Grant Funded Projects

The Academy also works with faculty to facilitate the development of interdisciplinary research and education project proposals that are funded from external sources. These projects play an important role in the Academy’s efforts to bring faculty from diverse disciplines to work on environmental research, education and outreach issues of common concern.

Recent Projects

The Roadside Heritage Project

The University Academy for the Environment is collaborating with the Eastern Sierra Institute for Collaborative Education (ESICE) to create an exciting new format for informal science education: the Eastern Sierra Roadside Science Project. This project will use radio and other Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) to engage millions of motorists in enriching travel experiences along the US 395 corridor through Owens Valley. Transmitters along the highway corridor will deliver short, science-based narratives reaching a 3 to 5 mile radius. These programs will direct travelers to roadside pullouts where wayside exhibits and short-range transmitters will provide expanded information about the scientific heritage embedded in visible features of the landscape. Although the first stage of the project focuses on the Owens Valley, the project hopes to extend north to include Reno and Lake Tahoe, as well as the I-80 corridor.

This project presents an opportunity for UNR faculty who currently conduct or are interested in doing future research in the Owens Valley to connect that research to the regional community. Local high school and middle school students will work with environmental researchers to develop the scientific content for the radio spots and roadside pullout microcasts. The programs will then direct travelers to visitor centers, museums, events, talks and tours—locations where the connections they have made with the landscape are deepened. As a result, residents of these remote communities will fill a vital role in communicating their science heritage to the traveling public.

The UNAE, in collaboration with ESICE, UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, CalTrans, and other affiliated agencies, was awarded a $75,000 planning grant to conduct a pilot project and prepare a full proposal for submission later this year. The project is expected to have a lasting impact on education and outreach projects offered through a broad range of informal science institutions, including science centers, academic institutions, museums, resource agencies, and nature centers, as well as groups that target the traveling public such as transportation agencies, scenic byway and highway organizations, and heritage preservation and tourism networks.

The Eastern Sierra Roadside Heritage Project is an exciting inaugural opportunity for the UNAE. It is a truly interdisciplinary effort that builds frameworks for the university to contribute to the broader regional community on environmental issues. By bringing interested faculty together, the Academy and the RHP hope to begin building collaborative, interdisciplinary frameworks for future research and education projects.