Beginning in 2015, the University of Oregon launched the Sustainability Award Program to recognize individuals whose contributions deepen our culture of sustainability across a range of institutional activities.

The 2018 Sustainability Award recipients were announced at an awards ceremony on May 30th, 2018. Two Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty members were among the award recipients.

Julie Haack was presented with the Excellence in Teaching Award. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Teaching Engagement Program, this award recognizes faculty who have developed pedagogy and curriculum which reinforce and advance principles of sustainability through course design and instruction. Dr. Haack was selected for her national leadership in the teaching of green chemistry, her multidisciplinary partnerships across UO’s schools and colleges, and for developing courses and workshops with a focus on green chemistry and life cycle thinking, including the UO’s Sustainable Invention Immersion Week

Jim Hutchison received the Research Innovation Award, which is sponsored by the Associate Vice President for Innovation.  This award recognizes University of Oregon projects whose innovations were developed in the course of UO research and are now offered as commercially available products or services that improve sustainability. DeFUNKify laundry products, which were developed as a result of research discoveries made in the Hutchison Lab, exemplify this type of innovation. Professor Hutchison also founded the first center for green nanoscience, the Safer Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing Initiative (SNNI). The goals of  SNNI are to develop new nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing approaches that offer a high level of performance, yet pose minimal harm to human health or the environment.

To learn more about the UO Sustainability Award Program, visit bit.ly/2K3habY or read about the 2018 awards in AroundtheO