

ation on the role of microbes in the environm

ent and for benefi cial processes. Students w

ill add modules w

hich explain the broader im

pacts of microbes in the environm

ent such as indus-trial m

icrobes (food, antibiotics), biodegradation of hazardous com-

pounds and cellulose degradation, and carbon dioxide and nitrogen fi xation. Installation, Im

plementation, and A

nalysis of the Ze-

RO

W Solar H

ouse

Team

Danny Sam

uels, FAIA

/ Visiting Professor, School of A

rchitecture / Direc-

tor, Rice B

uilding Workshop.

Nonya G

renader, FAIA

/ Professor in Practice, School of Architecture/A

s-soc. D

irector, Rice B

uilding Workshop.

Brent C

. Houchens, PhD

/ Assistant Professor, M

echanical Engineering &

M

aterials Science, Rice U

niversity. D

avid Dew

ane, Lead A

rchitecture student, Rice U

niversity. R

oque Sanchez, Lead E

ngineering student, Rice U

niversity.

Project B

ackground

Over 100 architecture and engineering students (undergraduate and gradu-

ate) have contributed to the planning, design, construction, installation, m

onitoring, and documentation of the Z

e-Row

house. N

umerous com

munity partners from

the Houston area (engineers, m

ate-

Annual R

eport 200912

15rial suppliers, contractors, donors) have contributed their expertise and support.

In October 2009, a dedicated team

from the School of A

rchitecture and the G

eorge R. B

rown School of E

ngineering participated in the Solar D

ecathlon. This event is a design/build com

petition which

gives faculty and students the opportunity to partner with industry

leaders in a joint effort to push the en-

velope on renewable en-

ergy at the scale of a single building.T

he com

petition, spon-

sored by the U.S.

Departm

ent of

Energy

and the National

Renew

able Energy L

ab-oratory, includes

20 universities (interna-tional

in scope)

to design, build, and op-erate a house run

entirely by solar energy. E

ach team m

ust construct

their house

and transport

it to the National M

all in

Washington

D.C

., where all tw

enty houses

form

a “Solar V

illage.” During

the three-w

eek period on the M

all the houses compete w

ith each other in ten perfor-m

ance-based events and are open for public tours (drawing crow

ds w

ell over 100,000 people).

The com

petition and exhibit process was a fulfi lling event but the

Rice team

envisions their design, the Ze-R

ow house, as a prototype

that will m

ake a lasting contribution beyond the competition. T

he


13

16objective is three fold:

--re-install the house in a Houston neighborhood w

ith critical need for housing --m

onitor the energy effectiveness of the house over the next year --docum

ent the house, highlighting the design aspects and levels of perform

ance

For the past twelve years, the School of A

rchitecture, through its R

ice Building W

orkshop (RB

W), has been bringing affordable

housing to the Third W

ard, a vibrant and historic Houston com

mu-

nity. The Z

e-Row

house will add a new

level of sustainability to our affordable housing initiatives, suggesting that renew

able energy belongs in every neighborhood. R

ice faculty and students will w

ork w

ith the future inhabitant to monitor the house and its system

s over the next year, and w

ill document the results.

During this collaboration of R

ice architecture and engineering de-partm

ents, with num

erous comm

unity advisors, the team w

ill focus on the sustainable im

plementation of the Z

e-Row

House, research

into novel and effi cient energy conversion systems, and dissem

ina-tion of know

ledge to the Houston and scientifi c com

munities. N

ew

Annual R

eport 200914

17data acquisition systems have been im

plemented via a donation from

Standard R

enewable E

nergy. Data from

these systems, along w

ith solar heating effectiveness w

ill be investigated both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Response of N

ative Plant M

ating Systems To G

lobal C

hange

Team

Lesley C

ampbell, Ph.D

., Ecology and E

volutionary Biology, R

ice Uni-

versity. K

enneth Whitney, Ph.D

., Ecology and E

volutionary Biology, R

ice Uni-

versity. C

aroline Masiello, Ph.D

., Earth Science, R

ice University.

