As the sun sets on Wayne State University’s T-RUST program, it’s essential to recognize its transformative impact on urban sustainability. T-RUST, or Transformative Research in Urban Sustainability and Training, was rooted deeply in integrated disciplines – ranging from social and physical sciences to technology and engineering. It was crafted to guide students to comprehend the myriad elements forming sustainable urban environments. This comprehensive approach had STEM doctoral and masters students collaborating with local communities, industries, scientists, and policymakers. Together, they tackled challenges in post-industrial urban settings, laying the groundwork for more resilient cities.

However, while T-RUST’s journey as a program is concluding, its spirit and foundational ideas are being reborn in a new, expansive initiative: UN-RCE Detroit Windsor. This joint venture between Wayne State University and the University of Windsor has been recognized as a United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. With an emphasis on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this endeavor aims to address climate change, economic disparities, health inequities, and more. The Detroit-Windsor region, with its unique transnational metropolitan landscape, faces distinct challenges – from valuing water as a precious resource to navigating the complexities of shared automotive histories. As leaders in sustainability and collaboration, this partnership aspires to foster a holistic approach to these challenges, echoing the multidisciplinary foundation established by T-RUST.

The transition from T-RUST to UN-RCE Detroit Windsor carries with it significant institutional knowledge and leadership. Dr. Donna Kashian, a principal investigator and founder of T-RUST, will continue to champion these sustainable efforts as the Director of the UN-RCE for Detroit.

In essence, while T-RUST and UN-RCE may appear as two distinct programs, they are intrinsically linked. T-RUST sowed the seeds of interdisciplinary collaboration and urban sustainability, and now UN-RCE is the garden where these concepts will flourish further. By focusing on specific SDGs and encouraging cross-border collaboration, the new program promises to not only draw upon the legacy of T-RUST but also to pave a brighter, sustainable future for communities on both sides of the border.

Our students wrapped up a busy summer complete with community collaborations, grant writing, research, and interdisciplinary internships. Read all about it in our latest newsletter!

• Camille, Colleen, and Brendan chaired a session at IAGLR this week on urban groundwater through the lens of urban sustainability and interdisciplinary research. More…
• Students from Cesar Chavez Academy High School visited the T-RUST labs for a hands-on workshop, learning about microplastics, aquatic ecology, and cool science equipment! More…
• Zoha Siddiqua gave a talk at Healthy Urban Waters on her project investigating contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water. More…
• T-RUST students Brendan O’Leary, Natalie Lyon, and Camille Akemann presented at the Heathy Urban Waters Symposium, supported in part by the Erb Family Foundation. More…
• T-RUST fellow, Hector, and past fellow, Orlando, presented research at the Association for the Sciences of Limnography and Oceanography conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico! More…
  

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Congratulations to T-RUST Trainees, Brendan O’Leary, Colleen Linn, and Camille Akeman on the awardation of their new grant from the  American Geophysical Union (AGU)!  The cohort proposed the following:

“As members of the NSF-NRT funded Transformative Research in Urban Sustainability Training (T-RUST) program at Wayne State, we plan to host a series of sessions as a team about best practices in interdisciplinary research and to further explore how to make the interdisciplinary research process more efficient. This project will help us achieve this by exposing us to academics and leaders in a professional development context. Our research addresses groundwater quality in Southeastern Michigan—an issue largely overlooked due to the region’s reliance on its surface water resources. The team will host scholarly sessions with the theme of groundwater quality at each researcher’s professional conferences to examine the process of interdisciplinary collaboration; its challenges and rewards and identify and discuss best practices.”

We are excited to see their progress moving forward!

Another successful Water@Wayne with Advisory Board member and program specialist for the US Forest Services, Lisa Perez. Lisa Perez serves as a program specialist with the US Forest Service, Eastern Region. Working as Detroit Urban Connections Coordinator since 2009, she works with partners to  create opportunities to connect urban residents with nature, both in their backyards, neighborhood parks and National Forests.  Prior to this work, she served in the Intermountain Region as Conservation Education Coordinator for the 2002 Olympic Planning Team and Logan Ranger District of the Wasatch Cache National Forest, positions which required many different jobs, some of the most memorable being from writing a movie script for Bill Nye the Science Guy, coordinating an international environmental education awards program, surveying 51 potential wild and scenic rivers, and driving a dump truck.

Join us for the next installment in our Water@Wayne series when Dr April Beisaw will speak about the archaeology of New York City’s watershed  communities on February 21st from 2:30 to 4:00pm.