The goal of the Sustainable Solutions in the Institute is to foster innovative solutions for a resilient humanity. This is accomplished through the work done in our Sustainable Solutions Lab and Sustainable Solutions Education.
The Lab provides programmatic interdisciplinary support to help develop the selected ideas to the proof-of-concept stage (in particular, generating evidence demonstrating whether the concept is feasible and viable).
Based on the conviction that cross-curricular and nuanced approaches are essential to addressing society’s most pressing challenges, our diverse teams are carefully selected through a competitive process. They include undergraduate and graduate students from all engineering disciplines, as well as those studying business, economics, public policy, anthropology, design and journalism, among others. Students are assigned to project teams based on their expertise and experience, with ultimate supervision and quality control overseen by Institute staff, faculty and fellows with relevant expertise. The process encourages these teams to apply project management, background research, analysis and critical thinking to promising ideas.
The Lab offers financial and in-kind support for selected projects. All affiliates of the Institute are eligible to submit applications and contribute to the Lab.
The Lab connects selected projects with relevant experts, collaborators and community partners from across sectors and disciplines, tapping into the IEC and Hunt Institute Fellow network.