Sustainability boot camp: Bridging disciplines to create a sustainable future

Today's college graduates seek employment that contributes to sustainability, while employers seek new employees who have practical, hands-on experience addressing sustainability challenges. However, few students emerge from university with the mindset and tools to immediately apply sustainability concepts to the challenges they face. A multidisciplinary, immersive, co-curricular "boot camp" sustainability learning experience can address these challenges. This article describes the design and pilot testing of a sustainability boot camp at Virginia Tech involving a team of nine interdisciplinary faculty fellows from 6 colleges and insight from over 200 sustainability experts from multiple domains. Learning outcomes were developed based on thematic analysis of industry interviews from multiple sectors, yielding a set of competencies that companies seek in new hires for sustainability positions. The program is structured around three elements (sustainability integration, professional development, and network building) and incorporates lectures, professional development training, networking opportunities, and problem-based learning to help students develop a "sustainability lens" that can be applied to not only future professional activities but also personal decisions. The first two offerings of the boot camp with 60 students provided lessons learned for others developing similar programs.;Today's college graduates seek employment that contributes to sustainability, while employers seek new employees who have practical, hands-on experience addressing sustainability challenges. However, few students emerge from university with the mindset and tools to immediately apply sustainability concepts to the challenges they face. A multidisciplinary, immersive, co-curricular "boot camp" sustainability learning experience can address these challenges. This article describes the design and pilot testing of a sustainability boot camp at Virginia Tech involving a team of nine interdisciplinary faculty fellows from 6 colleges and insight from over 200 sustainability experts from multiple domains. Learning outcomes were developed based on thematic analysis of industry interviews from multiple sectors, yielding a set of competencies that companies seek in new hires for sustainability positions. The program is structured around three elements (sustainability integration, professional development, and network building) and incorporates lectures, professional development training, networking opportunities, and problem-based learning to help students develop a "sustainability lens" that can be applied to not only future professional activities but also personal decisions. The first two offerings of the boot camp with 60 students provided lessons learned for others developing similar programs.;