Project B

ackground

As global clim

ate change transforms environm

ents it has become

increasingly important to understand w

hat properties make som

e organism

s more prone to extinction than others. Populations w

ith m

ore genetic diversity are able to adapt to change more rapidly than

those with less genetic diversity. Species that cannot adapt to new

environm

ents will either m

ove to new locations or becom

e extinct.

For agricultural plant populations, low genetic diversity lim

its their breeding potential and m

akes them m

ore susceptible to pests and


15

18disease, reducing their usefulness as a human food source. For w

ild organism

s, low genetic diversity increases requirem

ents for protec-tion via conservation program

s, making the program

s more expen-

sive and extensive endeavors.

Of all traits, m

ating systems are m

ost infl uential in structuring ge-netic diversity w

ithin and among populations, transm

itting diversity across generations, and determ

ining rates of loss of diversity. Plants tend to have very fl exible m

ating systems, m

ore so than animals,

and therefore are an excellent model system

to explore the plastic response of m

ating systems to environm

ental variation. Plants may

mate w

ith themselves (self-pollination) leading to relatively low

heterozygosity and allelic diversity, or m

ate with other genotypes

(outcross-pollination) producing relatively high heterozygosity and allelic diversity. H

ybridization, extreme outcross pollination w

ith another species, often leads to the incorporation of unique genetic diversity, potentially leading to novel evolutionary trajectories.

Annual R

eport 200916

19By experim

entally altering soil moisture to m

imic the predictions

of well-accepted clim

ate change models, the research team

will

measure the expected change in m

ating systems and hybridization

rates of four well-studied, m

odel plants in the general Helianthus

and Raphanus. T

hey will use sim

ply inherited genetic markers to

assess levels of genetic diversity mating patterns and hybridization

rates. They hope to produce a predictive m

odel to explore the rela-tive im

portance of water availability, altered fl oral m

orphology, and phenology, and pollinator behavior in altering m

ating systems and

hybridization behavior and the potential ways conservation m

anag-ers could increase genetic diversity w

ithin plant populations.

Environm

entally Benign C

ontrol of Biofouling

Team

Team

Jun Lou, Ph.D

., Departm

ent of Mechanical E

ngineering and Materials

Science, Rice U

niversity. Q

ilin Li, Ph.D

., Departm

ent of Civil and E

nvironmental E

ngineering, Rice

University.

Project B

ackground

The team

's objective is to develop a novel bacteria fouling control strategy using surface topographic patterning. T

his method does not

involve use of biocides nor does it require external energy input.


17

20Therefore, it has the advantage of being environm

entally benign com

pared to other control strategies.

The scale and m

agnitude of the environmental and econom

ical im-

plication of biofouling is tremendous. Its im

pact ranges from foul-

ing of water fi ltration m

embranes and naval ship hulls, interference

with underw

ater sensors, clogging and corrosion of water distribu-

tion pipelines, transport of water-borne pathogens, to contam

ination of food processing equipm

ent, medical devices and biom

edical im-

plants.

The crucial step to prevent biofouling is hindrance of the initial m

i-crobial attachm

ent to the surface and inhibition of further biological grow

th. Currently, the m

ost comm

on strategy to control biofouling is through the application of coating m

aterials that slowly release

biocides, which introduce potential environm

ental hazards.

Exam

ples of highly fouling-resistant surfaces in the biological world

such as shark skin and lotus leaf, both with m

icro- and/or nano-scale textured surfaces, suggest that surface topography m

ay be an impor-

tant factor in controlling biofouling. In addition, recent studies on both m

icrobial (e.g., algal spores) and mam

malian cells show

that ordered m

icro- and nano-scale surface topographic structures sig-nifi cantly reduce cell adhesion. T

hese results and the natural foul-ing-resistant surfaces suggest that m

anipulation of material surface

topography may be a potential approach to biofouling control.

