For my co-op this summer I had the chance to influence the future landscape of UC. While working for the Center for Sustainable Urban Engineering, I worked on a project that was more like a master’s thesis and less like a traditional job placement. Over the course of the summer my placement took on a number of different roles: I researched existing campus sustainability initiatives and “green” residence halls; authored a survey to assess student and faculty opinion on sustainability; maintained a blog on our project; visited existing “green” residence halls and mixed-use buildings; organized and lead a group of students to the “Greening of the Campus VII Conference” at Ball State University in Muncie, IN; and authored a report entitled “A Day in the Life: A Student’s Average Day in a Sustainable Residence Hall.” The report, which was the end product of my summer’s work, details the events of a day from a student’s perspective. All too often, the user’s needs are forgotten during the planning, design, and construction of projects. This project is an attempt to remedy this problem, as the “Day in the Life” document will serve as a guide for 50 Civil Engineering students who will attempt to design the systems that would go in the residence hall. SUE is in the midst of a major capital campaign to raise $40 million to complete the residence hall. I will also serve in the group that will act as the “client” for the seniors throughout their capstone experience. While many students elect to travel abroad to third world countries to try and make a difference, I had the chance to influence the future of sustainability right here at home.