News
World Water Day
March 22, 2024
Today is World Water Day. This year’s theme is Water for Peace and focuses on people uniting around water to create harmony and build resilience.
Prof. Emilio Moran and colleagues received 2024 Distinguished Partnership Award for International Community Engagement
March 22, 2024
Prof. Emilio Moran and his research team received 2024 Distinguished Partnership Award for International Community Engagement.
ESPP announces recent winners of the Competitive Research Grant
January 22, 2024
Xiang Yu and Abhinav Kapoor are the winner for the Competitive Research Grants this year from 10 outstanding applications.
ESPP calls for applications to to our programs, fellowships and awards
January 8, 2024
ESPP calls for applications to to our programs, fellowships and awards.
Call for Nominations for ESPP Student Awards
October 30, 2023
We are seeking nominations for ESPP student awards.
MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program Invites Applicants for 2024 Spring Semester
October 1, 2023
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) is now accepting applications for the 2024 Spring Semester. ESPP offers three distinct programs for graduate students at MSU--a dual major doctoral program in environmental science and policy, a graduate specialization in environmental policy, and a graduate certificate in environmental and social systems modeling. Applications are due by October 15, 2023.
MSU distinguished professor appointed to premier academic publisher’s Climate Action Advisory Board
August 14, 2023
Emilio F. Moran, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and respected researcher in the natural and social sciences, was recently appointed to the Elsevier Climate Action Advisory Board and will join distinguished international experts in the fields of climate research to accelerate action to address the climate crisis.
Dr. Jennifer Carrera receives 2023 Impact Award for community-engaged research
April 11, 2023 - Karessa Weir
An Assistant Professor of Sociology, Carrera named the 2023 winner of Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement from Brown University's Swearer Center.
ESPP Announces 2022 ERIES Initiative Awardees
March 2, 2023
The Environmental Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University is pleased to announce the awardees for the inaugural Environmental Research, Innovation and Engagement Startup (ERIES) initiative.
Spartan Strong
February 20, 2023
During tragic events, Spartans rally to ensure our campus and community have the resources necessary to provide for those in need. As the MSU community comes together to assist one another, learn more about how you can financially support the university with numerous challenges surrounding the evolving crisis.
ESPP Accepting Applications for Fall 2023
January 3, 2023
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) is now accepting applications for the 2023 Fall Semester. ESPP offers three distinct programs for graduate students at MSU--a dual major doctoral program in environmental science and policy, a graduate specialization in environmental policy, and a graduate certificate in environmental and social systems modeling.
Dr. Jennifer Carrera awarded the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Research at MSU
December 2, 2022 - Karessa Weir
MSU Sociology Assistant Professor Jennifer Carrera has earned the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Research from MSU’s Outreach & Engagement.
Ecocultural Studies Conference celebrates the legacies of Drs. Linda Kalof and Tom Dietz
December 2, 2022 - Karessa Weir
In celebration of the careers and retirement of University Distinguished Professor Tom Dietz and MSU Sociology Professor Linda Kalof, MSU Sociology presented a two-day workshop on Ecocultural Studies.
ESPP Fall Student Research Symposium
October 17, 2022
The Annual Environmental Science and Policy Program’s Fall Student Research Symposium will be held on Monday, October 17, 2022, from 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM in the Lincoln Room at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI. Please click here to register in advance.
MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program Invites Applicants for 2023 Spring Semester
September 21, 2022
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) is now accepting applications for the 2023 Spring Semester. ESPP offers three distinct programs for graduate students at MSU--a dual major doctoral program in environmental science and policy, a graduate specialization in environmental policy, and a graduate certificate in environmental and social systems modeling. Applications are due by October 15, 2022.
ESPP Accepting Abstract Proposals for Fall Student Research Symposium
August 31, 2022
The Environmental Science and Policy Program is currently accepting abstract submissions from undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral scholars from MSU for the annual Environmental Science and Policy Program’s Fall Student Research Symposium. The symposium will be held on October 17, 2022, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI.
Luo Named Director of Environmental Science and Policy Program at MSU
August 22, 2022
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) at Michigan State University is pleased to announce that Professor Lifeng Luo has agreed to serve as Director of the program. Dr. Luo has served as Interim Director of ESPP over the prior 12 months and became permanent Director on August 16, 2022.
ESPP Alumna Earns Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Fellowship
June 17, 2022
Congratulations to Demetrice “Dee” Jordan, an alumna of the Environmental Science and Policy Program and the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University, for being named a 2022 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Fellow (PDEP) by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Dr. Tom Dietz ranked among the top global and national social scientists
June 13, 2022 - Karessa Weir
Dr. Dietz, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology, has been ranked as #70 top Social Science and Humanities researcher in the U.S. and #138 in the world by Research.com.
Joe Hamm Earns Faculty Cross-Disciplinary Research Award
April 14, 2022
Congratulations to ESPP Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Joe Hamm on being awarded the 2022 Faculty Cross-Disciplinary Research Award by the MSU College of Social Science.