Annual R

eport 200918

21In this project, the team w

ill fi rst design and fabricate well-defi ned

hierarchical topographic structures at two length scales and on dif-

ferent substrates to mim

ic natural fouling-resistant plant leaves. T

hey will then investigate the role of m

icro- and nano-scale surface patterns in adhesion of biological and non-biological particles, and to elucidate the effect of scale. Short-term

and long-term adhesion

experiments w

ill be conducted with non-biological particles (poly-

styrene latex and carboxyl modifi ed latex), m

odel biological par-ticles (latex coated w

ith extracellular polymeric substances (E

PS)) and biological particles (bacteria, diatom

) using the control surface, the lotus leaf and the engineered surface patterns.

The team

anticipates the development of a series of hierarchical

surface patterns using different materials that have the potential to

control fouling by microorganism

s of various sizes in the aqueous environm

ent. They also expect to establish prelim

inary guidelines for design of environm

entally benign surface topographic patterns for biofouling control for environm

ental engineering, navy and bio-m

edical applications.

Sustainable Developm

ent Indicators For T

he Houston

Region

Team

Jim B

lackburn, Professor of the Practice, Departm

ent of Civil and E

nvi-


19

22ronmental E

ngineering, Rice U

niversity.Stephen K

lineberg, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and C

o-Director of the

Kinder Institute, R

ice University.

Ellory M

atzner, Student, Rice U

niversity.

Project B

ackground

The need for sustainable developm

ent indicators was fi rst identifi ed

in 2004, when SC

S held the Houston Sustainability Scenarios Proj-

ect which brought together 70 individuals representing H

ouston’s governm

ent, NG

O’s, businesses, and academ

ic comm

unity to build scenarios for H

ouston. As a result research w

as identifi ed as being needed to defi ne a sustainable developm

ent baseline and to measure

progress in attaining sustainable development goals.

In 2009, SCS issued a call for proposals to develop a plan that iden-

tifi ed sustainable development indicators for the H

ouston region. T

he plan included a long-term com

mitm

ent by SCS to not just iden-

tify the indicators that would m

easure the enviornmental, econom

ic, and social im

pact of sustainability in Houston are but also present a

picture of these indicators over time.

Preliminary w

ork would include developm

ent of a class to begin to identify such indicators. T

he class is expected to begin in the Spring of 2010.

Annual R

eport 200920

23Outreach

Various activities w

ere supported by SCS to reach out w

ith the sus-tainable developm

ent message. T

hese activities included:

Sustainable Developm

ent Innovations: Japan’s Effort to U

nite •

Against C

limate C

hange, a presentation by Associate Professor

in Sustainability Science, Masaru Y

arime, from

the University

of Tokyo. The event w

as hosted by SCS, the B

aker Institute Stu-dent Forum

, and the Consulate G

eneral of Japan.

Water In T

he Houston M

etabolism-W

ater Needs and W

ater Qual-

• ity for T

his Century, the SC

S annual sustainability conference, took place in the fall. T

he event was co-sponsored w

ith the James

A. B

aker III Institute for Public Policy Health Policy Forum

and Science &

Technology Policy, the Visual A

rts Program for the

Student Center, R

ice University, and Shell O

il Com

pany.

The conference focused on W

ater and Houston’s G

rowth, H

ous-ton’s N

atural Environm

ent, Water and H

ealth, and included a Policy D

iscussion. Overall, the conference offered over 20


21

24

speakers and moderators in an intense one-day event.

