UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2021 Biannual Fall Semester Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) at Penn State Expo is available virtually for self-guided exploration here.
Each semester, the SCC connects students and faculty with community partners across Pennsylvania to engage with practical, real-world projects and research that increase the community’s capacity to make educated decisions that move them towards a sustainable future. These proposals are then offered to campus and community leaders from municipalities across Pennsylvania for implementation.
This year, the expo highlights projects discussing renewable energy policy, stream restoration, stormwater management, and public relations campaigns. Participating classes ranged in disciplines from biobehavioral health to geography.
One project, conducted by students in Frans Padt’s Community and Economic Development (CED 309) class, examined the lack of affordable housing and public transportation in Harrisburg. After taking a field trip to the area with a local city planner, students brainstormed solutions to this pressing need. Working in groups, students then proposed ways to sustainably reduce the identified barriers.
“Being paired with a group of other individuals my age that have never worked on a project like this seemed very overwhelming at first. However, our group worked very well together to get to our end goal,” said Anna Harter, a student of Padt’s class.
“I enjoyed working on the same topic for much of the semester, because when it came time to present our poster, we all felt very confident and prepared in the material and what we were presenting,” said another student, Alyssa Temple.
The SCC provides a framework for the participating classes within the context of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to administrative support, handouts, and ideas to the students.
Assistant Teaching Professor Tara Wyckoff’s Public Relations Campaigns (Comm 473) class is also featured in the expo. Students in Wyckoff’s class explored the connection between sustainability and community economic development with various community partners. Their assignment was to craft effective messaging which highlights the relationship between each partner’s mission and the economic well-being of their respective communities.
“During in-class workshops, one group, in particular, demonstrated to me that they were becoming personally invested in their client’s mission. It was rewarding to see students make this more than a group project and see how communications can be used for advocacy in purposeful ways,” said Wyckoff.
The 2021 SCC Expo features these projects, and many more, that connect student work to communities, empowering rising professionals to make concrete, positive impacts within their work. The project showcase also exemplifies and promotes sustainable economic development to surrounding communities.
“I have been partnering with SCC for over five years, and I continue to learn so much. I enjoy the support I receive in connecting my students to clients who have a real need for their efforts,” said Wyckoff.
To learn more about these projects, visit the 2021 SCC Fall EXPO here.