“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
- Benjamin Franklin
It is human nature that we learn more by being an active participant in learning.
The campus as a living laboratory model is exactly that; taking an active role or a hand’s
on approach to learning. Here at CSUSM, we are actively engaged in creating opportunities for students to learn
through the campus as a living laboratory model.
We have received four (4) CSU Campus as a Living Laboratory Grants since 2015!
- Bringing the Stormwater Management Program to Live in a Classroom Environment (2018)
- Working within the Chemistry Department, Dr. Karno Ng is engaging her students on
the importance of the campus stormwater management plan.
- Data Visualization: Connecting Students to the Campus and Their Environment With Art
and Technology (2016)
- Within the School of Arts, professor Lucy Solomon works with her students to tell
the story of sustainability on campus by using arts and visualization techniques to
communicate our sustainability efforts.
- Raising a Mixed-Use Greenhouse: Connecting Students, Facilities, Courses and Research
(2015)
- Working with the Biology department, Dr. Tracey Brown re-designed Biology 338, Human
Impact on the Environment, to include a more holistic theme of sustainability and to
showcase and connect students to our campus operations, buildings and grounds. In addition,
the grant funded the partial construction of a campus greenhouse, which is used for
hand’s on learning.
- Developing and Reporting Sustainable University Business Practices Course Redesign
(2015)
- The College of Business Administration (COBA) faculty member, Dr. Catalin Ratiu re-designed his Management 474 course to focus on internal business practices within CSUSM and
to make them more sustainable.
- Many other courses include the campus as a living lab model in their curriculum.
For example Environmental Studies 100, Arts 240, Anthropology 370 have used the campus
grounds and buildings for hands on learning.
Student Projects Using the Campus as a Living Lab Model
