This is the first pharmaceutical take-back program in Champaign County to be able to collect controlled substances. Both prescription and over-the-counter medicines, as well as veterinary pharmaceuticals will be accepted. The goals of the program are to reduce accidental poisonings of children and pets, prevent drug diversion and abuse, and limit environmental impacts from storage or improper disposal of unwanted or expired medicines.

ISTC’s Elizabeth Luber will be on hand at the Champaign Police Department on May 24th from 4-6 p.m. for the kick off of the new collection program.

See the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant news release on the program, as well as the News-Gazette article, for more information.

Details and application information can be found on the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center website  http://www.istc.illinois.edu/info/govs_awards.cfm.

If you have any questions, please contact Deb Jacobson at djacobso@illinois.edu.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. For over 25 years, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) has been a leader at both the state and the national level in promoting industrial ecology, pollution prevention, natural resource conservation, and sustainability research, education and outreach. It was established by the Illinois General Assembly and is one of the five surveys comprising the Prairie Research Institute. By integrating environmental research, technical assistance, demonstrations, and communication, ISTC acts as a catalyst to improve economic vitality, encourage efficient use and conservation of resources, and achieve a healthier, sustainable future for the people of Illinois.

The Director will lead the Center in the execution of its mission and in maintaining and enhancing its tradition of excellence.

We seek candidates with national visibility, proven leadership and managerial skills and a commitment to promoting sustainability.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide vision and leadership to the staff of ISTC to help the organization best carry out its mission, including strategic planning processes, action plans, accountability frameworks, and performance reporting systems.
• Inspire, empower, and mentor staff to achieve success and foster a culture of innovation and high level performance at both the individual and organizational level.
• Encourage organizational structures that promote quality improvement, group processes, and stakeholder involvement.
• Lead the conceptual development and delivery of organizational products and services.
• Direct and manage development of budgets, and policies and procedures related to oversight of human resources, buildings, and equipment.
• Advance the Prairie Research Institute’s mission by serving on the Institute’s management team; and promote the University’s goals of encouraging student mentorship, experiential learning, and collaboration with university faculty.
• In concert with the Prairie Research Institute leadership team, advice and counsel policymakers and elected officials at the local, state, and national level; and actively engage with public and private groups, industry, media, peer organizations, and the public on sustainability issues.
• Network with key staff from federal and state agencies, corporations, and foundations, as well as assist in attracting funding from these organizations in support of the Center’s mission.
• Build partnerships with public and private organizations to obtain and leverage the necessary resources to advance programs and services.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree required; PhD preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership, managerial, and supervisory ability.
• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, lead, and build successful programs that enhance public good by influencing private sector activity, government policy, or social change.
• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in grant-writing and fundraising.
• Understanding of and appreciation for sustainable technologies and practices.

The Director position is a benefits eligible, academic professional position appointed on a 12-month service basis. Salary range is $155,000 to $165,000 annually. The expected start date is as soon as possible.

TO APPLY: This posting will remain open until filled. To apply, all candidates must submit an online profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu by the close of the posting period. Qualified candidates must upload a letter which details qualifications noted above, resume, and the names and contact information of three professional references. All requested information must be submitted for the application to be considered. Incomplete information will not be reviewed.

For further information regarding application requirements, please contact Susan Key, Human Resources, susankey@illinois.edu.

For technical questions, please contact: Dr. Nandakishore Rajagopalan, Search Chair, nrajagop@illinois.edu.

The University of Illinois is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The administration, faculty, and staff embrace diversity and are committed to attracting qualified candidates who also embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu.

RR – 122 / Risks to Birds in the Lake Calumet Region from Contaminated Emergent Aquatic Insects / Soucek, David J.; Levengood; Levengood, Jeffrey M.; Gallo, Sue; Hill, Walter R.; Bordson, Gary O.; Talbott, Jonathan L. — Champaign, IL : Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, 2013.  (Available at http://hdl.handle.net/2142/43344)

TR- 050 Efficiency Performance Contracting for Smaller Manufacturers: Progress in the Metalworking Industry / Bierma, Thomas J.– Champaign, IL : Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, 2013. (Available at http://hdl.handle.net/2142/43345).

The report is the result of a project funded by ISTC’s Sponsored Research Program.

Salary for this position is $55,000 – $60,000 per year commensurate with experience and education. This is a regular, academic professional, full-time grant supported 12-month position renewable each academic year upon satisfactory progress within the position. The estimated starting date is May 16, 2013 (negotiable).

