The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at CMU will host a conference entitled ?Engineering Sustainability 2011: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line.? The conference will be held in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, April 10-12, 2011. About 320 participants are expected. The funds will be used to provide travel support for up to 35 students and junior faculty. This conference will bring together engineers and scientists from academia, government, industry, and non-profits to share results of cutting edge research and practice directed at the following themes: green building design and construction; greening the indoor environment; sustainable distributed power for the built environment; sustainable urban drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure; design of more sustainable transportation grids; using principles of sustainability to foster innovation and new product design.

Project Report

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research at Carnegie Mellon University hosted Engineering Sustainability 2011: Innovation and the Triple Bottom Line (ES11) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from April 10-12, 2011. This conference brought together engineers and scientists from academia, government, industry, and non-profits to share results of cutting edge research and practice directed at the development of environmentally sustainable buildings and infrastructure. The conference, which attracted over 340 attendees, is unique in its focus on environmentally sustainable engineering for the urban environment, and its ability to bring together engineers, architects, economists, and urban planners and managers. Because we reached out to a broad base of disciplines for speakers, we were able to gain a variety of perspectives on the way that green building research is conducted among various scientific fields. In addition, by engaging different fields, we gained an appreciation for research bottlenecks for creating greener buildings which should lead to new research programs and tangible solutions leading to a more sustainable community infrastructure. Engineering Sustainability 2011 will further the public interest in sustainable community infrastructure by advancing the state of scientific knowledge on issues affecting human health and the environment. This conference will also enhance interdisciplinary dialogue on environmental sustainability research with cross-cutting applications in both basic and applied sciences. Funds from NSF were specifically used to enable the attendance of 40 junior researchers including young faculty, postdoctoral associates, and PhD students to the conference to present their work in both oral and poster formats.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2011-01-01
Budget End
2011-12-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$24,805
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15260