The Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ISAC) Program helps course instructors at Penn introduce environmental sustainability into new and existing courses. The program, run by the Environmental Innovations Initiative with support from the Penn Sustainability Office, provides full funding for graduate or undergraduate summer research assistants, who work directly with faculty and lecturers to update or create new syllabi, lectures, assignments, texts, and/or tests that incorporate environmental themes.
During the summer, faculty and lecturers selected as part of the program supervise student research and, before the fall semester begins, attend a wrap-up presentation where students present their completed research.
Since 2012, ISAC has supported more than 80 courses in a diverse array of disciplines, including architecture, law, biology, engineering, urban planning, and Germanic languages. Faculty and lecturer participants have reported extremely high-quality work and have been delighted by students' productivity and enthusiasm.
Program requirements
If accepted into ISAC, requirements for faculty and lecturer participation include:
- Supervision of a student research assistant for 11 weeks over the summer academic term
- Provide brief feedback on the outcome of the student assistant
How to apply
- The application for faculty and lecturer proposals is currently closed.
Students accepted into the ISAC program will serve as Research Fellows for 11 weeks over the summer. Each student will work with two faculty members to integrate sustainability into their courses, which may involve researching material for the courses, developing new assignments, contributing to lectures, and compiling course reading lists.
The Environmental Innovations Initiative will help students outline goals for the summer fellowship, and students will also provide periodic progress updates to EII. At the end of the program, students will present their work.
Since 2012, ISAC has connected more than 50 students with more than 100 faculty in a diverse array of disciplines, including architecture, law, biology, engineering, urban planning, and Germanic languages. Faculty participants have reported extremely high-quality work and have been delighted by their students' productivity and enthusiasm.
ISAC Fellows are expected to:
- Work closely with the faculty members to whom they are assigned on the development of their courses
- Actively participate in four sustainability-themed field trips with other student research interns
- Provide periodic updates on their work to the Environmental Innovations Initiative
- Present their course development in a poster session at the end of the summer
The ISAC fellowship is considered equivalent to a full-time job (30 hours a week). The fellowship is 11 weeks long and begins Monday, May 20.
How to apply
- Applications for student fellows are currently closed. Submissions under review.
Email the Environmental Innovations Initiative at contact@environment.upenn.edu for more information.
Selected course listings from past ISAC programs
ISAC courses in 2023
- ENVS 1665: Air Pollution: Sources & Effects in Urban Environments
- ENVS: Environmental Fluid Dynamics: Learning about Inland Water Systems
- ENVS: Learning about Oceans and Climate with Models
- MGMT 6910: Negotiations
- NURS 3270/5270: Foundation to Global Health
- NURS 3520: Case Study: A Community-based Approach to Mitigating Climate Change and Food Insecurity
ISAC courses in 2022
- EDUC 545 Ecoliteracy: An Introduction/Integrating Active Learning at the Penn Farm
- Interdisciplinary Projects in the Anthropocene
- MGMT 799 Strategy and Environmental Sustainability
- ENVS404 Urban Environments: Speaking about Lead in West Philadelphia
- CPLN 505 Public Schools as Equity Infrastructure Studio
- CPLN 591 Introduction to Smart Cities
- ANTH 310 Introduction to Environmental Humanities
- ENVS 410 The Role of Water in Urban Sustainability and Resiliency