The University of Arizona
Environment & Society Graduate Fellowship Program | CLIMAS

Environment & Society Graduate Fellowship Program

                          2024 Fellowship Application - Due February 28, 2024

The Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) program is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Environment & Society Graduate Fellowship Program. This fellowship supports University of Arizona graduate students from any degree-granting program whose work is focused on collaborative environmental research. Up to four fellowships of $4,750 each will be awarded for projects occurring between May 2024–May 2025. The Environment & Society Fellowship Program is made possible by CLIMAS, the University of Arizona Office of Research, Innovation, & Impact, and the Arizona Institute for Resilience.

The Environment & Society Fellowship provides an opportunity for graduate students to develop their knowledge, training, and experience in applied environmental science and communication. Projects should incorporate a use-inspired research approach meaning that the project meets a need expressed by a community-based partner or stakeholder (an organization, community, or person affected by your research outcomes). Competitive proposals will describe methods for engagement or collaboration with community partners. Projects can fall under one or more of the following categories: scoping research, dissertation/thesis work, a discrete 1-year project, outreach, and/or network building.

Applicants must be:

  • A degree-seeking graduate student from any department at the University of Arizona;
  • Making good progress towards their degree, enrolled in spring semester 2024, and able to continue with the fellowship through Spring 2025;
  • Conducting research that incorporates both environmental and societal issues.

Applications must include:

  • A concise description of your project (maximum 2000 words). See below for more information about project descriptions.
  • A proposed timeline outlining your project goals between Summer 2024-Summer 2025.
  • An up-to-date curriculum vitae.
  • One letter of support from a representative of your community partner or stakeholder group. 
  • One letter of support from your graduate advisor that endorses your application and demonstrates that they understand the collaborative nature of your proposed research or outreach project. 

Project descriptions should address:

  • background of your project
  • the category or categories into which your proposal fits (scoping research, dissertation/thesis work, a discrete 1-year project, outreach, and/or network building)
  • who your stakeholders are
  • why your research/outreach is useful to these stakeholders
  • your level of engagement with partners or stakeholders at the time of application
  • your approach to stakeholder interactions 
  • a general understanding of the practice of direct engagement with partners or stakeholders to carry out collaborative research and communication
  • how these partner/stakeholder interactions will strengthen your project and your overall career goals

A set of semi-finalists will be chosen by a small review committee. Semi-finalists will be invited to record a 5-minute pitch about their proposed project (due March 27, 2024) and participate in a Q&A session with a larger review committee (on March 28, 2024 from 9-10:30am). Award recipients will be notified within 3 days of these short presentations. Funding will be distributed in April 2024.

 

Selected fellows are required to:

  • Submit two blog posts for Southwestern Oscillations (the CLIMAS blog) or another kind of outreach product. In the first post, students will introduce themselves and their projects (due Summer/Fall 2024); in the second post, students will discuss findings and outcomes from the Fellowship (due Spring 2025).
  • Attend quarterly fellowship meetings to discuss research progress (students can attend remotely).
  • Participate in a podcast about your fellowship experience.
  • Submit a written report of results and findings.

Please submit your application via this Google Form (https://forms.gle/wxWXAmwadGcBCN9q8). Your application should be submitted as one document, either as a .pdf, .docx, or .doc, except for the letters of support from your project partner representative and your advisor.

Letters from your project partner representative and advisor should be emailed directly to Gigi Owen (gigi@arizona.edu) and are due on the same day as the application. 

Applications are due Wednesday, February 28, 2024 by 11:59 pm MST.

Questions: Please contact Gigi Owen (gigi@arizona.edu) with any questions about the Environment & Society Graduate Fellowship Program or the application process. 


CLIMAS Background

CLIMAS, housed at the University of Arizona’s Institute of the Environment, is part of the nationwide Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) / Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) program funded by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). CLIMAS promotes participatory research involving scientists, decision makers, resource users, educators, and others who need more and better information about climate and its impacts. CLIMAS investigators research the nature, causes, and consequences of climate change and variability in the southwestern United States. Visit www.climas.arizona.edu for more information.