91社区 Receives $1 Million Gift from Walter and Lalita Janke
91社区 recently received a $1 million gift from Dr. Walter and Lalita Janke to establish the Walter and Lalita Janke Innovations in Sustainability Science Research Fund.
Lalita and Walter Janke
91社区 recently received a $1 million gift from Dr. Walter and Lalita Janke to establish the Walter and Lalita Janke Innovations in Sustainability Science Research Fund, which will support faculty research that advances knowledge and applications relevant for improving environmental sustainability.
The fund will be administered by the Center for Environmental Studies (CES) at 91社区 and will promote an annual $50,000 competitive research grant to a faculty researcher or research team at 91社区. CES at 91社区, which advances Florida鈥檚 sustainability by seeding collaborative research, education, and community engagement activities, has already leveraged additional resources for this competition, bringing the amount available in 2016 to $70,000.
鈥淲e are extremely grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Janke for their generosity and commitment to supporting sustainability research at 91社区,鈥 said Colin Polsky, Ph.D., director of CES at 91社区 and a professor of geosciences in 91社区鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. 鈥淚 can think of no environmental challenge more pressing for society to resolve than renewable energy and improving our current energy efficiency. With this grant we will be able to leverage additional funding and support for research in this and other environmental research fields, such as wetlands ecology and coastal resilience, to engage our faculty and students from all colleges in the university.鈥
It is projected that 9 billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050. Supporting this population will require sustainability innovations that build on the expertise and knowledge from not only the hard sciences but also the behavioral and social sciences, and the arts and humanities. The research focus of the Walter and Lalita Janke Innovations in Sustainability Science Research Fund will initially support innovative proposals that advance knowledge and applications on renewable energy and energy efficiency, conservation biology, urban area sea-level rise impacts and responses, energy-wildlife interactions, and wetlands biogeochemistry, among other fields.
鈥淪ustainability is an immense challenge for society, but it also offers us tremendous opportunities to make a contribution to something that will have an extraordinary impact on our everyday lives,鈥 said Walter Janke, M.D. 鈥淟alita and I are extremely pleased to establish this fund in perpetuity to support important sustainability and renewable energy research at 91社区.鈥
The Jankes were profoundly inspired by the book, 鈥淎bundance: The Future is Better Than You Think,鈥 and their journey to dedicating resources to sustainability came to fruition shortly after reading this book.
Their philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors extend beyond their commitment to sustainability and renewable energy. They established Camp Haven in Indian River County, which serves as a transitional home that provides supportive living opportunities and education to adults rising out of homelessness.
鈥淲e are delighted to continue our support of vital programs at 91社区, and I invite others to help us with this important mission that will impact us not just locally but globally,鈥 said Lalita Janke, who also is a member of 91社区鈥檚 Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Advisory Board and 91社区鈥檚 Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Advisory Council, as well as a former member of 91社区鈥檚 Board of Trustees. 鈥淥ur interdisciplinary approach with this endowment will bring the university together to transform lives in a very real way.鈥澛
A selection committee will soon be established to review successful proposals for the inaugural Walter and Lalita Janke Innovations in Sustainability Science Research Fellowships. Several awards will be made, of varying levels. Successful proposals will support a feasible study on a compelling environmental problem, and include a plan for how to translate this seed funding into other funding once the project is completed. The winning proposal will be selected in early 2016 for research to commence as early as summer.
For more information about the Center for Environmental Studies at 91社区, visit . For more information about supporting research at 91社区, contact Joanne Nowlin at 561-297-0203.-91社区-
Tags: philanthropy | research | foundation | science