Please see https://jobs.illinois.edu/academic-job-board/job-details?jobID=29791&job=web-applications-development-specialist-division-of-illinois-sustainable-technology-center-a1300091 for the complete job description, required education and experience, and instructions for application. Applications must be received by March, 29, 2013.

For further information please contact Erica Hanson, Human Resources, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, 217-333-6897. For technical questions, please contact: Nancy Holm, Search Committee Member.

The Prairie Research Institute presents the fifth annual Naturally Illinois Expo on March 8-9, 2013, on the University of Illinois Urbana campus. Families, teachers, and students of all ages are invited to attend and enjoy exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities that showcase the work of the Institute, home of the State Scientific Surveys (Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center). 

The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center will be exhibiting:

• Supercapacitors for energy storage and water purification
• Waste plastics to oils
• Home ventilation demonstration and infrared portrait studio
• Compressed natural gas (CNG)/methane conversion to biodiesel
• Environmental fate of pharmaceuticals and hormones and their uptake by vegetables
• Zero waste initiative
• Making clean water using membranes
• Water flows through concrete
• Sustainable electronics: defining the problem, considering solutions

Exhibits from other surveys include:

• Floodplain Simulation
• Kids’ Fossil Dig
• Buggin the Dinosaurs: 3D Reconstruction of Fossil Insects
• Animal Bones of Illinois
• And much more!

Feb. 14  noon – 1 pm CST

Sustainable Use of Algae Biomass for a Swedish Bio-based Economy

Dr. Fredrik Grondahl – Associate Professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

The talk will be about using algae both micro- and macroalgae cultured or collected from the Swedish coastal waters. The algae biomass may be used in a biorefinery extracting valuable ingredients for food, feed and biochemicals. The rest products from the biorefinery will be used for bioenergy production, e.g., biogas. If the algae are cultured in the sea, the project will also work as an environmental project reducing the nutrient content in coastal waters. If the ideas will work out, it may be an important part of blue growth in Sweden and Sweden’s strategy for a bio-based economy.

Dr. Grondahl is at ISTC for a 3-day visit with other colleagues to discuss research collaborations and internship opportunities at UIUC.

This webinar will be broadcast live and also archived on our website www.istc.illinois.edu for later viewing. If you cannot attend the event at ISTC, you may view the webinar live by registering at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/996785527.

Feb. 28  noon – 1 pm CST

Multiple Facets of Sustainability: Rock Island Clean Line – Bringing Wind Energy to the Eastern U.S.

Rob Martin and Hans Detweiler – Clean Line Energy Partners, LLC, Chicago, Illinois

The Rock Island Clean Line will connect 3,500 megawatts of wind power from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota to communities in Illinois and other states to the east.  The name of the Rock Island Clean Line comes from the Rock Island Railroad, which stretches across the entire state of Iowa, through the city of Rock Island and into Illinois.  Just as the Rock Island Railroad allowed farmers to move their goods to market, the Rock Island Clean Line will deliver clean, renewable energy to communities that need it, representing the new farm to market model for the 21st century.

This webinar will be broadcast live and also archived on our website www.istc.illinois.edu for later viewing. If you cannot attend the event at ISTC, you may view the webinar live by registering at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/604829871.

Join Susan Mazur-Stommen, Director of Behavior and Human Dimensions Program at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), to discuss what behavior change research tells us about how people make decisions and what motivates them to make changes. She will also examine how pollution prevention technical assistance providers can use that research to influence behavior change and improve implementation rates at the companies they work with.

The webinar is hosted by the Great Lakes Regional Pollution Prevention Roundtable (GLRPPR) and  is part of the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange’s Behavior Change and Social Media webinar series.

“Music is the smile of the soul” said Director Szarán.

The directors wanted to give purpose to Paraguay’s children to help prevent some of the social issues associated with extreme poverty. They teamed up with Creative Visions and started in Cateura with five violins.  Fifty children showed up for lessons.

How did the directors get instruments to all the students? 

Favio met with Colá (a farmer and trash re-seller) who said he could make a violin from trash.  With careful measurements Colá copied the structure of a violin and used materials from the landfill.  The first violin was made mostly of aluminum cans.  Other instruments made include:

• Cello: oil drum, wood, and old cooking tools
• Bass: chemical drum and wood
• Saxophone: spoons and buttons
• Flute: water pipe, coins, cutlery parts, and lock parts

In 2014, a documentary will be released that tells the story of these two directors and the children’s lives they have impacted.  Watch the trailer for the documentary about the Landfill Harmonic project on YouTube.  As the year comes to a close and you consider resolutions for 2013, remember what the people of this community have achieved and ask yourself what you can do to reduce waste and reuse our limited resources.