Sergey Berg, department of Computer and Information Sciences, is the recipient of the 2020 Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award for his work developing and implementing a sustainability theme into the course Applied Regression Analysis (STAT 320).
Sergey Berg
Berg not only has integrated the UN Sustainable Development goals into each lecture and example, but provided students the opportunity to apply newly learned methods to analyze real-world data sets on their own, through exams, weekly lab reports, and their independent Writing in the Discipline projects.
STAT 320 is taken mostly by juniors and seniors from a variety of majors including data analytics, biology, business, economics and psychology. The students are exposed to the methods needed to collect, synthesize, analyze and interpret data on multiple interrelated variables, as well as effectively communicate and present the corresponding results.
“Seeing the types of solutions that students have been able to come up with to address sustainability challenges has been truly inspiring, as has been the positive feedback I received from students regarding this focus,” Berg said.
Several students have used their initial analyses as a springboard for further investigation, submitting their work (and receiving acceptances) to regional and national conferences, preparing manuscripts for peer review, and earning Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) grants.
Berg’s aim was "to help students graduate with a clear understanding of how the tools and methods they’ve learned can be applied outside of the walls of this university to help advance the common good and lead to a more sustainable future for our global society."
Since 2013, the Curricular Innovation in Sustainability Award has recognized faculty for innovation and excellence in integrating sustainability into a single course, both through innovation in sustainability content and demonstrated student learning and engagement with sustainability. An ad hoc, interdisciplinary faculty panel reviews nominations and chooses an awardee.