ESPP Interdisciplinary Team Receives Excellence Award
March 28, 2022
Congratulations to the Sustainable Climate, Agriculture, Landscapes, and Energy (SCALE) team on recently earning an Excellence Award in Interdisciplinary Scholarship (EAIS) from the MSU Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
ESPP Forms Student Leadership Council
February 18, 2022
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) at Michigan State University has established a new Student Leadership Council. The initial cohort of Student Leadership Council members includes Brockton Feltman (Department of Community Sustainability), Jing Zhou (School of Planning, Design and Construction), and Tiffany Williams (Sociology Department).
MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program Invites Applicants for 2022 Fall Semester
January 6, 2022
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) is now accepting applications for the 2022 Fall Semester. ESPP offers three distinct programs for graduate students at MSU--a dual major doctoral program in environmental science and policy, a graduate specialization in environmental policy, and a graduate certificate in environmental and social systems modeling. Applications are due by February 1, 2022.
Improving low-income households’ access to energy and internet needs to be a priority for federal, state and local programs
January 5, 2022 - Karessa Weir
Energy poverty and lack of internet access need to be addressed by federal and state programs, and the programs need to include several factors including communication, social and behavioral factors, according to a new paper published by Dr. Tom Dietz, MSU University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and founding director of the Environmental Science and Policy Program.
Ward Selected as Recipient for 2022 Graduate Student Award for Community Engagement Scholarship
November 22, 2021
Congratulations to ESPP and Sociology Dual Major Ph.D. student Kayleigh Ward! Kayleigh has been selected as a recipient of the Michigan State University 2022 Graduate Student Award for Community Engagement Scholarship for her project, “Reviving community: Rebuilding social recovery in rural post-disaster Japan.”
ESPP Alumna Wins NIH LRP Award for Health Disparities Research
October 27, 2021
MSU Geography and Environmental Science and Policy Program Alumna and current Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School Dr. Dee Jordan has won a National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award.
Attention ESPP Alumni: We Want to Hear from You!
October 13, 2021
We are in the process of updating our records at the Environmental Science and Policy Program so that we can better serve alumni like you. We love hearing what our alums are up to, and to date, many have shared news of their post-MSU activities with us. And now we’d like to hear from you!
Improving Sustainable Irrigation: When Promoting Efficiency Becomes Inefficient
October 5, 2021 - Diane Huhn
In recent decades, water scarcity has become an increasingly pressing problem across the globe. Under the leadership of Dr. Adam Zwickle, researchers at Michigan State University are working to determine whether arming farmers with more efficient irrigation technology versus adopting locally-derived consumption limits is a better solution to reducing the depletion rate of essential water sources.
MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program Invites Applicants for 2022 Spring Semester
September 28, 2021
The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) is now accepting applications for the 2022 Spring Semester. ESPP offers three distinct programs for graduate students at MSU--a dual major doctoral program in environmental science and policy, a graduate specialization in environmental policy, and a graduate certificate in environmental and social systems modeling. Applications are due by October 15, 2021.
ESPP Student Awarded Dissertation Completion Fellowship
August 26, 2021
Congratulations to ESPP student Kayleigh Ward on earning a Spring 2022 Dissertation Completion Fellowship from The Graduate School at MSU.
ESPP Students Publish Interdisciplinary Paper on the Social and Environmental Impact of Large Scale Infrastructure Development
August 12, 2021
Three ESPP students, Yingjie Li, Yuqian Zhang, and Leigh Anne Tiffany, have recently published a paper in the journal Environmental Science and Policy.
MSU Research Initiative Developing Interventions to Address Interplay of Conflict and Climate Change
July 2, 2021
Given the complexities of conflict and climate change, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Michigan State University has kicked off an initiative to better assess and develop solutions for addressing these as coupled, complex nested systems.
The widespread and unjust drinking water and clean water crisis in the United States
June 28, 2021
MSU Sociology Associate Professor Stephen Gasteyer, together with Utah State University's J. Tom Mueller, has published an article in Nature Communications documenting the full scope of water hardship in the United States and showing evidence of a regionally-clustered, socially unequal nationwide household water crisis.
Dr. Jennifer Carrera wins the Practice and Outreach Award
June 21, 2021 - Karessa Weir
Dr. Jennifer Carrera, Assistant Professor of Sociology, is one of two winners of the annual Practice & Outreach Award given by the Environmental Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association.
The American Geographical Society Elects MSU Alumna Dr. Demetrice Jordan to Council
June 11, 2021
Congratulations to MSU ESPP Alumna Dr. Demetrice Jordan on being elected to the American Geographical Society (AGS) Council.
