New initiative helps students study sustainability
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/permeablepaving.jpg” caption=”A piece of permeable paving material. Brandon Karchewski and Tommy Lee will be working with the material as part of a joint sustainability initiative between participating Faculties, the Office of Sustainability and Security and Parking Services. Photo by Matt Terry.”]Brandon Karchewski and Tommy Lee are preparing to spend a lot of time looking at the ground.
The two engineering students have taken advantage of the opportunity to incorporate environmental sustainability projects into their coursework by studying the benefits of permeable paving technology. The technology, which allows for the natural drainage of water into the ground while still providing traction and a durable surface, will be studied at a test site on campus.
“The project allows us to apply what we're learning in the classroom to the real world,” said Karchewski, who will analyze the strength and durability of two types of permeable paving materials. “By going out into the field and doing this work, we're gaining valuable experience that we wouldn't otherwise get.”
Lee, a materials engineering and society student, agrees that the joint initiative, a partnership between participating Faculties and the Office of Sustainability, will give him a great deal of otherwise impossible experience.
“It really allows you to be creative,” he said, “and you also get the chance to develop the soft skills that are difficult to learn in a classroom.”
Lee plans on studying not only the environmental sustainability of the project but also often-overlooked aspects such as social and economic sustainability.
Other students are tackling topics such as green roofs, campus bikeways, bike rack placement, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) renovations on the Burke Science Building and the implementation and social impact of bike share systems on communities.
“The chance to study sustainability in practice is what initially drew me to this project,” said Karchewski, “but what I'm most excited about it the opportunity to affect real change.”
