ESPP Weekly Update (09/07/2026)
ESPP News & Announcements
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UNITAR launches two in-person study programmes in Geneva. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) invites MSU students and early-career professionals to attend two study programmes: the United Nations Climate Change Study Programme (October 26–30, in preparation for COP31) and the United Nations Chemicals and Waste Management Study Programme (November 9–13, in preparation for the International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals). Both are open to early-career professionals, students, government officials, researchers, and industry professionals; UNITAR can also develop customized programmes for Michigan State University. See UNITAR’s announcement of the inaugural chemicals and waste programme for details.
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MSU Spartan Impact Framework — feedback due September 21. The Spartan Impact Framework, a draft of a proposed model for MSU’s core curriculum, is available on the MGE Resources SharePoint site and linked from the public Modernization of General Education website at “MGE Resources.” Feedback will be gathered until September 21 in the “Fall 2026 MGE Comment Collection Form” and the MGE comment box, with virtual feedback sessions held during the week of September 14.
Seminars, Workshops & Other Events
MSU Water Alliance Fall Semester Kick-Off Event
The MSU Water Alliance and WaterCubes NRT are kicking off the fall semester. Register here. All students and faculty are welcome — share broadly with other students and faculty. A parking code for Ramp 4 will be provided to attendees registered by September 7.
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “Forests as Social-Ecological Systems: People, Institutions, and the Future of Forestry” — Emily Silver
The first of six in the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series. Seminars are Mondays from 11:30–12:30 PM ET in Room 338 of the Natural Resources Building, and all seminars are broadcast over Zoom. Speakers are available for questions immediately following their presentations.
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “Strengthening Evidence for Nature, Place, and Health” — Samantha Gailey
Second of six in the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series (Mondays, 11:30–12:30 PM ET, Room 338 Natural Resources, broadcast over Zoom).
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “Emerald Ash Borer Biological Control: History, Status, and Impacts” — Toby Petrice
Third of six in the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series (Mondays, 11:30–12:30 PM ET, Room 338 Natural Resources, broadcast over Zoom).
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “Building a Sustainable Forest Bioeconomy through Forest Economic Modeling, Market Innovation, and Decision Support” — Raju Pokharel
Fourth of six in the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series (Mondays, 11:30–12:30 PM ET, Room 338 Natural Resources, broadcast over Zoom).
Community Sustainability, Hamm-Norris Seminar: “The Role of Restaurants and Chefs in Addressing the Climate Crisis” — Taylor Reid
Taylor Reid, Professor of Applied Food Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, will present on the food system’s one-third share of the global climate footprint. The talk examines both the effects of climate change on restaurants and chefs and the impacts of the decisions made within restaurants on the size of their climate footprints, discusses how forward-thinking restaurants and chefs are addressing their contributions to climate change, and concludes with thoughts about how restaurants, chefs, and eaters might work together to address the climate crisis. Reid holds an M.S. in Botany and Plant Pathology and a Ph.D. in Community, Food, and Agriculture from Michigan State University. Zoom login information is available here.
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “Lignin Valorization: From Scientific Discovery to Industrial Impact” — Mojgan Nejad
Fifth of six in the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series (Mondays, 11:30–12:30 PM ET, Room 338 Natural Resources, broadcast over Zoom).
Hanover Forest Science Seminar: “The Hidden Ecology of Arctic Treeline Advance” — Rebecca Hewitt
The final seminar of the Hanover Forest Science Seminar Series (Mondays, 11:30–12:30 PM ET, Room 338 Natural Resources, broadcast over Zoom).
Scholarships, Fellowships, & Funding Opportunities
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This fellowship supports students enrolled in a graduate program at MSU who are performing research related to the sustainability of fish, wildlife, or water resources using an integrated or joint approach that links humans with their natural environment. Open to graduate students in any MSU program.
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This endowment has been established to benefit students enrolled in any graduate program at MSU to help address global sustainability challenges and opportunities, particularly telecoupling, metacoupling, and coupled human and natural systems. Open to doctoral students.
Job and Training Opportunities
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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy Division is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher position until the end of September. Research topics include the mechanistic understanding of cloud dynamics and physics, convection triggering and organization, and land–atmosphere interactions, and the improvement of global storm-resolving models (e.g., turbulence and cloud microphysics) using large-eddy simulations, observational data, and machine learning. An ideal fit for early-career scientists, including PhD students about to graduate. Job details and the application link are posted on the LLNL careers page.
Environment News
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We're the mayors of Paris, Milan and Phoenix. The heat crisis has us all facing the same question (The Guardian)
An op-ed by the mayors of Paris, Milan, and Phoenix on how their three cities are learning from each other to protect residents from extreme heat — framing the resulting climate policies as public health measures.
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Trump Administration Moves to Drop Protections for More Wetlands (The New York Times)
A proposed EPA rule would narrow what counts as a protected waterway under the Clean Water Act, potentially stripping federal protections from most U.S. wetlands — many of which help feed drinking water systems.
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Nepal bet nearly everything on hydropower — the floods show why that's a problem (BBC)
Following the deadly Nepal–Tibet flash floods that killed at least 270 people, this report examines how the country's heavy investment in hydropower concentrated its exposure to climate-driven flooding.
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The volunteers risking their lives to defuse Indonesia's wildfire 'carbon bombs' (BBC)
Peat fires in Borneo are releasing ancient stores of carbon and sending a toxic smog across Southeast Asia, while local volunteers battle to defuse smoldering “carbon bombs” that can reignite for years.
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'Supersizing before our eyes': UN warns of record El Niño approaching (The Guardian)
The UN warns the developing El Niño is on track to be among the strongest on record, with far-reaching implications for global temperatures and weather patterns this autumn.