In keeping with Penn State’s sustainability mission, which aims to improve the well-being and health of individuals and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research and service, Penn State Brandywine’s Sustainovation Team plans to build upon established connections in our local community to develop sustainability-themed engaged scholarship activities to benefit our students scholastically and our community overall.
Thanks to the Pepsi Challenge Mini-Grants to Expand the Sustainable Communities Collaborative at Penn State, we are able to participate in a Sustainable Communities Collaborative program to meet our goals outlined on this website.
We will work with our neighbors, Tyler Arboretum, Ridley Creek State Park, Media Food Bank, Delaware County Institute of Science, and the Pennsylvania Earth Science Teachers Association, to create programs that are in keeping with the definition of sustainability: “the simultaneous pursuit of human health and happiness, environmental quality and economic well-being for current and future generations.” Also, campus support for the projects will be enhanced throughout all stages by the website, campus publicity and library support in the form of library guides for each and changing library book displays connecting to project themes.
As the Sustainovation Team’s activities officially wrap up upon the conclusion of the grant, co-chairs Laura Guertin and Karen Theveny are continuing with project dissemination through conference presentations and publications.
Sustainovation Team Leaders
Laura Guertin, Professor of Earth Science (co-chair)
Karen Theveny, Lecturer of Communications (co-chair)
Justin DiMatteo, Director of IT
Ivan Esparragoza, Professor of Engineering
Adrienne Showalter, Information Resources and Services Support Specialist (*formerly of PSU Brandywine Vairo Library)
Rhonda DelViscio, Academic Affairs
Kristin Woolever, Chancellor of Penn State Brandywine (*retired)
Previous team leaders: Breath Hand, undergraduate student (PSYCH major/ENVI minor), AJ Downey (Academic Affairs)
Additional Team Members from Prior Projects
Tyler Arboretum Team – Sustainovation Club members, Engineering Club members
Ridley Creek Park Team – Mark Boudreau (Assistant Teaching Professor of Biology), Nannette D’Imperio (Lecturer in Computer Science), Bildine Massaquio (PaSSS student researcher), students in Fall 2017 section of IST 440W