***Review the Academ1c Centers for Sustainability in the Case Study 39: Sustainability and d1scuss how considerations of ethics might enter into the collaborative efforts of centers and institutes for sustainability....<<<

Historically, joint research in colleges and universities is done within separate disciplines rather than in collaboration with other disciplines. Thus, biologists collaborate with other biologists, chemists with other chemists, economists with other economists, and political scientists with other political scientists. The recent emergence of centers and institutes for sustainability represents a significant and important break from that tradition. In September 2007, the Rochester Institute of Technology initiated the Golisano Institute for Sustainability.110 Noting that it is customary for new programs to be run by just one discipline, Nabil Nasr, the institute director, comments, But the problem of sustainability cuts across economics, social elements, engineering, everything. It simply cannot be solved by one discipline, or even by coupling two disciplines.111 Dow Chemical has recently given the University of California at Berkeley $10 million to establish a sustainability center. Dows Neil Hawkins says, Berkeley has one of the strongest chemical engineering schools in the world, but it will be the M.B.A.s who understand areas like microfinance solutions to drinking water problems.112 The center is in Berkeleys Center for Responsible Business, directed by Kellie A. McElhaney. Commercialization of research undertaken by students and professors is expected. However, McElhaney notes, Commercialization takes forever if the chemical engineers and the business types do not coordinate. So think how much easier it will be for chemistry graduates to work inside a company if they already know how to interact with the business side.