About

The vision of BASICS is to fundamentally transform the way institutions of higher education support transdisciplinary curriculum development. To this end, the goals of BASICS are three-fold:

  1. Faculty Perspectives: Build strategic capacity for institutional transformation by changing the attitudes and perspectives of individual and groups of faculty toward transdisciplinary teaching, learning, and collaborative curriculum development centered on the exceptionally complex problems of sustainability;
  2. Learn more about the materials
    development process »
    Curriculum Development: Produce and disseminate novel transdisciplinary curriculum modules focused on sustainability problems that can be used in a wide variety of STEM and business courses; and
  3. Student Learning: Develop the required knowledge, skills, and perspectives among future leaders and all students to address the intractable problems of sustainability.

Publications and Presentations »

Principal Investigators

David Szymanski, Lead-PI

Bentley University

Ellen Iverson, Co-PI

Carleton College


Melissa Lenczewski, Co-PI

Northern Illinois University

Christine Mooney, Co-PI

Northern Illinois University


Rick Oches, Co-PI

Bentley University

John Ritter, Co-PI

Wittenberg University


Rachel Wilson, Co-PI

Wittenberg University

Laura Jackson Young, Co-PI

Bentley University



Assessment and Web Dissemination

Jana Bouwma-Gearhart

Oregon State University


Danielle Solar

Bentley University

Mitchell Bender-Awalt

Carleton College


Marcos Viveros

Oregon State University


Past Collaborators

Otgontsetseg Erhemjamts

Bentley University

Caitlin Kepple

Oregon State University

Adam Eide

Oregon State University

Sarah Fortner

Wittenberg University

Cindy Lenhart

Oregon State University



Participating Faculty

Cohort 1


The Wicked Problem of Water Quality in the Mississippi River Watershed »

Bentley University

  • Ryan Bouldin, (Chemistry)
  • Jon Ericson (Information Design and Corporate Communications)
  • Laura Jackson Young (Economics)
  • Zoë F. Wagner (Natural and Applied Sciences)

Northern Illinois University

  • Theodore Hogan (Technology)
  • Anna Klis (Economics)
  • Bart Sharp (Entrepreneurship)
  • Wesley Swingley (Microbiology)

Wittenberg University

  • Lindsay Meermans (Business)
  • Nona Moskowitz (Sociology)


Cohort 2


The Wicked Problem of an Equitable Zero-Waste Circular Economy »

Bentley University

  • Zana Cranmer (Natural and Applied Sciences)
  • Tracy Noga (Accountancy)
  • Laurel Steinfield (Marketing)
  • Betsy Stoner (Natural and Applied Sciences)

Northern Illinois University

  • Bethany Cockburn (Management)
  • Furkan Gur (Entrepreneurship)
  • Emily McKee (Anthropology)
  • Tomoyuki Shibata (Public Health, Health Studies)

Wittenberg University

  • Timothy Bode (Business)
  • Amber Burgett (Biology)
  • Ross Jackson (Business)
  • Sunny Jeong (Business)
  • Stephanie A. Little (Psychology)
  • Richard Phillips (Biology)


Cohort 3

Bentley University

  • Nicole (Nikki) Breanne Hill (Natural and Applied Sciences)
  • Cody Hyman (Accountancy)
  • Shelle Santana (Marketing)
  • Curtis (Curt) Smith (Sociology)

Northern Illinois University

  • Megan Brown (Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment)

Wittenberg University

  • Suanne M. Barthol (Business & Economics)
  • Sheryl L. Cunningham (Communications)

Cohort 4

Bentley University

  • Noah Giansiracusa (Mathematics)
  • Melissa Hey (Natural and Applied Sciences)
  • Ankita Srivastava (Information & Process Management)
  • Effie Stavrulaki (Management)

Northern Illinois University

  • Joel Gimbel (Statistics and Actuarial Science)
  • Rebecca Houze (Art and Design)
  • Kevin Martin (Engineering Technology, ESE Faculty associate)
  • Nicholas Pohlman (Mechanical Engineering)

Wittenberg University

  • Danny Marous (Chemistry)
  • Stacy E. Porter (Religion)
  • Travis W. Proctor (Environmental Science)
  • Marlo A. Starr (English)

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