Forging Sustainable Research: Integrating Sustainability into Neuroscience Education

Abstract

The health and wellbeing of living organisms and the environment are irrevocably interconnected. Animals constantly shape the environments in which they live, and environmental factors, in turn, shape the minds and behaviours of animals. The emerging discipline of environmental neuroscience studies this reciprocal interaction and offers a unique opportunity to integrate sustainability into undergraduate training. Here, we present and evaluate Forging Sustainable Research, an interdisciplinary undergraduate course that integrates teaching of neuroscience, biology, psychology, environmental science, and sustainable development. Students explore how research in these fields can be interlinked 24 and re-oriented towards addressing emerging environmental challenges. In parallel, students learn how to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of research activities. Student feedback suggests that the course is effective at raising awareness and understanding of sustainability in research, while also enhancing student perception of their own ability to promote positive change. As climate and ecosystem change impact all sectors, sustainability awareness in academic and professional spaces is increasingly sought after. Students in the course therefore receive training in transferable skills relevant for diverse career paths. In the long term, this course may serve as model for direct integration of sustainability training into undergraduate curricula in the natural sciences.