Approximately $400,000 project led by Kentucky State’s Dr. Suraj Upadhaya expands hands-on, career-connected education

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Future scientists, farmers, and leaders at Kentucky State University will gain a new academic pathway for learning how environmental, social, technological, and economic forces intersect through an undergraduate sustainability certificate supported by a $399,254 National Science Foundation award.

Open to students across academic majors, the certificate will connect engineering, technology, agricultural sciences, business, and other sciences. Students will learn to work across disciplinary and workforce boundaries, apply systems thinking, collaborate with community partners, and respond to changing conditions.

The three-year project, “Building a Curriculum and Learning Community for Workforce Readiness in Interdisciplinary Sustainability Science,” is led by Dr. Suraj Upadhaya, assistant professor of sustainable systems.

“Many of today’s sustainability challenges cannot be addressed from a single disciplinary perspective,” Dr. Upadhaya said. “This project will help students connect what they learn in the classroom with real-world challenges and develop the technical, leadership, and problem-solving skills they will need in their future careers.”

New and revised courses will address the foundations of sustainability, leadership in complex systems, and applied sustainability practice. Existing courses will provide electives, allowing students to build connections between the certificate and their primary areas of study.

Students also will participate in a Sustainability Learning Community, develop professional portfolios, and complete community-based learning experiences connected to career preparation. Faculty workshops, peer learning, and industry partnerships will support the curriculum and its long-term adoption.

The certificate reflects Kentucky State’s evolving innovation-driven academic model, reinforcing its polytechnic focus through applied learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and workforce preparation. It also builds on the University’s strengths in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, environmental science, climate change, geospatial applications, engineering, and human-environment systems.

Dr. Buddhi Gyawali, professor of geospatial applications, climate studies, and human dimensions, and Dr. Jyotica Bhatra, chair of the School of Engineering and Technology and associate professor of physics, serve as co-principal investigators. Dr. Manisha Parajuli, assistant professor of forestry, and Dr. Sarah Carr, assistant professor of animal science, serve as senior personnel.

“Sustainability challenges are inherently interconnected,” Dr. Gyawali said. “Bringing together perspectives from geospatial science, climate studies, human dimensions, agriculture, and other disciplines will help students understand those connections and apply their knowledge to real-world problems including sustainable planning, management and use of university resources .”

Research conducted through the project will examine how students from different academic backgrounds engage with sustainability frameworks, apply knowledge developed through experience, and build technical and adaptive skills through peer learning.

In addition to establishing the certificate, the project will produce an open-access curriculum toolkit, faculty development resources, and guidance that other institutions can use to strengthen sustainability education and workforce readiness.

“This award strengthens how Kentucky State fulfills its mission as an 1890 land-grant institution,” said Dr. Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. “By connecting teaching, applied research, and community engagement, we are preparing students to lead, serve, and succeed in a rapidly changing workforce.”

The project is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program through its Targeted Infusion Projects initiative, which supports innovative approaches to preparing HBCU undergraduate students for STEM careers and graduate education.

The award began Sept. 1, 2026, and continues through Aug. 31, 2029. Additional information is available through NSF Award No. 2605990.