Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment Names New Lead

Professor Peter Mark Jansson, electrical & computer engineering, has been appointed the new faculty director of the Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment (BCSE).

Jansson has taken an active role in many of Bucknell's sustainability initiatives, including by serving as a member of the BCSE steering committee and working with the center's staff on sustainability projects such as the Living Greenhouse. He is also a co-founder of the Institute for Leadership in Sustainable Technology, an interdisciplinary experiential-learning summer program in which student teams act as sustainability consultants in residential and commercial settings; and an adviser to the Renewable Energy Scholars, a group of students, staff and faculty who seek to educate the University community and public about renewable energy technologies.

His research and teaching interests include solar-energy engineering, smart electric grids, sustainable transportation, and problems related to energy and the environment, and he has worked as a solar engineer and consultant. Jansson's passion for sustainability also extends to his personal life, where he powers his home with a local photovoltaic system, commutes with an electric vehicle, and cultivates a living, edible landscape and permaculture.

Jansson will take over for Professor Jessica Newlin, civil & environmental engineering, who has served as interim director for two years. His three-year appointment takes effect July 1.

"Under Jessica's leadership, the center concluded a challenging, thorough and multi-faceted external review, which began with extensive work by previous director Peter Wilshusen," said Associate Provost Karen Morin, who oversees the center. "Following the review, and under Jessica's skillful planning and leadership, the center developed a 2017­-20 Strategic Plan, with a number of its 'action items' already underway. I sincerely thank Jessica for her willingness to take on these responsibilities at this important juncture in the life of the BCSE.

"I am also excited to welcome another passionate and knowledgeable educator to lead the BCSE as we implement this new strategic plan," she added.

The BCSE is an academic center dedicated to creating impactful, interdisciplinary, experiential opportunities for learning and research that address global environmental and sustainability challenges. Through student-centered initiatives and other programming, the BCSE seeks to advance the University's mission to educate students to serve the common good and to promote justice in ways sensitive to the moral and ethical dimensions of life.