See what we've been working on
S+DP is a fully site-based and project-based program; students participate in projects & research with local and global stakeholders throughout.
Sustainability and Development Research
Local
Using the Dallas -Fort Worth metroplex as our site lab encourages countless projects both inside and outside the classroom. We encourage collaboration between colleagues in order to pursue research they’re passionate about and make a difference.Global
With students participating from around the world, and hosting a summer course/internship opportunity in Rwanda, S+DP opens the doors to expand our research internationally and partner with organizations and educational institutions overseas.Research Projects
Environmental Justice In Dallas, Texas
In collaboration with Downwinders at Risk, and in partnership with the Urban Research Initiative at Paul Quinn College (Evelyn Mayo) S+DP student Cindy Hua and Collin Yarborough participated in the environmental activism which led to the eventual removal of Shingle Mountain in South Dallas. Hua developed strategies for teaching air quality monitoring to middle school STEM students; Yarborough developed communication tools for Environmental Justice.
Competition
Kijiji is a non-profit set up by an S+DP SMU graduate, with a mission to reduce rural poverty by promoting sustainable development in Tanzania’s rural communities through education, community activism, sustainable initiatives, and youth & women empowerment. Zarazaga and her team designed a sustainable Masterplan for the project, and developed an open student competition for three Tanzania architecture schools, in which students were asked to imagine sustainable visions for the first building elements . An international team of judges were invited to select the winning teams.
Land Title Survey Pilot for Kasisa Village, Tanzania
A collaboration with Kijiji (non profit) and EthicalGeo and OMDTZ to test a method for the use of the U-blox dual frequency GPS sensor to map and document land within rural hamlets. A primary barrier to the land tenure process, and to the use of land as collateral for small business development, is the lack of accurate survey maps. While urban costs are already high at about 150,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($65) rural costs run much higher, if even available. We are developing a system to test and share this technology with local residents who will then be trained as a rural livelihood skill.