Envision Academic Grants in Action: How Faculty Are Bringing Sustainable Infrastructure Into the Classroom

18-August-2026

 

At universities across the country, faculty are using Envision Academic Grants to bring sustainable infrastructure concepts directly into the classroom with new courses, student research, curriculum development, and hands-on learning experiences.

The Envision Academic Grants program provides $5,000 project awards to faculty seeking to incorporate the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework into higher education, providing resources and support to explore how Envision can complement existing courses and programs while preparing students to address the complex challenges facing infrastructure. Grants support projects that use Envision to enhance teaching and learning, engage students in sustainable infrastructure, advance research, and build greater awareness of sustainable infrastructure practices.

These efforts are helping prepare the next generation of infrastructure professionals to think more holistically about sustainability, resilience, climate, and community outcomes — and demonstrating the many ways Envision can be incorporated into higher education.

 

Hear From Past Grant Recipients

Since receiving their grants, faculty teams at five institutions have been advancing projects that integrate the Envision framework into engineering and sustainability education in different ways — from mapping Envision credits to capstone design projects to developing new coursework and evaluating how students’ perspectives change when they apply Envision to real-world infrastructure challenges. The work happening at these five institutions demonstrates what is possible when educators have the resources to bring sustainable infrastructure into their teaching and research.

At the University of Windsor, Rajeev Ruparathna, Ph.D., P.Eng., is using the Envision Academic Grant to support student research on infrastructure rating systems and embodied carbon credits and expand the role of Envision across the curriculum. He is developing a senior-level undergraduate course that is integrated with Envision, while also introducing Envision into an undergraduate climate change and infrastructure course as a structured approach to climate, resilience, and risk assessment. Rajeev also shared his related work with the broader infrastructure community during ISI’s Digital Twins webinar in early June 2026 and supported his students in submitting a poster for presentation at the upcoming 2026 ISI Annual Conference.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Fethiye Ozis, Ph.D., PE., ENV SP, Sarah Christian, Ph.D., P.E., ENV SP, Katherine Flanigan, and Joe Moore are taking a comprehensive approach to integrating Envision throughout the student learning experience. They have been mapping Envision credits to the capstone design process and planning opportunities for students to encounter Envision across all four years of study. The team  In addition to participating in an ISI-hosted panel on integrating Envision into the curriculum, the team submitted an abstract for presentation at the upcoming 2026 ISI Annual Conference. Carnegie Mellon has also supported ENV SP credentialing for 14 students.

At The Cooper Union, Jeong Eun Ahn, Ph.D., and Cosmas Tzavelis are exploring the role of Envision in both curriculum development and student research. The team is redesigning hydraulic engineering and senior design coursework, adapting an existing Introduction to Sustainable Design course, and planning additional student research and opportunities to incorporate Envision during the next academic cycle. . The team has also submitted an abstract for presentation at the upcoming 2026 ISI Annual Conference and is working with an MS student on Envision-focused research.

At the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Shannon L. Isovitsch Parks, Ph.D., P.E., M. ASCE, continues to develop and refine a junior-level Engineering and Sustainable Development course that uses Envision to connect sustainability concepts with real-world infrastructure projects. To evaluate the impact, Shannon has conducted student surveys at the beginning and end of the semester, and her review of the results thus far indicates that integrating Envision has improve student engagement and positively influenced their perspectives on real-world projects. Her work is also generating opportunities to share lessons learned with the broader sustainable infrastructure community, including at an ISI-hosted panel on integrating Envision into the curriculum and at the upcoming 2026 ISI Annual Conference. Looking ahead, she plans to compile the survey data for potential submission to a journal, further contributing to research on how sustainable infrastructure frameworks can support engineering education.

At Merrimack College, Sadegh Asgari, Ph.D., initially focused on helping students complete the ENV SP training and exam, giving students an opportunity to build foundational knowledge of the Envision framework and sustainable infrastructure. Additional project activities are planned for the summer semester, including development of content for a sophomore-level course. This work will create further opportunities to introduce students to Envision earlier in their academic experience and build on the foundation established through student credentialing.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about how academic faculty are using Envision in the classroom, join us on September 8 for a free webinar on “Advancing Higher Education with Envision: Inside the Academic Grant Program.” This webinar will feature past Envision Academic Grant recipients sharing how they used their project awards, what they have accomplished, lessons they have learned, and tips for developing a strong submission for the upcoming grant cycle.

 

Applications Are Now Open

The next opportunity to receive an Envision Academic Grant is here. Faculty and academic institutions interested in using Envision to support education, research, and student engagement are encouraged to learn more about the program and consider submitting an application. Each selected recipient will receive a $5,000 grant award, and applications are open through September 25. Whether you are considering a new course, looking to integrate Envision into an existing curriculum, interested in student research, or exploring other ways to bring sustainable infrastructure into your academic program, the Envision Academic Grants program can provide support to help turn that idea into action.

Learn More & Apply Now