About Golisano Institute for Sustainability
We research. We build knowledge.
We put innovation and technology to work for a sustainable future.
Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) is a global leader in sustainability education and research. Our graduate and doctoral programs are challenging, inspirational, and world-changing. GIS graduates go on to become transformative agents of change within industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector. They are problem-solvers, visionaries, and decision-makers who want to create a better, sustainable world. We are part of Rochester Institute of Technology, a university that is world-renowned as an advocate and practitioner of sustainability.
Our Facilities
Our facilities cover multiple locations on the RIT campus. Our primary building is LEED Platinum certified, and designed to demonstrate sustainable building technologies and energy systems, with features including a rainwater collection system and a microgrid with advanced sensors, as well as fuel cells, photovoltaics, and wind turbines that generate 100% of our energy.
Our History
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability was established in 2007 with a $10 million gift from Paychex Inc. founder and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano, and it has come to house nine applied research labs and six technology testbeds with some of the most advanced sustainability equipment in New York state.