Weekly Update (09/30/2024)

Upcoming ESPP Events

ESPP 2024 Student Research Symposium is coming up on Friday, October 11, 2024 in the Lincoln Room at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. This year, there are over 40 presentations from ESPP and non-ESPP students and scholars. The keynote speaker of the symposium is Dr. Norbert Kaminski from Pharmacology and Toxicology, and his talk is titled “The benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research – NIH Superfund Research Centers as a case study.” Dean Donnellan of College of Social Science will delivery the opening remarks. Find more about the event and come joining us.

Please mark your calendar for the upcoming ESPP events. Click on the links for more details

• October 9, 2024: Dr. Robert D. Bullard’s talk on Environmental Justice

• October 11, 2024: ESPP Fall Student Research Symposium

• October 15, 2024: ESPP Distinguished Lecture Series: Dr. Gary Machlis

• November 15, 2024: Faculty Forum

Seminars, Workshops, and Other Events

• Center for Research on Ingredient Safety Science Day 2024 | October 2, 2024

  Please join the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS) for the 2024 Annual Meeting and Science Symposium! This year’s program will focus on Recycling of Plastics and Chemical Contaminates in Recycled Plastic. To register: https://go.msu.edu/JBp5/

• CIRCLE: Becoming an Interdisciplinary Collaborator Workshiop | 1-4 PM, October 4, 2024 | STEM Teaching and Learning Facility

  The MSU Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement (CIRCLE) is excited to invite faculty, staff, and graduate students for the first of our 3-part Interdisciplinary Collaboration workshop series. This workshop series is strongly recommended for anyone who is interested in submitting a CIRCLE seed grant proposal for the spring funding cycle.

• PFAS Symposium | October 6-9, 2024

  MSU Center for PFAS research will hold PFAS Symposium on October 6-9. The registration deadline in September 22. The symposium has an exciting lineup of speakers, from the local communities, from MSU and other institutions from around the Great Lakes, from Canada, from the State, EPA and the Department of Defense. There are three main sessions, focusing on Distribution of PFAS in the Great Lakes, OneHealth and Policy, all aimed at providing insight into the problems we have in the Great Lakes. Each session will end with panels focused on discussion of solutions.

• CSIS Seminar: Jonathan Rhodes | 4 PM, October 7, 2024 | Manly Miles 105 and Online

  The Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability’s (CSIS) monthly seminar welcomes Dr. Jonathan Rhodes who will be giving a talk titled “Conservation Policy and Planning in Complex Globally Connected Landscapes”. This meeting will be held in person in Manly Miles Room 105 from 4-5 PM ET with a hybrid Zoom option for those that prefer to join virtually.

• Graduate Women in Science General Body Meeting | 4:30PM October 7, 2024 | BPS 1425

  Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), Mid-Michigan Chapter, is having their first General Body meeting of the year on Monday, October 7th at 4:30pm in BPS 1425. You can learn more about GWIS, our upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and get free food! Register Here!

• Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture: Susan Cutter | 10 AM October 10, 2024 | Online

  Dr. Cutter is a Carolina Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of South Carolina and co-director of the Hazards Vulnerability & Resilience Institute (HVRI). She has conducted pioneering research on vulnerability and resilience with specific reference to methods, models, and metrics. Her innovative work has significantly influenced hazard mitigation and disaster recovery policy and practice at local, state, national, and international levels. Her outstanding accomplishments have been recognized by numerous prestigious awards and honors. She was the recipient of her discipline’s highest awards: American Association of Geographers (AAG) Lifetime Achievement, Presidential Achievement, and the Wilbanks Award for Transformation Research. She received an honorary doctorate from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and an elected foreign member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.

  Her lecture is titled “Community Disaster Resilience: To What? For Whom?” Please do a very simple registration to receive the Zoom link.

• National Nature Assessment Public Engagement Event | 6-8 PM, October 15, 2024 | STEM Building 3202

  The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is leading the first-ever National Nature Assessment (NNA1) to evaluate U.S. lands, waters, wildlife, biodiversity, and their contributions to our economy, health, culture, climate, and equity. The Assessment will also project future changes and their impacts. Marking the Zero-Order Draft (annotated outline) release in the Federal Register, the NNA1 is hosting in-person and virtual public engagement events to gather public comment during fall 2024. We are pleased to invite you to the NNA1 Public Engagement Event in East Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. These free, public events will inform the content of the Assessment chapters and will include information sharing, Q&A sessions, and collaborative round table discussions. Come share your thoughts on the NNA1 and the topics that are most important to you. Details and registration link are attached.

• College of NatSci Graduate Resource Showcase | 11 AM October 17, 2024 | BPS Atrium

  The College of NatSci is organizing a Graduate Resource Showcase to highlight graduate student organizations and their fantastic efforts. This event is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about resources and support that are available.

• Community Sustainability Hamm-Norris Seminars: Chloe Wardropper | 12 PM October 25, 2024 | NRB 338 and Online

  Join the Community Sustainability Department for the Hamm-Norris seminar series where scholars share the latest about their work in environmental and sustainability issues. Hamm-Norris seminars are public events and all are welcome to join! Individuals can attend the seminars either in person at the Natural Resources Building, room 338 or on Zoom (Meeting ID: 977 1523 2159 Passcode: CSUS)

• Communicating Science Conference - MI 2024 | October 26-27, 2024

  ComSciCon-MI is a free workshop focused on science communication. This event is tailored specifically for graduate students and postdocs in Michigan and neighboring regions. The program features panel sessions with approximately 20 invited professional science communicators, writing sessions to hone participants’ skills, peer and expert review of writing, and a pop talk contest where participants showcase their science outreach projects and forge new collaborations.

