UB deans strongly support the vision for RENEW

“Cities, urban activities and our built environment are some of the greatest contributors to global environmental change. They have profound effects on energy infrastructure, land use, water quality and the atmosphere.  At the same time, ecological and sustainability ethics have significantly influenced the disciplines of architecture, urban planning and design. With this initiative, the School of Architecture and Planning has an unprecedented opportunity to work across the disciplines to advance new knowledge and research on these globally significant issues.”

“The College of Arts and Sciences has expertise in scientific issues regarding environment, energy and water, in addition to related matters of policy, the Great Lakes and Canada-U.S. relations. The RENEW initiative will bring into sharper focus the extensive research, scholarship and educational activities of our faculty members and their many existing collaborative relationships — on and off campus — that further our understanding of these areas.  At the same time, RENEW will position the University at Buffalo to play a more vigorous role in addressing — through knowledge building and outreach —  important science, public health and policy questions, questions that will be central to the nation’s agenda for the foreseeable future.”

“There are pressing global problems associated with energy, water and the environment. In launching RENEW, UB will hire innovative researchers that compliment an already world-class team of interdisciplinary faculty who are working to create a more sustainable world. RENEW also will help UB consolidate its reputation as a leader in research, scholarship and innovation — a central component of the UB 2020 plan.”

“UB RENEW is an innovative and cross-decanal collaborative initiative at the cutting edge of interdisciplinarity. It is true to UB’s mission as a public research university whose research inquiries merge the global and the local. RENEW’s three pillars — energy, environment and water — are of central importance to the Buffalo Niagara region and critical to the future of our planet. The work of the institute has the potential to make UB a global destination for scholars and policy-makers.  It is important, too, that RENEW will educate a new generation of UB students in some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Above all, RENEW could serve as a new model for collaborations across UB in keeping with UB 2020. The Law School is very pleased to be a partner with other decanal units in this exciting and promising initiative. I believe it opens a new frontier for thinking about synergistic pursuits at UB.”

“The management of energy and environmental concern is typical of the complex and multifaceted mega-problems that will loom large in the coming decades. The School of Management is eager to incorporate these concerns into management research and education. From system-wide optimization of a complex energy grid to the study of consumer behavior in the presence of green alternatives, the faculty of the School of Management have much to contribute to the UB-wide interdisciplinary research agenda of RENEW.”

“Our school is honored to be part of the RENEW initiative. Energy, water and the environment will present some of the most critical issues for public health in the next decades. Both local and global health issues will develop from how we cope with the challenges arising from reducing pollution from energy sources and trying to maintain clean, affordable water supplies. Without a healthy environment, the health of the public will suffer locally and globally.”