The T-RUST team wants to extend a monumental thank you to everyone, especially our students, faculty, advisory board, and many community partners for making this program a huge success. You all are outstanding activists, remarkable researchers, and wonderful humans, and while this program has come to the end of its funding period, our work does not stop here! The connections that we have made will carry on for years to come for advocating for a sustainable future and fundamental change around climate in the Detroit region, in part through the United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise: Detroit-Windsor.
Let's talk about all the accomplishments!
Over the past year, T-RUST has:
Over the past five years T-RUST has:
- Published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and participated in more than 50 presentations around the United States.
- Had students complete 33 internships and research with local governments and national non-profit organizations.
- Had ten students graduate (seven master's and three doctorates) of the 33 students who have been in the program, with the program having a 94% retention rate.
- Created new classes for graduate and undergraduates including urban sustainability, Environmental Justice, and Climate Hazards
- Developed a graduate certificate in urban sustainability and a dual-title degree program in Urban Sustainability.
- Made diversity, equity, and inclusion a key priority, with 39% of students in the program belonging to an underrepresented minority and 70% women graduate students. Likewise, our faculty is comprised of 50% underrepresented minorities and 40% women.
- Named Wayne State University a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise in conjunction with the University of Windsor.
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Thank you to our amazing Advisory Board and community partners from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Aspen Global Change Institute, Chandler Park Conservancy, City of Detroit, City of Ferndale, City of Royal Oak, Clinton River Watershed Council, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Detroit 2030 District, Detroit Future City, Detroit Urban Solutions, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, EcoWorks Detroit, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Friends of the Rouge, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), Great Lakes Water Authority, Green Living Science, Greening of Detroit, HNTB, LimnoTech, Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and the Environment (EGLE), Michigan Natural Features Inventory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, TechTown Detroit, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Green Building Council, University of Detroit Mercy, and University of Michigan - Dearborn.
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Student Research Group Projects
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Hydrologic Benefits of Vacant Land Parcels in Detroit
Samantha, Ali, and Tierney
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Urban Groundwater and the Hydrosocial Cycle in Southeastern Michigan
Colleen, Camille, and Brendan
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Climate change, food access, and community response in Southeast Michigan
Stephanie, Brenna, Khurram, and David
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Quality & Quantity Management Mapping and Messaging of Stormwater Contamination in Detroit
Kate B, Kate E, and Sandaruwan
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Common reed management as a model for sustainable, community-led invasive species solutions in urban parks
Darrin, Jaroslava, and Natalie
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Societal, Cultural & environmental Impacts of Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Urban Centers of Detroit-Metropolitan Area
Adam, Brittanie, Hector, Jon, Katrina, and Zoha
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Effects of Heat Island Effect and Air Pollution on Urban Agriculture Yield and Contaminant Uptake
Sarah and Halima
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This work was made possible through the National Science Foundation (Grant Number: 1735038).
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