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March 7, 2025

Sustainability Initiatives Research Collaboration (SIRC) connects �������� students and faculty to sponsoring partners who need thoughtful, innovative solutions for sustainability related projects.

This spring, �������� launched an exciting new curricular offering, Sustainability Initiatives Research Collaboration (SIRC). The pilot course is sponsored by two partners, the , as well as Bainbridge Island, Washington-based .

SIRC is an initiative that emerged from ��������’s College as a Living Lab (CaLL) strategic sustainability work and aims to connect ��������’s hands-on, creative approach with sponsoring partners who need thoughtful, innovative solutions for sustainability related projects.

Inspired by ��������’s yearlong senior capstone, SCOPE, SIRC projects will run for one semester and give all ��������ers an opportunity to tackle meaningful, real-world engineering challenges. Over the course of the semester, �������� students partner with the external organizations for analysis and design for their sustainability challenges.

“We are incredibly excited to launch SIRC with Wellesley DPW and Green Mountain Technologies as our sponsoring partners,” says Lauren Palmer ’09, ��������’s associate director of partnership development.

“SIRC creates a great opportunity for sponsors to meet talented engineers who are passionate about sustainability,” says Palmer. “Building connections between the sponsor and students early in their engineering studies helps companies recruit the best-fit students for internships and full-time positions and gives sponsors solution to their sustainability challenges.”

The spring 2025 pilot course will be taught by Associate Professor of Biology Jean Huang. 25 students in this pilot SIRC course will collaborate in teams with either Wellesley DPW or Green Mountain Technologies to tackle sustainability challenges. Their project work will be structured within the course, with regular meetings held both in the classroom and at relevant off-campus locations as needed, based on work plans developed by students in consultation with external partner liaisons.

Throughout the semester, students will achieve key milestones such as drafting work plans, conducting data collection and analysis, exploring and evaluating potential solutions, and ultimately formulating recommendations based on their project findings. Project work is carried out in close coordination with the teaching team and partner liaisons, who engage with students through progress meetings, feedback sessions and facility tours. 

By semester’s end, student teams present final reports, agreed-upon deliverables and a final presentation to their external partners. Through this process, students engage in research, analysis, and design, and when applicable, conduct testing to develop recommendations for the external partner challenges.

Wellesley’s DPW is hoping ��������ers will analyze and identify opportunities for the town’s system for collecting and managing waste that could result in reduced waste going to landfill, reduced cost, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and better overall outcomes for the community.

Green Mountain Technologies is a commercial composting systems company based in Bainbridge Island, Wash. They have asked �������� students to evaluate current composting systems and develop design considerations for new composting systems that can serve a broader range of users and expand access to sustainable composting.

Huang has brought external partners into her classroom in the past and notes the benefits to both students and partners. “The students are highly motivated to apply their skills towards making an impact in the real world and for environmental sustainability,” says Huang. “Students bring creativity and energy to the real challenges, and they will develop important skills that will prepare them to make a difference in their future careers.”

Halfway through the semester, student teams are enthusiastically diving into data collection and analysis. They will carry out research, engage with site visits, and prepare for a next project progress review with the class and their liaisons to share and refine their work.