MSU Social Scientists and Engineers Work Together for Sustainable Energy Solutions in the Amazon
May 12, 2021 - Diane Huhn
Social Scientists such as Emilio Moran are working with MSU Engineers to ensure that the needs of small communities, often negatively impacted by hydropower dam projects, are thoroughly considered in promising sustainable energy solutions in the Amazon.
Dr. Jennifer Carrera Receives the Inaugural Faculty Outreach and Engagement Award
May 6, 2021 - Karessa Weir
Congratulations to MSU Sociology Assistant Professor and core ESPP faculty member Dr. Jennifer Carrera on receiving the inaugural College of Social Science Faculty Outreach and Engagement Award.
MSU Sociology PhD Student Mark Suchyta Receives Graduate Student Teaching Award
May 3, 2021 - Karessa Weir
Congratulations to MSU Sociology and ESPP Dual-Major PhD student on receiving the College of Social Science Graduate Student Teaching Award
Chen Named Fulbright Global Scholar
April 7, 2021
Congratulations to Dr. Jiquan Chen on being named a Fulbright Global Scholar. As part of this experience, Dr. Chen will spend two to three months each at host labs in Australia and Germany working to build a network of scholars for promoting the research frontiers of global warming potentials and ecosystem services of managed landscapes, and will work towards publishing a textbook dealing with modern scientific hypothesis and experimental design across scales.
ESPP Student Publishes Research about Farm Animal Well-being
April 6, 2021
MSU Sociology and ESPP Dual Major PhD student Mark Suchyta published a new paper entitled "Environmental Values and Americans' beliefs about farm animal well-being," published in the journal "Agriculture and Human Values".
MSU, College of Social Science remembers former trustee Barbara Sawyer-Koch
March 8, 2021 - Karessa Weir
The College of Social Science joins the entire Michigan State University community in remembering alumna, trustee emerita and philanthropist Barbara Sawyer-Koch, 72, who died March 6, 2021.
Applications Open for 2021 ESPP Summer Research Fellowships
January 7, 2021
Proposals for 2021 ESPP Summer Research Fellowships are now open. Applications are due February 1, 2021.
MSU Scholar Emilio Moran Discusses Innovative Interdisciplinary Work Focused on Off-grid Hydropower in Brazil
December 17, 2020
World-renowned social anthropologist Emilio Moran discusses his latest work in the Brazilian Amazon with Russ White on a recent episode of MSU Today.
Sociology and ESPP PhD student finds that sense of place matters in energy development
December 8, 2020 - Karessa Weir
MSU Sociology PhD student Mark Suchyta has published research in Energy Research & Social Science which shows that a sense of place can predict beliefs about energy development in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale.
MSU Interdisciplinary Team Secures $3.2M National Science Foundation Convergence Grant to Empower Off-grid Communities
October 6, 2020 - Diane Huhn
Michigan State University Researcher Emilio Moran will lead a team in the development of a convergent framework offering non-dam hydropower as a sustainable energy solution for off-grid communities while empowering and engaging residents throughout the process.
Dr. Amber Pearson to Present on Blue and Green Spaces at 2020 SHIFT Summit
September 17, 2020
Amber Pearson will present at the 2020 SHIFT Summit in October.
NASA recognizes ESPP/CGCEO Faculty
September 23, 2019 - Liz Schondelmayer
ESPP Director Dr. Jiaguo Qi is part of the research team receiving the NASA Land-Cover/Land-Use Change Program grants.
Wishing Marcy Heberer happy trails after 14 years with MSU
August 29, 2019 - Karessa E. Weir
The Environmental Science and Policy Program at MSU has had four directors, more than 100 students, a dozen staffmembers and one Marcy Heberer.
ESPP Faculty leading study on improving health through nature
August 26, 2019 - Caroline Brooks and Amber Pearson
Faculty from Michigan State University received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for an experiment to improve the health of Detroit’s residents by cultivating green spaces in the city. Amber Pearson, assistant professor of geography in MSU’s College of Social Science, is leading the five-year study that will examine how biodiversity in an urban area impacts health and wellness.
ESPP alumnus Ellis Adams receives NSF award
August 14, 2019
Dr. Ellis Adams (ESPP and Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences) has been awarded $399,992 from the National Science Foundation.
Wildlife trafficking has high cost to nations' development
August 12, 2019 - Layne Cameron and Meredith Gore
Wildlife trafficking and more hinder nations' sustainable development
Riva Denny receives Postdoctoral Position
July 17, 2019
Riva Denny (PhD, 2018) has accepted a new post-doctoral position at the University of Michigan! Starting in the Fall, She will begin her work with the School for Environment and Sustainability.
Goodbye to Associate Director Bill Cambray
June 12, 2019 - Tom Dietz
ESPP is sorry to announce the passing of our first Associate Director, Dr. F. William Cambray on 2 June 2019.
Dr. Jiaguo Qi appointed as ESPP Director
December 20, 2018 - Karessa Weir
Social Science Dean Rachel Croson announces Dr. Qi's appointment