Weekly Update (1/8/2024)
ESPP News & Announcements
Happy New Year, and welcome back. We are looking forward to an exciting Spring semester.
I wanted to send a quick reminder about a few, fast-approaching deadlines within ESPP (mostly February 1st). As ever, the major ones regard applications to the program itself. More info on each of our programs is at the links below.
Also note that we are accepting applications for our Recruiting Fellowships. These are for students who would be coming to MSU in the summer/fall.
And, as useful, please note that we are accepting applications and nominations for our Outstanding Student Publication Award and Summer Research Fellowships. I sent an email about these directly to our student Listserv last week so hopefully you’ve already been contacted by interested students but, as always, please do send these on to students who may be in a position to benefit from them.
Joe Hamm, Graduate Program Director
Scholarships, Fellowships, and Funding Opportunities
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2024 Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellowship | Deadline Jan 24, 2024
Selected through a competitive application process, Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellows come from academic institutions across the state. During the program, they help local governments take tangible steps toward their sustainability goals while creating shareable deliverables. The program, located in Ann Arbor, runs from May 20 through July 26. The program will provide $7500 in funding for summer research and training.
The Catalyst Leadership Circle Fellowship is supported by the State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Catalyst Communities Program and administered by the Graham Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan. An informational Webinar will be on Jan 9, 2024 at 9:00 AM, register at bit.ly/clcf-msu.
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National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) Fellowships | Deadline: Thursday Jan 15, 2024
National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) Fellowships are a partnership between NOAA’s National Sea Grant Program and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These fellowships support Ph.D. students studying marine resource economics or population and ecosystem dynamics.
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John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship | Deadline: Thursday Feb 15, 2024
The John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to students who have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches graduate students with federal legislative or executive offices in Washington, D.C. where they will work on a range of policy and management projects.
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UCAR Next Generation Fellowship
The UCAR Next Generation graduate Fellowship is a prestigious, multi-faceted opportunity to explore the interplay between the areas of scientific research, diversity and inclusion, and public policy within the field of Earth Systems Science. Fellows engage with, and learn from, UCAR’s leaders in these three arenas while participating in dedicated professional development and leadership training opportunities. Application will open in January 2024.
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Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST F.5) solicits proposals from accredited U.S. universities and other eligible organizations for graduate student-designed and performed research projects that contribute to Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) science, technology, and exploration goals. The graduate student shall have the primary initiative to define the proposed FINESST research project and must be the primary author, with input or supervision from the proposal’s Principal Investigator (PI) or mentor, as appropriate. The proposal must present a well-defined research problem/activity and a justification of its scientific significance to NASA. FINESST awards are research grants for up to three years and up to $50K per year.
Seminars, Workshops, and Other Events
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[College of Social Science RECR Discussion-based Training | 2PM Jan 9, 2024]
Join this esteemed panel of faculty for a discussion of ethical issues in research on/with minoritized populations. This event is open to students enrolled in College of Social Science graduate programs. Participation will be documented and submitted for 1.5 hours of RECR discussion-based training. You will receive a Zoom link for the event after you RSVP. Space is limited to 300 students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration here
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Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture: Geoffrey Heal | Jan 11, 2024 | Virtual
Geoffrey Heal, Donald C. Waite III Professor of Social Enterprise at the Business School of Columbia University, will deliver a Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture via Zoom at 9:00 (ET) on Thursday, January 11, 2024. The lecture, " Biodiversity - The Next Frontier in Economics," will explore how to quantify the contribution that the biosphere makes to social and economic well-being. Please do a very simple registration to receive the Zoom link: https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JdR-bYitQkiZplVWhnkKYQ
Professor Heal has made significant contributions to economic theory and environmental economics. He currently explores developments in energy markets, the impact of climate change on business, environmental conservation, and the economics of corporate social responsibility. He has received many prestigious honors and awards, such as membership in the National Academy of Sciences and an honorary doctorate from the Université de Paris Dauphine.
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Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture: Catherine Kling | Jan 18, 2024 | Virtual
Catherine Kling, Tisch University Professor, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management; faculty director, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, at Cornell University, will deliver a Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture via Zoom at 9:00 (ET) on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Her lecture is entitled “The Social Cost of Water Pollution”.
Professor Kling specializes in the economic valuation of ecosystem services, water quality concerns, and interdisciplinary integrated assessment modeling. She chairs the Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academy of Sciences, to which she was elected in 2015. She is an elected fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resources Economists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She served for 10 years on the Science Advisory Board of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A zoom registration is recommended.
