The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) is dedicated to research and creative activities within natural, human, and built systems, as we develop innovative knowledge, products, and solutions to address local, regional, and global issues.
Students: The institute aims to build research skills in students, in order to cultivate well-rounded, critical thinking professionals. ESDRI recognizes the professional and personal importance of students having foundational research or creative experiences, professional skills, and environmental knowledge, which is facilitated through a variety of workshops, speakers, forums, special events, socials, one-on-one guidance, and more. The institute supports undergraduates through its Fellows Program, in hopes of mentoring a new generation of scholars. ESDRI supports graduate students through its Graduate Student Research Awards. All students are encouraged to share their work at the ESDRI Research Showcase each Spring.
View Current ESDRI Fellows
Faculty: ESDRI provides many opportunities for faculty to advance their research and facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, procuring intramural and extramural funding, and working with qualified student researchers. The institute engages a broad range of talented scientists, designers, and practitioners, spanning many academic disciplines, fields, and programs. The institute proudly hosts an annual Sustainability Forum, with an ever-evolving theme, which draws from KSU faculty, students, and many of our community partners.
Academic units represented within ESDRI include:
- Aeronautics and Engineering
- Applied and Technical Studies
- Architecture and Environmental Design
- Art
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Communication and Information
- Earth Sciences
- English
- Fashion
- Geography
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
- Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
View ESDRI-affiliated Faculty Members
By empowering environmental research, the institute aims to foster change by drawing from robust, well-informed science and design or extrapolating on the research ourselves. ESDRI encourages students, faculty, and the greater community to understand and leverage the interacting geological, biological, human, economical, cultural, and social systems around us. These overlapping systems impact and regulate the availability of resources (e.g. pure water, clean air, and food), sustain diversity of life on Earth, promote well-being, and affect all of us in our daily life.
Environmental Science and Design Research Institute/We acknowledge that the lands of ½ÄÏÌåÓý were the previous homes of people who were removed from this area without their consent by the colonial practices of the United States government. Before removal, these groups created networks that extended from Wyoming to the Florida Coast and Appalachia and to the northern reaches of Lake Superior. These societies included people of the Shawnee, Seneca-Cayuga, Delaware, Wyandots, Ottawa and Miami. We honor their lives – past, present, and future – and strive to move beyond remembrance toward reflection and responsibility, through honest accounts of the past and the development of cultural knowledge and community.
Myron Lard grew up just 40 miles from the East Palestine derailment site. He returned to help the community understand the impact.
A ½ÄÏÌåÓý State faculty researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences has launched a pioneering study to explore how different species adapt to high-altitude environments in the Himalayas where oxygen levels are significantly lower. This research could have significant implications for understanding hypoxia-related conditions in humans.
Each year the Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) hosts a competitive request for proposals which are reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel, awarding
The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) supports students through their fellowship program.
The work of a ½ÄÏÌåÓý Biological Sciences doctoral graduate recently received recognition from green roof experts from across North America who are looking to address contemporary environmental challenges, especially in urb
What are the main factors that either inhibit or promote growth in trees? Traditionally, scientists primarily looked at temperature and precipitation.
When driving in the rain, it is unlikely that you have thought much about how the environment is affected, let alone how nearby aquatic sources are impacted.
Over half of the described species in the world are insects. Although many people think of insects as pests, they play vital roles and have a big impact on our invaluable ecosystems, as pollinators, helping break down wastes, and as an essential food source for many other organisms.