Find a Research Question

The following topics have been identified in partnership with University operational departments and faculty from various academic departments to assist students in identifying potential JP, Senior Thesis and graduate research topics using the campus itself as a living laboratory for sustainability problem-solving.

Please search the questions below, or use the sorting options to narrow your search by action area or discipline. Contact Ijeoma Nwagwu for more information.

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  • Build on a past light pollution study of campus to suggest improvements in campus lighting design to minimize disruption for wildlife and create more dark sky areas.

    Action Area:
    Design & Develop
    Discipline:
    Astrophysical Sciences, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Geosciences

  • Can community gardens reduce loneliness, improve connections, improve feelings of well-being, improve mental health, etc.? 

    Action Area:
    Healthy Habitats
    Discipline:
    Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Geosciences, Psychology, Sociology

  • Conduct a before-and-after study of renovations to the Frist Gallery food waste disposal area. Test whether upgrades to the area result in less contamination of the compost or recycling streams, ease of access of the new system, or other variables.

    Action Area:
    Design & Develop, Purchasing & Waste
    Discipline:
    Anthropology, Art & Archeology, Computer Science, Environmental Studies, Geosciences, Psychology, Robotics, Sociology

  • Conduct a comprehensive sustainability audit of the Rescue Mission in Trenton.

    Action Area:
    GHG Emissions, Water Usage, Stormwater Management, Design & Develop, Healthy Habitats, Alternative Commuting, Purchasing & Waste
    Discipline:
    Anthropology, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Geosciences, Sociology

  • Conduct a Life-Cycle Analysis of strawberries grown hydroponically in the Princeton Vertical Farm versus field-grown strawberries in different soil types.

    Discipline:
    Chemistry, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies, Geosciences

  • Conduct a sustainability literacy assessment among students; take a baseline survey and measure changes over time.

    Action Area:
    GHG Emissions, Water Usage, Stormwater Management, Design & Develop, Healthy Habitats, Alternative Commuting, Purchasing & Waste
    Discipline:
    Anthropology, English, Environmental Studies, Geosciences, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Public and International Affairs

  • Design a rewards system for recycling properly, possibly in collaboration with existing student-designed app EcoTracker, then test to see whether recycling behavior is sustained after the reward is given.

    Action Area:
    Purchasing & Waste
    Discipline:
    Computer Science, Environmental Studies, Psychology

  • Design a robot that reduces contamination in campus recycling by removing common non-recyclable items from recycling bins, or uses machine learning to prompt individuals about the appropriate bin (compost, recycling, or trash) to use. 

    Action Area:
    Purchasing & Waste
    Discipline:
    Computer Science, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Robotics

  • Design an app that tells users whether or not a certain item is recyclable in a given location (e.g., some types of plastic are recyclable on campus but not in the Municipality of Princeton).

    Discipline:
    Computer Science, Environmental Studies

  • Design prototype energy storage and generation devices that can be deployed on campus to enhance our microgrid.

    Action Area:
    GHG Emissions
    Discipline:
    Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Robotics