Keren KeenerIntern Insights is a mini-series that spotlights the interns participating in the Sustainability Internship Program (SIP) and their day-to-day activities and accomplishments. The Office of Sustainability partners with the Student Sustainability Council and sustainability-related units from across the University to provide exciting and meaningful undergraduate internship opportunities for UK students. Interns work with a mentor to support a specific sustainability-related unit on campus, develop an independent project, and participate in a professional development series with a full cohort of interns. We are excited to share the perspective of Keren Keener, our UK User Led Environmental Lab Excellence intern, as we explore the role sustainability plays in the student experience at the University of Kentucky.
Hi! My name is Keren Keener. I am the sustainability intern for UKULELE (UK – User Led Environmental Lab Excellence).
UKULELE is a newer organization on campus, established in 2023, and we are still in the formation stage in many ways. This semester we have focused on solidifying our team and creating momentum through monthly meetings and events. I have the privilege to work closely with Britney Ragland, associate director of Utilities and Energy Management, and Jennifer Bukowski, a fellow SIP intern graduate. However, our team is made up of more people! We are grateful to be working alongside some wonderful faculty and staff who hold significant roles in the lab and research sector of campus.
You may wonder “why focus on research labs?” Research is far from the first thing you think about concerning key contributors in UK’s energy consumption. However, research labs account for 36.5% of the university’s total annual energy consumption! As the university marches towards making it’s campus environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable, research labs play a key role in perfecting that process.
Our organization is driven by 3 main goals:
- to minimize the environmental impacts of lab operations
- to ensure safe, healthy, clean, and accessible environments
- to enhance effective conditions for excellence in teaching and research
We have various processes in place to help us achieve these goals. Some of which include best management practices for different lap equipment like fume hoods and ultra-low temperature freezers. We are also trying to spread awareness in the research fields when it comes to waste management and equipment recycling. The university has done a lot of work to put in place processes that will facilitate sustainable efforts in the research and laboratory space, and part of our work is to make sure various stakeholders are aware of those resources and have access to them.
Increasing education in this sector has been another objective of ours. With our organization geared towards what can be considered a “niche” subject, educating our peers is a key factor to achieving our goals. We have done this through educational events and seminars where different experts in the industry have shared their knowledge. The hardest part of spreading this knowledge has been increasing the circle of people who know about and are interested in our organization and mission. We are hoping to combat this through word of mouth, taking advantage of key connections and events, and through a few other projects.
A key part of my internship is creating a project that will contribute to the efforts of my organization. I am still in the discussion stage with my team, but most of our ideas center around ways of incentivizing students, staff, and faculty to utilize the resources available to them and becoming active participants in increasing the sustainability of our labs and research spaces. We believe that this effort is not only one where everybody gets to play and contribute, but also one that requires collaboration. I am especially excited for the future of this organization, and I am glad I get to be a part of it!
