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SEAS Clinic Master’s Projects
About Master's Projects
A majority of SEAS students complete a Master’s Project to fulfill their capstone graduation requirement, unless they elect to pursue a formal thesis in preparation for future academic work. Information about the SEAS master's capstone options is available here. In a Master’s Project, interdisciplinary teams of students work together with a real-world client for approximately 18 months to address a pressing local, statewide, regional, national or global sustainability “wicked” problem. Projects are advised by a SEAS faculty member, and deliverables are agreed upon collaboratively by the client and student team. Master’s Projects give students boots-on-the-ground project management, budgeting and career experience. The SEAS Sustainability Clinic has served as a client for SEAS Master's Projects every year since its founding in 2021.
The Clinic Approach
Clinic Master’s Projects are focused specifically on Detroit. They acquaint students with the city, help them build a local network, and offer the chance to advance environmental justice, climate action and urban resilience in frontline communities. The work of our student teams supports residents in Detroit that are hit first and worst by the climate crisis. Our goal is twofold: to help students make a positive difference for Detroit residents and organizations with a high-priority need, and to offer student experiences that lead to fruitful professional opportunities down the line.
Below is a list of current and completed SEAS Sustainability Clinic Master’s Projects. Click on the project thumbnail to learn more.
Visioning Cass: A Roadmap for the Future
This project assisted Cass Community Social Services in establishing a vision, strategy and plan for the sustainable redevelopment of the Cass neighborhood, while helping the organization proactively expand its community services.
Tools and Strategies for the Implementation of the Detroit Climate Strategy: Phase I Solar
This project partnered with the City of Detroit Office of Sustainability to assess the feasibility of solar energy development on municipal buildings and lands in metro Detroit.
City of Detroit Gratiot/Harper Development Project
This project worked with the City of Detroit to propose and map scenarios for activating vacant land in the Gratiot-7 Mile neighborhood.
Flooding in Jefferson Chalmers: Recommendations for Resilience
The Clinic’s inaugural master’s project team worked with Jefferson East, Inc. (JEI) to increase community flood resilience, after catastrophic flooding of the Detroit River in summer 2021.
Native and Invasive Species Management in Eliza Howell Park
This project team is collaborating with the nonprofit organization Sidewalk Detroit to create a detailed plan for Eliza Howell Park, focusing on native plant restoration and invasive species management.
Enhancing Equitable Outcomes Assessment for the Joe Louis Greenway Development in Detroit: A Community-Centered Digital Monitoring System
Working with the City of Detroit Office of Sustainability, this Clinic project team is constructing a community-centric digital monitoring system to measure equitable outcomes in urban trails and greenway projects.
Tools and Strategies for the Implementation of the Detroit Climate Strategy: Phase II Heat Abatement
The Clinic is continuing to work with the City of Detroit Office of Sustainability on a second-phase project focused on heat abatement, as part of the Detroit Climate Strategy’s goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
NEW: Wright Museum Campus (Theme Course, Ecological Design)
This new project will work with the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit to support the museum’s sustainability initiatives.
NEW: The Regenerative Future Detroit (Theme Course, Ecological Design)
This project will collaborate with the City of Detroit Office of Sustainability to launch a pilot program activating 100 acres of vacant land across Detroit for land revitalization and low-impact development projects.
NEW: Detroit Community Compost Pilot Data Collection
This project will work with Sanctuary Farms and the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network to advance community composting, urban agriculture and food justice in Detroit.