The w

ater conference concluded with the

• W

ater Effects O

n Life

Art C

ompetition A

wards and E

xhibit opening. The art com

po-nent of the annual sustainability conference featured the w

ork of 16 regional artists, in support of local art. T

he artists were:

Rebecca B

enitez

B

ecky Brocato

Hebe B

rooks

H

ana Case

How

ie Doyle

Mary F

uller

Natascha G

otesky

Kelly H

albach

Sarah Hazel

Sarah Kitagaw

a

Victoria Lew

elling

Jackie Liddell

Nicola P

arente

M

ilam Schverak

Belinda Sm

ith

L

uigino Alessandro Taboada

The A

ward recipients w

ere Mila Schverak, First Place; Jackie

Annual R

eport 200922

25

Liddell, Second Place; and M

ary Fuller, T

hird Place. Images of

the artwork, along w

ith presentations and video recordings of the day’s events can be view

ed at the SCS W

eb site, under the O

utreach link at http://shellcenter.rice.edu.

There w

as extensive national interest about the results of the •

SCS projects on biofuels and biodiesel that w

ere conducted in 2008.

Over 250 international science students visited R

ice University

• to hear from

SCS researchers and Shell experts in the areas of

energy, engineering and environment, as part of the Internation-

al Sustainable World E

nergy Engineering E

nvironment P

roject O

lympiad (ISW

EE

EP

) 2009 international science fair held in H

ouston.

The Jam

es A. B

aker III Institute for Public Policy and SCS pre-

• sented E

nergy for Sustainability Developm

ent in Africa, a lec-

ture by Bryan W

ilson, Ph.D

., as part of the course on Integrated A

pproaches to Sustainable Developm

ent taught by Am

y Myers

Jaffe, the Wallace S. W

ilson Fellow in E

nergy Studies at the B

aker Institute, and Rebecca R

ichards-Kortum

, Ph.D., the Stan-

ley C. M

oore Professor, in Electrical and C

omputer E

ngineer-ing.


23

26

SCS O

perating Com

mittee m

ember, D

ebra Marshall, Shell,

• and SC

S researcher and Professor Jim B

lackburn were featured

speakers at the Rice U

niversity Environm

ental Club’s 16th A

n-nual C

onference, Green P

ays: Environm

ental Responsibility In

The B

usiness World.

Sustainability Research &

Opportunities

• , a w

orkshop featuring 5 SC

S research leaders discussed their projects and what they

look for in participating students. Lila H

olzman, the SC

S intern, organized the event. (R

ead more under E

ducation).

SCS partnered w

ith the Center for H

ouston’s Future for the an-•

nual Quality of P

lace Report and Sym

posium. T

he event is tar-geted to people that can m

ake a difference in the Houston area.

SCS continued to partner w

ith the •

Center for the Study of E

nvi-ronm

ent and Society as a board mem

ber and to sponsor lectures and colloquium

s on climate change. T

he events are offered at no cost to students, faculty and the com

munity.

On cam

pus, SCS also advised and m

et with various students

• and student organizations as part of its outreach efforts. T

hese organizations included E

ngineers without B

orders, the Bicycle

Com

mittee, and T

he Rice T

hresher.

Annual R

eport 200924

27

SCS began to broaden exchange w

ith other centers and insti-•

tutes on the Rice U

niversity campus to expand com

munication

among the organizations and to identify potential opportunities

to work together.

SCS participated in activities sponsored by the G

reater Houston

• Partnership, the G

alveston Houston A

ssociation for Smog Pre-

vention, the Hispanic C

hamber of C

omm

erce, and conducted presentations to the H

ouston-Galveston A

rea Council N

atural R

esources Advisory C

omm

ittee and other organizations to ex-pand aw

areness and understanding of SCS.

SCS m

et with various in-house and outside experts such as rep-

• resentatives from

the U.S. B

usiness Council for Sustainable D

e-velopm

ent and visiting faculty from France to discuss sustain-

ability issues, SCS goals, and to explore potential joint efforts.

SCS hosted the U

. S. State Departm

ent-led Australian delega-

• tion to discuss various aspects of sustainability. R

ice faculty was

invited to participate.

A video featuring the SC

S funded •

Monitoring E

ngineered Nano-

particles In The E

nvironment project, conducted in 2008, w

as com

pleted. The video features the project team

mem

bers and


25

28

was launched on Y

ouTube.

