RIT's groundbreaking Ph.D. program will seek through coursework and research to advance sustainability, which promotes the integration of economic, environmental and social considerations into the development and design of business processes and products. Graduates will have the skills to fundamentally change the way we design, manufacture and consume products.

The multi-disciplinary doctorate would integrate research and coursework in engineering and science with economics and public policy, particularly environmental policy, and management. The Ph.D. program would be one of the first in the world dedicated to the study of sustainability.

"RIT is extremely grateful to the Luce Foundation for investing in the development of the first generation of professionals equipped with the environmental knowledge and technical skills to help catalyze the transformation of our industrial system to one in which the goals of economic prosperity and global competitiveness are aligned with environmental, ethical, and social concerns," says Albert J. Simone, President of RIT. "We are proud to partner with one of the nation's most prestigious foundations in this effort."

"We fully expect this program to advance the development of environmentally and socially sound industrial system design while also educating engineers and policy makers around the world on the importance of sustainable principles," adds Nabil Nasr, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies and leader of RIT's Interdisciplinary Design Team for the Ph.D. "The ultimate goal is to produce graduates, at the highest educational level, that are equipped to become leaders in creating a more sustainable society both in their own communities and around the world."

RIT will augment the Luce Foundati
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Contact: William Dube
will.dube@cims.rit.edu
585-475-2816
Rochester Institute of Technology
13-Apr-2006