Overview
The Greenhouse and Sustainability Program (GSP) connects RMIT’s Honours and/or Masters’ students with industry to implement sustainability projects. The program is administered by a project team under the learning and teaching portfolio of the College of Science, Engineering and Health. However, it is a university-wide program, aiming to provide students from all disciplines with meaningful opportunities to apply their learning to real world sustainability challenges. Honours and Masters students who are interested in solving real-world sustainability issues and want to do a research project or a work placement can request to participate in the program. They will then be matched with a project, which is proposed by an industry partner. Projects are normally undertaken in 1 or 2 semesters and emphasise a sustainability issue such as reducing energy, reducing waste, improving business efficiency, building sustainable practices, and so on.
What type of projects are available for my students?
Projects deal with a variety of sustainability issues. Examples include (this is not an exhaustive list):
- Investigating consumers’ behaviour in sustainability,
- Addressing the logistics of waste management,
- Addressing land use planning/management in peri-urban areas,
- Greenhouse impacts of land subdivision on agriculture,
- Improving the efficiency of electrical plants in buildings,
- Reducing and monitoring waste,
- Bio-gas utilisation derived from waste water treatment or other waste products,
- Improving energy efficiency of computer networks,
- Managing the business’s triple bottom line (financial, social and environmental risks),
- Increasing the use of sustainable materials in manufacturing, etc.
What can the GSP Project Team help you?
The GSP team initiates the projects and provides management support throughout the project life. It has been recognised that the followings are critical to the success of the projects:
- Selection of students: Not every student has the necessary skills to undertake “real world sustainability projects”. We, therefore, will focus on Honours and Masters students only.
- Curating: writing clear briefs in consultation with industry partners;
- Stewarding: providing guidance to students, ensuring projects succeed and meet clients’ requirements and deadlines.
How do I connect my students?
If you are a course coordinator and would like to encourage your students to participate in the GH&S Program. The project team is available to speak to your class or provide further information to the students. You can contact the project team directly and/or complete the expression of interest form below to begin connecting your students with industry projects.
Staff GSP expression of interest form