Redesign of the Shell C

enter for Sustainability Web site w

as •

completed. T

he redesign included adopting a new hosting sys-

tem to enhance system

managem

ent.

Annual R

eport 200926

29Education

Course F

unding

The R

ice University Faculty Senate unanim

ously approved the new

interdisciplinary minor offered by the G

eorge R. B

rown School of

Engineering, the W

iess School of Natural Sciences, and the School

of Social Sciences. This m

inor includes the SCS funded course in

Energy and W

ater Sustainability selected for funding in 2008.

SCS Study

Rice U

niversity Jones Graduate School of B

usiness MB

A’s w

ill w

ork with SC

S to develop a Houston oriented social enterprise case

analysis project. The research w

ill be based on the Shell Center for

Sustainability and will identify key strategies to enhance perfor-

mance. W

ork will begin in early 2010.

Measuring Sustainability

A course based on the sustainability indicators project funded by

SCS w

ill be developed and offered in 2010 by a team of faculty

mem

bers representing environment, econom

ics, and society. This


27

30course will serve to develop sustainability indicators for the H

ous-ton region. (R

ead more under R

esearch).

Internship

Once again, SC

S partnered with the C

ity of Houston and other area

organizations to offer students interested in sustainability, hands-on opportunities to w

ork on area projects focused in different areas of sustainability.

In her second internship with SC

S, Lila H

olzman developed and

implem

ented a plan to increase student participation and awareness

of the work carried out by SC

S. This action built on the previous

semester’s w

ork by Holzm

an and another SCS intern.

In the spring semester, H

olzman, a senior double m

ajoring in Engi-

neering and Policy Studies, participated in outreach and education activities for the C

enter and carried out a combined plan by organiz-

ing an Expert Panel to generate student interest in SC

S sponsored research. Several project researchers w

ere invited to present infor-m

ation on their currently funded projects. The researchers answ

ered questions from

students and other attendees, including representa-tives from

Shell Oil C

ompany.

The event also provided an inform

al opportunity for students, facul-ty and potential partners and collaborators to talk about w

hat it takes to participate in a research project. T

he event was successful and

Annual R

eport 200928

31several students were invited to join som

e of the research teams.

Student Research A

ward

A new

SCS A

ward w

as funded for an undergraduate Rice U

niversity independent student paper on sustainable developm

ent. The call w

ill be issued in early 2010. T

his effort focuses on generating greater participation by undergraduate students in SC

S activities. The aw

ard w

ill be presented at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year.


29

32

Operating C

omm

ittee

Dr. John A

ndersonD

r. Walter C

hapman

Ms. K

imberly C

orleyM

s. Mary M

argaret Ham

iltonD

r. Peter Hartley

Dr. C

hristopher Hight

Dr. Stephen K

linebergM

s. Debra M

arshallD

r. Lyn Ragsdale

Dr. D

oug SchulerD

r. Evan Siem

annD

r. Robert Stein

Ms. M

arybeth SavickiM

s. Sharon Bashouri

Managem

ent Com

mittee

David W

. Leebron, R

ice University

Marvin O

dum, Shell O

il Com

pany

Annual R

eport 200930

33Acknow

ledgements

The w

ork done by the Shell Center for Sustainability (SC

S) dur-ing this year could not have been possible w

ithout the people and organizations w

ho participate in the work funded by SC

S. We w

e thank the m

embers of the O

perating Com

mittee and the M

anage-m

ent Com

mittee for their short and long-term

leadership.

We thank the research team

s, made up of faculty, graduate, and

undergraduate students, and other partners, who proposed new

research and education initiatives in sustainable developm

ent.

We also thank our m

any on and off-campus partners, sponsors, and

collaborators for joining us in our effort to achieve our objectives for 2009.


31

Documents

2009 Annual Report 2 - Shell Center for Sustainability · 2009 Annual Report. 4 ... The project will: • Study the effects of network ... Besides laboratory research on the biochemistry