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Funding Opportunities

• Dr. Karen Klomparens Endowment in Support of Graduate Fellowships | Deadline: October 4, 2024

  This fellowship is awarded in honor of Dr. Karen Klomparens, Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Graduate Education at MSU from 1997 until 2014, in honor of her unwavering commitment to graduate education. Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program at MSU, completed their comprehensive examinations, and successfully defended their dissertation.

• Shobha Ramanand Graduate Fellowship | Deadline: October 11, 2024

  This fellowship was started by Dr. Shobha Ramanand in honor of her faculty mentors, Dr. Kruger and Dr. Sweitzer, and supports graduate students in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations and the Department of Community Sustainability. Applicants must be pursing an advanced degree offered in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations in the College of Social Science or the department of Community Sustainability in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

• Life on a Sustainable Planet Fellowship applications now open for the 2025 cohort | Deadline: October 15, 2024

  Applications are now open for the Smithsonian’s Life on a Sustainable Planet Fellowship programs! The program is seeking researchers focused on Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Resilience & Sustainability to join the 2025 cohort. Fellows will receive a stipend, access to Smithsonian resources, and training in leadership, communication, and policy engagement. Applications close October 15, so please share this opportunity widely within your networks!

• Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited Graduate Fellowship |Deadline October 18, 2024

  The goal of this fellowship is to engage MSU graduate students in conducting research that will have an impact on enhancing, protecting, and preserving Michigan’s coldwater fisheries and streams resources. Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student at MSU, in good standing, and working on coldwater fisheries or streams as part of their thesis or dissertation. Additionally, the applicant must demonstrate a dedication to trout fishers and have excellent academic credentials, evidence of leadership abilities, the ability to communicate to the public, and to effectively solve problems.

• Jianguo (Jack) Liu Graduate Award in Sustainability | Deadline October 25, 2024

  This endowment was established to benefit students enrolled in any doctoral program at MSU to help address global sustainability challenges and opportunities, particularly telecoupling, metacoupling, and coupled human and natural systems.

• USGS/EROS Mendenhall Fellowship in Land Use monitoring | Deadline: November 1, 2024

  USGS has an opportunity at EROS for a Mendenhall Fellowship to develop/prototype a monitoring capability for Land Use in the US. This Mendenhall is a great opportunity to further research ideas with the resources and collaboration of the USGS EROS Center. Interested candidates are encouraged to reach out to Christopher Barber (cbarber@usgs.gov) or Kristi Sayler (sayler@usgs.gov) to discuss research ideas and any other relevant questions. The close date for submission is November 1, 2024. The announcement will open on USAJobs on September 20th.

• Scholarship from Michigan Scholarships in Conservation Program |Deadline November 6, 2024

  From ESPP alumnus Zach Curtis: The Michigan Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (miSWCS) offers a $750 Scholarship to eligible applicants through the Michigan Scholarships in Conservation Program for the Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 Academic Year. Scholarships are awarded to encourage qualified students to enter the field of natural resources conservation, and to prepare them for related careers through an organized program of study at an institution of higher education offering training in appropriate disciplines. Awards will be based on interest in conservation, scholastic ability, and participation in conservation activities.

Jobs and Training Opportunities

• GWIS looks for graduate mentors

  Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), Mid-Michigan Chapter, is looking for graduate students to serve as mentors for undergraduates in all STEM majors. Contact Sabrina Zarza for more information.

• Research Assistant for a climate-related project in Sociology | Deadline: October 10, 2024

  Prof. Xuefei Ren in Sociology is looking for a research assistant (MA, PhD, or post-doctoral level) to work on a project on “Future proofing climate boomtowns: Lessons from Chicago, Toronto, Geneva, and Zurich,” funded by Swiss National Science Foundation. The main responsibility includes data collection and analysis on Chicago’s climate action plans from a comparative perspective and attending zoom meetings with colleagues in Canada and Switzerland. The RA will have the opportunity to present the research findings at the Urban Affairs Association conference in April 2025 (Vancouver). The RA will be paid at a competitive hourly rate, commensurate with experience. The work is projected to last between Oct 2024 and April 2025, roughly 10-15 hours per week. If interested, please email Prof. Xuefei Ren (Sociology, Michigan State University) with a CV, by Oct 10, 2024.

• University of Maryland President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program | Deadline October 15, 2024

  This program offers postdoctoral research fellowships and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to the diversity and equal opportunity at the University of Maryland. The program is seeking applicants with the potential to bring to their academic and research careers the critical perspective that comes from their non-traditional educational background or understanding of the experiences of members of groups historically underrepresented in higher education in the United States.

• Rutgers Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Program | Deadline October 18, 2024

  Rutgers Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Program is a two-year fellowship appointment that provides a $65,000 annual salary, $10,000 yearly discretionary funds, workspace, computer access, health benefits, dedicated mentorship, and the possibility of a subsequent appointment to a tenure-track faculty position at Rutgers.

• UCAR ASP postorocal fellowship program accepts applications | Deadline: October 31, 2024

  The NSF NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) is welcoming applications for postdoctoral fellowship positions. The ASP postdoctoral fellowships provide successful applicants with considerable freedom to pursue their own research interests. Fellows develop research projects in collaboration with NCAR scientists and engineers, but all are expected to choose their own research directions and are responsible for the design and conduct of their projects. Deadline for applications is October 31, 2024

• Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Harvard University | Deadline November 6, 2024

  The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University is looking for candidates for the Reginald A. Daly Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. These honorific postdoctoral fellowships are awarded for a one-year period, with an anticipated extension for a second year. Daly fellows carry out independent research and may choose to interact with one or more research groups in the department. Applicants are encouraged to contact members of the department before applying.