Rees Kassen has served as Academic Director of McGill’s Sustainability Park only since Jan. 1, but the excitement he has encountered from the McGill community is palpable.
“I’ve been very encouraged by how much enthusiasm there is across the University and beyond,” said Kassen. “People are starting to really pay attention to what we’re trying to do.”
Kassen’s team has begun working on the Park’s academic plan, “but we’re still very much in ideation mode,” he said.
It’s a conversation Kassen is eager to open to the wider community. That’s why the Park’s academic team will be hosting a series of coffee chats to engage with the McGill community.
The first event is expected to take place on downtown campus on Thursday, March 26, 9:30 – 11 a.m., in the McGill Engine. Macdonald campus will host an event on Tuesday, March 31, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., in the Faculty Lounge of Macdonald Stewart MS2-022.
Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP.
“We want to provide more information about what we’re up to, and some of the academic considerations that we’re tackling first,” said Kassen. “The chats will be an opportunity to reach out and share information but also to get ideas and impressions from our colleagues and students.”
Small team, big ideas
Kassen’s team currently consists of Senior Advisor Evan Henry and Research Assistant Larissa Jarvis, both formerly of the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI).
They will soon be joined by three Academic Associate Directors. These roles are to be filled by McGill faculty members devoting a portion of their time to the Park.
“I can’t share any names yet, but we’re looking to make that announcement as quickly as possible,” said Kassen. “One will be dedicated to research, one to engagement and entrepreneurship and one to teaching and learning.”
Once assembled, the group will explore how best to develop the Park’s academic plan.
“McGill has a really deep bench when it comes to research excellence surrounding issues of sustainability,” said Kassen. “What we’re excited about is connecting people with potential to push even further ahead through new collaborations. The goal is to make it easier to work together, across disciplines on shared, real world sustainability challenges.”
Kassen’s vision is a Park that’s “interdisciplinary by design, not by exception; collaborative, and not just consultative, with programs and initiatives designed to support researchers and trainees to tackle the urgent problems of the 21st century.”
It’s a big challenge for a small team, but Kassen aims to work with all members of the McGill community to make it happen.
“We need everybody’s help,” he said. “We’re not able to do it on our own and we don’t want to. We want community feedback to help us craft this.”