Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative (JTS) hosted the inaugural convening of the newly established Midwest Sustainability Platform for Research and Curricular Innovation on August 13–14.
The platform brings together sustainability scholars and leaders from universities across the Midwest to address key sustainability challenges facing the region. Its goals are to advance collaborative research; drive curricular innovation; and build partnerships with policymakers, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.
“From rising energy costs, to the increased frequency and intensity of extreme heat and flooding events, to the abundant opportunities to make agricultural production and key manufacturing industries more circular and sustainable, there is tremendous potential for interdisciplinary research to benefit the region,” said Kevin Fink, managing director of the JTS Initiative. “We hope that the Midwest Sustainability Platform will be a catalyst for new collaborations between our universities that help make the region more just and more sustainable.”
The two-day convening, held on Notre Dame’s campus, included participants from Indiana University; Michigan State University; Ohio State University; Purdue University; Washington University in St. Louis, and the Universities of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Through workshops and discussions, participants worked to identify shared strengths, areas of complementarity, and actionable next steps to shape the platform’s future direction.
“Sustainability challenges in the Midwest are complex and require integrated solutions that improve social, economic, and environmental conditions,” said Elena Irwin, faculty director and co-founder of the Sustainability Institute at Ohio State University and a Distinguished University Professor of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “Through innovative research, student programs, and regional networks, each of our universities can help drive positive change in the region, and the quality and impact of this work is greater when we work together.”
One of the University-wide research priorities identified in Notre Dame 2033: A Strategic Framework, the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative is inspired by Pope Francis’s landmark encyclical Laudato si’ (On Care for Our Common Home). JTS brings together interdisciplinary scholars, dedicated students, and action partners from around the world to advance transformative solutions for a more just and sustainable future.
To learn more about the Midwest Sustainability Platform and how to get involved, please contact Bethany Little at blitte6@nd.edu.
Originally published by at strategicframework.nd.edu on August 25, 2025.