Dillard University's Targeted Infusion Project entitled - An Interdisciplinary Urban Environmental Studies Initiative (TIP-IUES)- seeks to develop undergraduate students who are well-trained in the use of multiple frames of reference to explore linkages between natural and built ecosystems and the human behaviors that drive environmental and natural resource changes. This initiative will design and implement an interdisciplinary urban environmental studies concentration which will span four disciplines: biology/biochemistry, computer science, urban studies/policies, and applied mathematics. The project will support the creation of two courses (an introductory urban environmental studies course and an applied environmental microbiology course), student-driven research projects, and an open-source platform (EnviroThursday) for exchange between the Dillard community, city officials and city planners, and the public.
The objectives of the project are: to develop two courses which will orient students to current trends in urban ecosystems and prepare them for graduate study in the field of environmental studies; to modify URB335 Geographic Information Systems to better equip students with the skill sets to conduct research in the field of environmental science; to design an Interdisciplinary Urban Environmental Studies concentration that will lead to interdisciplinary certification in conjunction with Dillard's Deep South Center for Environmental Justice; and to engage undergraduates in environmental research.
