Interdisciplinary, Research-based Engineering and Design (IRED) Green Building Scholars Program

The Interdisciplinary, Research-based Engineering and Design (IRED) Green Building Scholars project at Portland State University (PSU) is preparing a cohort of engineering and architecture students to meet the scientific and technical challenges to reducing the energy use and environmental impact of the building sector. In the US, buildings consume 41 percent of the primary energy and are responsible for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, so preparing a workforce in the building sciences is essential to ensure that buildings are created, adapted and retrofitted using rigorous scientific and engineering principles. Furthermore, engineers and architects must collaborate in order to integrate building systems while minimizing energy use, resource consumption, and cost. IRED enables the rapid integration of green building strategies, materials, and systems by conducting university-led laboratory simulations or post-occupancy analysis and applying this research to projects currently under design through collaboration with professional practice. This S-STEM project is recruiting more women and underrepresented minorities into building science majors; encouraging undergraduate students in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and architecture to take building science courses and IRED seminars to better prepare them for practice and research; and providing a financial incentive for these students to continue their education at the Master's level to pursue advanced elective coursework in building science that includes IRED projects and the option to assist with ongoing green building research. Three competitive scholarship tracks support students pursuing Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Master of Architecture degrees at different points in their education. In addition to required coursework, the IRED Student Support Center provides support services for the cohort including: weekly study groups and peer tutoring sessions; peer advising; advising from green building faculty and practitioners; monthly research roundtables and firm tours; recruiting events at high schools, community colleges and on the PSU campus; travel support to present research from IRED courses at conferences; career services; and cohort-building activities including field trips to tour green buildings. The IRED Green Building Scholars program serves as a model for other universities to increase the building science knowledge and skills of their students, improve interdisciplinary interactions in preparation for practice, and better prepare future building professionals to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the built environment through the use of robust scientific knowledge and research. To iteratively improve the program, formative evaluation will include the scholar?s academic progress, retention, and a review of recruitment statistics measure against baselines for the 2012-13 academic year. To identify successes and barriers with respect to achieving project objectives, the formative evaluation will also include an annual survey of the S-STEM Scholars as well as information from mentoring meetings between the grantees and the Scholars.