This past summer, six Penn State students embarked on an immersive journey into urban sustainability through the Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State’s City Semester Pittsburgh program. The students came from four different colleges and six majors and brought a diverse array of skills and perspectives to the program. They spent the summer exploring topics in sustainability, hearing from local leaders and industry experts, visiting sites around the region, and engaging with the city’s complex environmental and social landscape.
For the internship component of the program, participating students were matched with community partners who are advancing sustainability efforts across the region. They were placed based on the organizations’ needs and students’ goals and skills, aligning with their majors in environmental systems engineering, science, landscape architecture, environmental resource management, data sciences, and geosciences (with one student pursuing a minor in sustainability leadership). Community partners included the Allegheny County Conservation District, Breathe Project, Covestro, Grounded Strategies, Riverlife, and Three Rivers Waterkeeper.
In addition to their internships, the students took part in the EARTH 412 Urban Sustainability course at the Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center once a week. This course explored the multifaceted question: What is urban sustainability? and guided students to examine the relationships between people and the environment. Guest speakers from various organizations added depth to the course, enriching the students’ understanding of real-world sustainability challenges and solutions.
Some of the course topics and guest insights included:
- What is Urban Sustainability? — The program kicked off with an introduction to sustainable development, featuring insights from Leslie Montgomery, VP of Education & Communications at Green Building Alliance.
- Sustainability, Justice, and Equity — Students explored the political, economic, and social challenges of sustainability and welcomed Josiah Gilliam, Executive Director of PUMP, to offer critical reflections on local economic and political factors.
- Urban Water — James Stitt and Beth Dutton from the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority shared their expertise on green infrastructure and stormwater management, giving students a historical perspective on water systems in urban areas.
- Sustainability by Design — Christine Mondor from evolveEA engaged the students in a discussion about addressing the roots of unsustainability and the role of design in creating lasting solutions.
- Urban Food, Waste, Housing, Transportation, and Climate Justice — Students dove into topics such as urban food production, waste management, affordable housing, transportation, industrial ecology, civic engagement, and climate adaptation. Each session brought in subject-matter experts like Jo Deming from the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, Chris Sandvig from Mobilify of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and Matt Mahoney from the Pennsylvania Solar Center, providing the students with a comprehensive view of the many aspects of how sustainability principles and practices can have profound impact at the local level.
Students also had the opportunity to join together with another Center program this summer, the High-Performance Building Summer Program, to visit some of Pittsburgh’s greenest buildings — Tree Pittsburgh, the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, and the Frick Environmental Center — as well as enjoy Pittsburgh Pirates Pride Night and post-game fireworks at PNC Park.
Internships in Action
Through their internships, students applied classroom knowledge to hands-on work with their community partners. Whether assisting with conservation efforts, advocating for cleaner air, or testing soil and water quality, each student found meaningful ways to contribute to the sustainability goals of Pittsburgh.
In line with their course work, each student produced a video reflecting on their internship experience and how it connects to one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These videos serve as a testament to the students’ growth and their commitment to creating a more sustainable urban future. Check out the summer 2024 student videos.
A Summer of Growth and Impact
The City Semester Pittsburgh program not only deepened the students’ understanding of urban sustainability but also prepared them to be future leaders in environmental stewardship, community development, and quality of life issues. By integrating academic learning with community-based work, this program allowed students to see the real-world impact of sustainability efforts and the role they can play in advancing this critical cause.