2025-2026 Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Grants Awarded
The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Sustainability Education and Curriculum Committee (SECC) are pleased to announce the recipients of the fourth round of Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation grants; these awards are funded by Sustainability Next. Recipients from this round represent six colleges and 15 schools, with total support nearing $150,000. The grants aim to transform instruction using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which offer a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
| Grant Awardee | Unit | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Rounaq Basu | College of Design – School of City and Regional Planning | Embedding SDGs into Transportation Plangineering Curricula |
| Rodrigo Borela, Nimisha Roy | College of Computing – Computing Instruction | Embedding Sustainability and SDG Learning in BrainBoost: A VIP on Generative AI for Education |
| Sheng Dai | College of Engineering – School of Civil and Environmental Engineering | Recycling and Beneficial Reuse of Construction Materials |
| Ashutosh Dhekne | College of Computing – Computer Science | Weaving the SDGs into the Computer Networking Course |
| Eben Fanijo | College of Design – School of Building Construction | Integrating UN SDGs Through Experiential Learning |
| Sarah Goodman | College of Engineering – School of Materials Science and Engineering | Materials in Context: Permeating Sustainable Thinking Throughout an Introductory Materials Science and Engineering Course |
| Linda Green | College of Sciences – School of Biological Sciences | Strengthening Connections to Course Content and the SDGs Through CURE Research Projects |
| Noura Howell, Joe Bozeman, Michael Nitsche | Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts – Literature, Media, and Communication | Community-Engaged Environmental Data Displays for Understanding the Environmental Impact of AI: Course Redesign Proposal for Introduction to Computational Media |
| Nikki Mackenzie | Scheller College of Business | Sustainability Reporting Integration |
| Myrsini Mamoli, Virginia Howell, Carson Meredith | College of Design – School of Architecture | Redesigning Museums: History, Theory, Design; An Exhibit of Renewable Bioproducts at the GT Museum of Papermaking |
| Alexander Robel, Jorge Macedo | College of Sciences – School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences | Engineering Resilience to Sea Level Rise Through Community-Based Learning in Savannah and Clarkston |
| Ingeborg Rocker, Johannes Milz, Chen Zhou | College of Design – School of Architecture | GT Sustainability Curriculum Commons (Pilot): A Platform for Discovery, Sharing, and Innovation |
| Juliana Viezure | Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts – School of History and Sociology | Sustainability and History of Medicine: A Redesign of HTS 3087 |
| Yixiao Wang | College of Design – Industrial Design | Redesigning Innovation Design Studio for Sustainable Development Goals |
| Danielle Willkens | College of Design – School of Architecture | GEORGIA ARCHITECTURE: Place + Heritage + Potential |
| Eunhwa Yang, James Holder, Abdurrahman Barru | College of Design – School of Building Construction | Global Perspectives in Climate Migration – Resilience, Relocation, and Sustainable Futures |
| Micah Ziegler | College of Engineering – Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Incorporating Emerging Energy Technologies into Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics |
These awards advance Georgia Tech’s Strategic Plan to connect globally and amplify impact by contributing to global efforts that advance the UN SDGs through education, research, and service. “Over the past several years, these grants have supported the transformation of dozens of courses reaching thousands of Georgia Tech students. Connecting core content to complex, real-world challenges can enhance motivation and learning, while preparing students to advance solutions,” said Rebecca Watts Hull, assistant director of Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives.All four rounds of grant-funded projects include high enrollment and core courses as well as electives, significantly expanding the reach of Georgia Tech’s sustainability-across-the-curriculum initiatives.
Ashutosh Dhekne from the School of Computer Science believes these grants will support students’ “long term success in the field, while cultivating a deeply instilled sense of responsibility and thoughtfulness.” Dhekne noted that the grants align with Georgia Tech’s mission to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition; his project will weave concepts like improved efficiency, reduced emissions, and reduction of e-waste into an undergraduate computer networking course. “We expect students to analyze networking decisions from the perspectives of environmental implications, societal benefits, and job creation,” said Dhekne.
Noura Howell from the School of Literature, Media, and Communication is working to raise awareness of the environmental costs of AI usage. “Generative AI uses significant electricity and water, but this is hidden from users,” said Howell. Through the grant, Howell will engage LMC 2700 Intro to Computational Media students to help make the “costs of generative AI more tangible through creative data representations.”
Grant winners are encouraged to participate in the Community of Practice on Transformative Teaching with the UN SDGs, which is open to all Tech instructors working to integrate sustainability into their courses. Rounaq Basu from the School of City and Regional Planning is excited to join the community of practice; through his grant, he plans to incorporate sustainability in his Intro to Urban Analytics course. “I will be encouraging my students to think about how urban analytical methods can be leveraged to address “wicked” social problems,” said Basu.
Cristina Riso, a 2024-2025 grant awardee, noted that she benefited from the “wide range of experiences and disciplines reflected in the Community of Practice, which helped me better think through the implementation of my educational plans.” Riso used her grant to incorporate the SDGs into her undergraduate Aeroelasticity course, bringing current trends in sustainable aviation to her students. Riso’s students completed a semester project where they learned how the SDGs, particularly Goal 13: Climate Action, are pushing aerospace engineers to develop novel aircraft designs requiring technical advances in aeroelasticity.
“The Sustainability Education Initiative continues to enhance Georgia Tech’s curriculum in sustainable development,” said Matthew Realff, the outgoing SECC chair. “The grants enable faculty to embed sustainability into core courses in chemical, civil and materials engineering, computing and business accounting. They are creating opportunities to enhance our public facing museum in papermaking and in using AI to support sustainable development.” Realff also noted that the grants offer a “truly wide ranging and exciting commitment from the faculty and institute to pursue our strategic goals.”
Learn more about sustainability education at Georgia Tech through the Sustainability Next Plan and the Climate Action Plan. Want to get involved? Contact Matthew Realff for more information about the Sustainability Education and Curriculum Committee or reach out to Rebecca Watts Hull for support with sustainability and SDG course design and pedagogies.