Job and Training Opportunities
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Columbia University’s Sustainable Development Doctoral Society is pleased to announce its fifteenth Interdisciplinary PhD Workshop in Sustainable Development (IPWSD), to be held in hybrid at Columbia University in New York City and on Zoom on April 5-6 2024. The IPWSD provides a forum for young researchers working at the intersection between human development and the environment to present, receive feedback on, and discuss their research work. It also aims to foster a network among students pursuing research across disciplines generating a broader interdisciplinary dialogue around sustainable development.
Applications for IPWSD 2024 are now open. Please submit your application by filling out the online form by January 31, 2024, 23:59 EST. All applicants will be notified of the final decision regarding their application by the middle of February 2024. If you have any questions, please visit our website or contact the planning committee at susdev@columbia.edu. Feel free to circulate this call for applications within your departments and networks.
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Campus Rainworks Challenge | Team Registration Deadline: Jan 31, 2024
Registration is open for the 11th Campus RainWorks Challenge! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water is pleased to announce the opening of registration for 11th Campus RainWorks Challenge—a design competition for students from U.S. colleges and universities to showcase benefits of green infrastructure for their campus and community. Visit the Campus RainWorks webpage to register and all the details: https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/campus-rainworks-challenge-0
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Postdoctoral Researcher, Spatial Conservation Science
The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Global Science Program is recruiting a Spatial Conservation Science Postdoctoral Researcher (Job ID # 54446, see link below). This position will lead science to inform proactive conservation to prevent habitat loss, reduce biodiversity threats, and balance trade-offs. The work will entail measuring, mapping, and forecasting the degree to which lands are modified or remain ecologically intact, including remote sensing analyses, analysis of complex and big environmental datasets, development of predictive models.
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Tenure-track faculty position in Environmental Studies, Trent University, Canada
Trent University invites applications for a tenure track appointment in the Trent School of the Environment (TSE) at the rank of Assistant Professor commencing July 1st, 2024. This position is located at Trent’s Peterborough Campus and is subject to final budgetary approval. The current salary grid can be found in the collective agreement with the Trent University Faculty Association.
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This workshop will share tools and activities that will help set the stage for developing productive collaborative teams invested in shared outcomes.
In this workshop we will focus on approaches to interdisciplinary collaborative processes. Workshop participants will gain familiarity with theories and methodologies central to interdisciplinary collaborative process; practice activities that can support collaborative communication, learning, integration, and problem solving; and reflect on how these practices can inform their own work. Drawing from design research, interdisciplinary studies, theatre and improvisation, and the science of team science, we will explore concepts including boundary work and boundary objects, perspective taking and empathy, power dynamics, infrastructure and systems, reflexivity, and mindfulness. Please come willing to play as we call upon all our faculties – body, brain, and imagination – to interrogate collaborative processes and our roles in them. Register here
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Science writer position at U.S. Right to Know
U.S. Right to Know is seeking a science writer for an investigative project on pesticides and their impact on the environment and human health. This is a remote job. The science writer will be responsible for leading an investigation related to the environmental and public health effects of pesticides. The investigation will review scientific information, so the writer must be able to assess and synthesize scientific studies and arguments. The writer will prepare articles based on investigative findings, as well as new scientific developments as they arise. More info here: https://www.journalismjobs.com/job-listing/1684194 This is shared by one of our ESPP alumni.
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UCAR’s PCEF award is now open for application | Deadline Jan 15, 2024
The UCAR President’s Advisory Committee on University Relations (PACUR) is now accepting proposals for PACUR’s Community Engagement Fund (PCEF) with the goal of building and extending the UCAR community through:
- Building community capacity for interdisciplinary, convergent, and use-oriented research
- Applying UCAR science to address the needs of historically underserved communities
- Enhancing instruction relating to UCAR science at all education levels and improving the dissemination of UCAR research to policy makers and to the public.
- Increasing the diversity of participants in UCAR research and supporting the entry into and success within UCAR research of people from historically underrepresented groups.
The PCEF funds will be awarded annually through a competitive award process. PCEF proposals are invited for activities that advance the above goals. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, workshops that build authentic and interdisciplinary partnerships, short courses or other educational and outreach opportunities for students or stakeholders, and public participatory science. Activities favored for PCEF support are those that are not readily supported by existing institutional or research grant funds.