Third annual 艾可直播 Sustainability Competition
By Stephanie M. McPherson | April 2025
On March 28, seven interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate students presented their visions for the future of 艾可直播 College鈥檚 Office of Sustainability through the Schiller Institute鈥檚 annual 艾可直播 Sustainability Competition (ESC). Students leveraged their academic expertise and outlined new potential sustainability initiatives that align with BC鈥檚 mission and resources.
鈥湴芍辈� College students, they're very smart and sustainability requires a lot of people with passion and innovative ideas,鈥� says Amy Rini, a first-year graduate student in the School of Theology and Ministry and an Office of Sustainability intern.聽
Since its founding in 2007, the Office of Sustainability has operated under the Facilities Department, empowering student interns to spearhead sustainability efforts across campus. This year鈥檚 ESC prompt was inspired by a shift in the office鈥檚 organizational structure and asked teams to provide their expertise gained throughout their time at BC to re-envision the office and suggest new avenues to pursue. Proposals were to integrate scientific, policy, and business perspectives while remaining feasible within the office鈥檚 resources. Recommendations had to avoid staffing increases and instead focus on programs with a broad campus impact.
Student teams addressed key stakeholders and examined financial considerations, including implementation costs and long-term savings. They also explored ways to expand student engagement in sustainability efforts. As one guiding principle in the case prompt stated, 鈥淎 multidisciplinary approach combining fields like business, environmental science, sociology, philosophy, history, political science, psychology, etc. can strengthen your proposition and promote a culture of sustainability at BC that stems from and welcomes diversity of thought.鈥�
鈥淚 like the fact that they required teams to have people from different majors,鈥� says Sang Sherpa, a junior environmental studies major and an Office of Sustainability Intern who served on this year鈥檚 judging panel. 鈥淭hat way it could be a more holistic view of how the Office should be run. I find that to be a cool part of the competition.鈥�
The competition, which began with 23 teams, consisted of two rounds: an initial video and slide submission, followed by live presentations on March 28 in 245 Beacon. Seven teams advanced to this final round, when they presented to a panel of judges made up of representatives from Schiller, the Office of Sustainability, BC鈥檚 new Vice President of Facilities Patrick O'Hearn, and 2007 alum and Mythos AI founder John Houston.
艾可直播 College鈥檚 top-tier university resources combined with a mission informed by Jesuit values fosters a student body primed to make change, and that showed in the diversity of solutions presented throughout the competition.聽
The first-place team, Moda Consulting, consisted of Molly Dugan, a senior majoring in environmental studies and minoring in hispanic studies and Seda Sargsyan, a senior majoring in finance. Their proposal focused on a Freshman Fellowship Program designed to expand the ranks of interns and retain institutional knowledge as older students graduate. The preparation showed in their presentation and impressed the judging panel, as they had consulted with Fr John "Jack" Butler, the university鈥檚 incoming president, during their planning phase and were able to answer most questions that arose from the judges.聽
The second-place team, 90 Naturalists, included Isabella Allen (sophomore majoring in global public health), Julia Bender (sophomore majoring in accounting and minoring in english), and Lucy Moan (sophomore majoring in environmental studies and minoring in managing for social impact). They suggested pivoting the Office of Sustainability鈥檚 focus to Laudato Si, the 2015 encyclical written by Pope Francis, focused on climate and environmental sustainability. Their proposal included an Eco-Rep program to get environmentally minded students more involved and structured their presentation around how their initiatives aligned with the seven core pillars of the encyclical.聽
The third-place team, Eagle Thermostat, was led by Lucas Schmidt (junior majoring in computer science, physics, and economics) and Leonard Alsleben (junior majoring in human-centered engineering). They developed an app to report uncomfortable classroom temperatures, enabling a crowd-informed approach to HVAC adjustments that would lead to lower energy usage and lower costs. Along with an outline of their plan, they presented a basic version of their proposed app - which the judges could access through QR code during the team鈥檚 presentation - and mock-up graphics. The judges were impressed again by the care taken in their preparation, with the team having met with Terence Leahy, BC鈥檚 Director of Engineering and Energy Management, and representatives from Johnson Controls, BC鈥檚 HVAC provider.聽
The competition showcased the ingenuity and passion of BC students, reinforcing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in sustainability efforts. By supporting innovative thinking and strategic planning, BC and the Schiller Institute continue to make good on their commitments to interdisciplinarity and implementation of Jesuit values to strengthen environmental responsibility.
"I think one thing that makes our case competition unique is that partnering with different departments on campus allows students to imagine how their ideas could truly have a positive impact on BC and enables them to get their ideas in front of people who might be able to bring them to life,鈥� says Kaley McCarty, Assistant Director of Programs for the Schiller Institute. 鈥淚 was deeply impressed by the creativity, poise, and research the students brought to the competition."
Videos of the winning teams will be posted to the 2025 艾可直播 Sustainability Competition website.