Name: Colby Martinez (Student, mechanical engineering)
Project title: Solar Panel Charging Station
This project seeks to install solar-powered charging stations throughout the UA Little Rock campus, providing students, faculty, and staff with access to renewable energy for their electronic devices. The initiative demonstrates a practical approach to sustainability, aiming to reduce the university’s carbon footprint while making renewable energy technology visible and accessible in daily campus life.
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Name: Morgan Leyenberger, LCSW, MSW (Faculty: Instructor, School of Social Work)
Project title: Putting the SOI (social and organizational impact) in Soil
The project addresses food waste management within the School of Social Work, which occupies Ross Hall’s fourth floor. With 18 faculty members and approximately 85 face-to-face students, the school plans to implement a biowaste composting unit using microbiota technology for quick decomposition of uneaten food. The project includes a marketing campaign by Phi Alpha Honors Society to encourage composting behavior, and the resulting organic compost will be made available to the campus community. This initiative aligns with both the Grand Challenges for Social Work and the Council on Social Work Education’s requirements for environmental justice promotion.
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Name: Dr. Heather Black (Faculty, Assistant Professor, Geology)
Project title: Campus-Wide Drinking Water Quality Assessment at UA Little Rock
This project aims to analyze drinking water quality across all buildings at UA Little Rock. The project will establish a baseline for future monitoring efforts by collecting and analyzing water samples throughout the campus. The findings will contribute to understanding campus infrastructure and potentially guide future maintenance and improvement decisions.
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Name: Lane Epperson (Student, biology)
Project title: Enhancing Campus Biodiversity Through Bat and Owl Boxes
This project focuses on supporting local wildlife populations by installing bat boxes along Coleman Creek and owl boxes across the UA Little Rock campus. The project promotes natural pest control through ecosystem services, as both bats and owls effectively manage insect and rodent populations without chemical interventions. This approach demonstrates a commitment to enhancing campus biodiversity while providing practical environmental benefits.
