The Kennedy Center for International Studies invited students to check out its recently opened Stewardship Lab in an opening social on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Allie Asay shared that the lab will be used for locally and globally based projects centered around environmental stewardship and sustainability, lab coordinator Allie Asay said..
“I think the first step to sustainability is recognizing where we’re using more than we need ... and countering that as best we can by personal choices and by educating each other,” Josh Nelson, who attended the Stewardship Lab opening social, said.
The lab's research and projects will have locations ranging from Provo to more exotic places like Nepal, Asay said.
The new lab space is overseen by the Global Environmental Studies program, but still encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. Almost sixty faculty members are affiliated with the program — from business and engineering to humanities and dance, according to program coordinator George Handley.
The Global Environmental Studies minor itself explores both humanities and environmentalism, making it a possible complement for STEM majors.
“(The lab) connects people from all across campus — engineering students with art students, life science students — to projects that they can work on and collaborate on,” Lucy Harper, a BYU student studying biodiversity and conservation, said. “It means a lot to me ... to apply this theory of interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Asay said that current projects in the lab include one in Nepal that helps individuals create bricks to boost their livelihood and take charge of their own economy. Another project located on campus will explore health impacts of garden diversity.
In a third project located in Ecuador, linguists and civil engineers will work together in assisting an indigenous tribe preserve their culture through the construction of a tourist learning center where visitors can learn about the tribe.
Civil engineers are determining “how to physically build the building in a way that aligns with the local environment and also culture of the people,” Asay said. “It’s being a steward over the world and not just the physical environment, but the people of the world (also) because we want to help these people preserve their way of life.”
Asay added that a mission statement and website for the lab are coming soon. For now, additional information about the Stewardship Lab and the Global Environmental Studies minor can be found @byu.ges on Instagram.