Partnering on campus to find solutions to real problems

Elon University’s Campus as a Living Lab program connects students, faculty and staff using Elon’s campus for engaged and experiential learning and sustainability research, generating new knowledge to advance sustainability on campus.

Outcomes from a living laboratory approach:

  • Campus Improvement – Elon University’s campus operations and programs serve as a platform for exploring and demonstrating innovative sustainability solutions. By using real-world systems for projects, such as energy data from Elon University’s Building Dashboard, students can learn about sustainability innovation on campus and help improve systems in real time.
  • Behavior Change – Just as campus operations and programs can serve as laboratories for sustainability improvements, so can human behavior. Campus as a Living Lab can be used to examine how communication, information exchange and behavioral science can foster a culture of sustainability.

Do you have a project idea or research question that could benefit from academic collaboration?

Propose a Campus as a Living Lab Project Idea or Research Question

Do you want to find a project idea or research question?

Find a Campus as a Living Lab Project Idea or Research Question

Student Research Highlight

Soil Carbon Sequestration in Elon Forest: The Role of Past Land Use and Forest Age

Ryan Gibbons ’25 (Dr. Kelsey Bitting & Dr. Ryan Kirk)

What were some of the benefits of doing sustainability research directly on campus?
The most prominent benefit is that it helps ground the process. Often, research can feel very theoretical, and for some students this can act as a barrier for them to get involved. It can be hard to invest a semester (or in my case, three years) into a project that isn’t grounded with something to latch onto. By having your research directly connect to assessing and improving your college campus, you can help build that connection and create an easier time for students to envision the importance of their work.

In what ways could your research make a difference on campus?  What about on a larger scale?
My research can make a difference in three different ways. First, the results ran against what the literature would have us believe. This lends itself to furthering the conversation on how land should be managed to maintain as much carbon sequestration as possible to help mitigate the impact of climate change. Second, it provides a better understanding of the history of the Elon Forest. If the soil is indicating a different land use history than what was previously understood, then further investigation should be conducted. Finally, it can provide a greater appreciation for the importance of land management. I hope it can act as a potential spark of inspiration for North Carolina landowners on how they can use their land to better store carbon away from the atmosphere.

Why would you encourage other students to do research on Elon’s campus?
Our campus is an amazing resource that allows you to connect directly with the work you are doing. It can help ground you and remind you why your work matters.

Students

Students can engage in research and course-related projects that utilize Elon University’s campus as a testing ground for addressing sustainability challenges.

Get Inspired 

Faculty

Find a project idea or research question for your next class project. This list was created by Elon University staff who are interested in partnering with faculty and students to find solutions to sustainability challenges on campus.
Faculty can partner with university staff to design and implement operational projects to promote sustainable practices on campus. These projects can be class/group projects or independent student research. To find staff with whom to partner, please contact Kelly Harer, associate director of sustainability for education and outreach.

Staff

Staff are encouraged to submit departmental sustainability challenges to the “Find a Project Idea or Research Question” list. This resource is used by students and faculty when looking for sustainability-related project ideas or research questions.

Staff are encouraged to collaborate with faculty and students on research and class projects that contribute to a more sustainable campus by improving campus operations and programs.

Find a Project Idea or Research Question

The project ideas and research questions on this page have been identified by campus staff to assist students and faculty in finding Campus as a Living Lab projects and research questions.