Ball State University Awarded AT&T; Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship

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Ball State University Awarded AT&T; Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship

NEW JERSEY, BEDMINSTER, Apr. 3 -/E-Wire/-- AT&T; selected researchers from six leading universities, including Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., to receive an AT&T; Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship. Researchers at Ball State University received a $25,000 grant to support their project, "Diversifying Industrial Ecology in Higher Education: The University as an Institutional Ecology."

Industrial Ecology is a multidisciplinary field that studies industrial and economic systems and their linkage with natural systems. It also intersects with disciplines such as law, economics, anthropology, business studies, engineering, and the social and physical sciences. Other recipients of this year's faculty fellowship include Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh; Leiden University, Netherlands; University of California, Davis; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and University of Missouri-Rolla.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to pursue an agenda for incorporating industrial ecology in the undergraduate curriculum and use it to make a difference in the lives of young students who might otherwise not focus on the environmental sciences," said Dr. James Eflin, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at Ball State University.

Ball State University's research project will build a simulation model of the "institutional ecology" of the university to help assess its performance toward sustainability and reduce its "ecological footprint." Resource flows through a system represent a "metabolism" that provides a measure of the system's performance. Conceptualizing a university's "metabolism" represents an innovative opportunity to employ the industrial ecology framework toward the goal of sustainability within an institution of higher learning. To diversify the population of students exposed to industrial ecology curriculum, an experimental summer course is under development for undergraduates who are under-represented groups in the environmental sciences â women and racial/ethnic minorities. Participating students will receive an intensive focus on environmental science using principles of industrial ecology as the organizing framework, then collect resource flow data that will be incorporated in the simulation model. This baseline information and model development should enable decision-making to improve the environmental performance of a university recognized as a leader in the "greening of campus" movement, and yield a useful model for replication in other institutions of higher learning. "In industrial ecology, one often learns most from studying that which is familiar," said Brad Allenby, AT&T; Environment, Health and Safety vice president. "We are enthusiastic about Ball State's proposal to develop an industrial ecology model of a college campus, and the associated effort to ensure continued cultural diversity in this field."

The AT&T; Foundation established the Industrial Ecology Grants Program in 1993 to encourage academic activity in this field. Since then, the program has awarded faculty research fellowships, supported the Colloquium on Industrial Ecology at the National Academy of Sciences and a number of conferences on research in the field, and helped launch the Journal of Industrial Ecology. The program is consistent with AT&T;'s environmental and social responsibility and its support of environmental initiatives and organizations.

The AT&T; Foundation invests in projects that address a range of public concerns. It emphasizes programs that serve the needs of people in communities where AT&T; has a significant business presence; initiatives that use technology in innovative ways; and programs in which AT&T; employees are actively involved as contributors and/or volunteers. For further information, please visit the AT&T; Foundation web site at www.att.com/foundation.

About AT&T; AT&T; (www.att.com) is among the premier voice, video and data communications companies in the world, serving businesses, consumers, and government. The company runs the largest, most sophisticated communications network in the U.S., backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T; Labs. A leading supplier of data, Internet and managed services for the public and private sectors, AT&T; offers outsourcing and consulting to large businesses and government. The company is a market leader in local, long distance and Internet services, as well as transaction-based services like prepaid cards, collect calling and directory assistance. With approximately $37 billion of revenues, AT&T; has relationships with about 50 million consumers and 4 million business customers, who depend on AT&T; for high-quality communications. AT&T; has garnered several awards for outstanding performance and customer service.

AT&T; 'Safe Harbor The foregoing are "forward-looking statements" which are based on management's beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events made by and information currently available to management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside AT&T;'s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For a more detailed description of the factors that could cause such a difference, please see AT&T;'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T; disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is presented solely to provide additional information to further understand the results of AT&T.;

AT&T; Environment, Health & Safety

John Heath, AT&T;, (908) 234-8579, [REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.att.com/foundation

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