ESPP Weekly Update
ESPP News & Announcements
- MSU Spartan Impact Framework: feedback due September 21 — A draft of a proposed model for MSU's core curriculum is now available. Comments will be gathered through the Fall 2026 MGE Comment Collection Form until September 21, with virtual feedback sessions the week of September 14.
ESPP Spotlight
New from the Knight Center: Professor Eric Freedman and research assistants Julia Belden, Victoria Witke, and Isabella Figueroa Nogueira presented a new paper at the recent annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Golden Hair: Using Study-to-Story to Bring Environmental Research Out of the Ivory Tower”. The paper is a case study of Great Lakes Echo, the regional environmental news service of MSU's Knight Center, and looks at how environmental research can be “translated” into news stories that reach a wider public.
About Eric Freedman: Freedman is a Professor of Journalism and Knight Chair at MSU. During his 20-year newspaper career, he covered public affairs, environmental issues, and legal affairs for papers in New York and Michigan, winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal. He directs the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the school's Capital News Service, a professional-level practicum that covers state government for more than 25 newspapers and online outlets across Michigan. Dr. Freedman is an ESPP affiliated faculty member.
Seminars, Workshops & Other Events
Dissertation Defense: Yousef Khajavigodellou
Yousef Khajavigodellou, an ESPP dual-major student from the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, will defend his PhD dissertation on September 11, 2026.
Spring 2027 Admission Deadline
The ESPP is now accepting applications for the 2027 Spring Semester across its three graduate programs: the Environmental Science and Policy Dual Major Doctoral Degree (for incoming Ph.D. students or students within their first two years), the Graduate Specialization in Environmental Policy (for MSU master's students), and the Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Social Systems Modeling (for MSU master's students). For more information, including how to apply, visit espp.msu.edu/education or contact us at espp@msu.edu.
Competitive Research Grant Submission Deadline
The ESPP Competitive Research Grant (CRG) supports interdisciplinary student research at the intersection of environmental science and policy. Allowable expenses include travel, software, instrumentation costs, and participant support costs; travel must be approved before anticipated travel dates, and equipment purchases are not allowed. To apply, email a single PDF (title page, ~1,000-word project narrative, budget, and CVs) to espp@msu.edu with the subject line "ESPP CRG Application" by 11:59 pm on the due date. Students may not combine the CRG with other fellowships from the College of Social Science.
ESPP 2026 Fall Student Research Symposium
The ESPP 2026 Fall Student Research Symposium will be held on October 23, 2026, at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility. This annual event gives ESPP students the opportunity to present their research through posters and talks.
Fall 2027 Admission Deadline
The ESPP is now accepting applications for the 2027 Fall Semester across its three graduate programs: the Environmental Science and Policy Dual Major Doctoral Degree (for incoming Ph.D. students or students within their first two years), the Graduate Specialization in Environmental Policy (for MSU master's students), and the Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Social Systems Modeling (for MSU master's students). For more information, including how to apply, visit espp.msu.edu/education or contact us at espp@msu.edu.
Fellowship Application Deadline
February 1 is the major deadline for the following ESPP student funding opportunities: the Summer Research Fellowship (recipients are expected to present results at the ESPP Student Research Symposium); the Student Awards — Outstanding Student Publication Award, Community Engagement Award, and Student Leadership & Mentorship Award; and Student Travel Support (applications accepted and reviewed throughout the academic year, before March 1).
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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'Breakthrough' as Turkmenistan starts fixing 'mindboggling' methane mega-leaks (The Guardian)
Turkmenistan has begun repairing a series of massive methane leaks first flagged by UN satellites and Mars-observatory data, in what officials are calling a climate breakthrough for one of the world's largest natural gas producers.
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A Melting Glacier in Nepal Was a Time Bomb. There Are More to Come. (The New York Times)
A geologist reflects on this week's Himalayan flash floods and explains why rapid warming that melts glaciers and permafrost will make deadly glacial outburst floods far more common across the region.
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Fire in California's Big Sur region doubles in size overnight, forcing evacuations (The Guardian)
A wildfire in California's Big Sur region doubled overnight, forcing evacuations across the coastal community as crews battle the blaze in rugged, fire-prone terrain.
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What will you tell your grandchildren about the summer of '26? (BBC)
Residents across southern England are asking what to tell their grandchildren about a summer defined by broken temperature records, wildfires, and hosepipe bans, as the UK experiences what meteorologists say was its most extreme summer on record.
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'Tiny bit of rain and the sewage comes': Brighton swimmers vent fury at sea pollution (The Guardian)
Swimmers at Brighton beach say sewage discharges keep entering the sea even after small amounts of rain, prompting a fresh campaign to demand cleaner coastal waters from the local water company.