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Weekly Update (10/27/2025)

ESPP News

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Course Announcements

  • NSC 844 Tools for Women in STEM Spring 2026

    This coming Spring (SS26) NatSci will be offering the graduate course “Tools for women in STEM” (NSC 844). This is a 2-credit course with practical tools that help graduate students advance their career goals and mitigate the challenges they may encounter. More information can be found in the course’s webpage. Spaces are limited. If you have questions, please email Prof. Nunes.

  • GEO 406/GLG 406: Geomorphology of River and Coastal Systems in Spring 2026

    Dr. Theuerkauf will be offering this geomorphology course during the upcoming spring semester. In this course students will explore the dynamic processes and landforms of coasts and rivers. Students will be introduced to the fundamental aspects of coastal and fluvial geomorphology as well as explore cutting-edge research in these fields. There will be opportunities to learn field methods for these disciplines, gather and analyze data, and read and discuss scholarly articles. Examples of topics to be explored in this class include: Great Lakes coastal systems, beach and barrier island response to sea level rise, coastal wetland ecogeomorphology, storm impacts to beach and dune systems, delta geomorphic changes and human impacts, river hydraulics, floods and fluvial sediment transport, and stream ecology, and management. Contact Dr. Theuerkauf for any questions.

  • FOR 845: Nature and Health

    Dr. Samantha Gailey will be offering a new course, FOR 845: Nature and Health, this Spring (2026). This 3-credit, discussion-based graduate course integrates perspectives from public health, psychology, forestry, geography, and environmental science. Through case studies, guest lectures, and applied projects, students examine pathways linking nature and human health—and learn how to use this knowledge to advance health equity, climate resilience, and sustainability. Graduate students across disciplines are encouraged to join. Please share with others who may be interested. Contact Professor Gailey with any questions. Meets on Mondays, 12:40–3:30pm (in-person, check SIS to verify classroom location).

  • FW 891: New Approaches to Ecological Risk Assessment

    Dr. Cheryl Murphy will be offering this graduate course on ecological risk assessment in the spring. Ecotoxicology and risk assessment have moved well beyond the early stages of a paradigm shift,scientists are now operating within it. Building on the vision outlined in Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy (NRC, 2007), the field has embraced predictive, mechanistic approaches that integrate in vitro, in silico, and high-throughput methods to understand how contaminants affect biological systems from molecules to ecosystems. Today’s central challenge is no longer whether to transition to these new frameworks, but how to rigorously connect responses across biological and temporal scales. How do molecular perturbations translate to individual fitness, population dynamics, or ecosystem function? What models, tools, and data are needed to bridge these levels credibly and quantitatively? This course examines these questions through the lens of current science and practice. You will explore the conceptual foundations and emerging methods that define 21st-century ecological risk assessment—from omics-based assays and adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) to dynamic energy budget (DEB) and systems modeling. Case studies will highlight how these approaches are reshaping regulatory and management decisions for complex mixtures, novel stressors, and multi-scale ecological effects.

  • FW 893: PFAS, People, and the Planet, 1 credit

    This course will cover topics relating to PFAS and their impacts on people and the planet including sources, bioaccumulation, exposure, health effects, community impacts, detection, remediation, and science communication. This course will consist of expert guest lectures/seminars from scientists conducting PFAS research, laboratory tours, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. The course will meet once a week for 7 weeks (Jan.14 – Feb. 25, 2026 ) for 2 hours - Wednesdays from 3-4:50pm in Natural Resources 306. Questions should be directed to Dr. Rachel Leads.

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Funding Opportunities

  • Mary Louise Gephart Donnell Fellowship | Deadline: October 30, 2025

    This fellowship is open to MSU graduate students in any discipline related to human environment and design. Funds may be used for degree progress, travel or research costs.

  • Michigan Scholarships in Conservation Programs | Deadline: November 7, 2025

    The Michigan Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society is offering a $750 Scholarship through the Michigan Scholarships in Conservation Program to eligible applicants for the Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 Academic Year. If you might be interested in applying for this Scholarship, download and review the two page Michigan Scholarships in Conservation Program Description document below to see if you might be eligible. If you are eligible and interested, fill out and submit the application form. The deadline for your application to be received by us is Friday, November 5, 2025. Contact Dr. Zachary Curtis, Scholarship Committee Chair for any questions.

  • NCAR ASP Graduate Visitor Program Fellowship | Deadline November 9, 2025

    The NSF NCAR Advanced Study Program (ASP) Graduate Visitor Program (GVP) Fellowship offers an excellent opportunity for graduate students to spend time at NSF NCAR working on their thesis, dissertation, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers. The GVP also provides a chance to develop research collaborations at NSF NCAR and to participate in professional development workshops and seminars. The fellowship covers travel expenses and provides a housing allowance for visits from 2 to 3 months. Visits longer than 3 months can be accommodated if the graduate student has additional co-sponsorship funds (either from their university or from their NSF NCAR collaborator). Additionally, the fellowship supports travel for the student’s advisor for a one-week visit during the student’s time at NSF NCAR. Visit the program page for more information and office hours.

  • Zuckerman Postdocotral Scholars Program | Deadline February 15, 2026

    The Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholars Program attracts high-achieving postdoctoral scholars from premier universities in the United States and Canada to do research at one of eight Israeli universities. The Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholars Program attracts high-achieving postdoctoral scholars from premier universities in the United States and Canada to do research at one of eight Israeli universities.

Seminars, Workshops, and Other Events

  • Water Alliance Lunch and Learn | Noon October 30, 2025 | Zoom

    Please join us for a webinar with MSU experts to learn about and discuss advances in water science and management. The webinar will feature Dr. Yadu Pokhrel and Dr. Huy Dang, both from the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. The titles of the talks are “Ongoing Research in the Great Lakes for Water, Agriculture, and Nutrient Transport”, and “Potential Hydrological Changes Across the Great Lakes and its Agriculture Implications”. The zoom link is https://msu.zoom.us/j/98387206019 with passcode 441096.

  • Sustainability and Ethics Symposium | November 14, 2025 | Minskoff Pavilion

    The Sustainability and Ethics Symposium is hosted by the MSU Ethics Institute, the Center for Bioethics and Social Justice, the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, the Kelley Institute of Ethics and the Legal Profession, and the Office of Sustainability. This year’s event will explore ethical sustainability issues from a global perspective, highlight current research topics, and showcase impactful practices happening on our campus.

Jobs and Training Opportunities

  • Postdoctoral Scholar: Center for Effective Global Action at Berkeley | Rolling deadlines

    This multi-year initiative evaluating the social and economic impacts of the exploitation of KoBold’s Mingomba copper mine in Chililabombwe, Zambia combines large-scale household surveys, a regression discontinuity design to measure the causal effects of mine employment, and historical research on the Copperbelt. The postdoc will report to Berkeley-based CEGA affiliated PI Jonathan Weigel, and work in close collaboration with Co-Investigators Edward Miguel (UC Berkeley), Anja Benshaul-Tolonen (Barnard/Columbia), and Dale Mudenda (University of Zambia).

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship in AI-Driven Movement Ecology and Conservation of Large Mammals - University of Michigan | Deadline: November 30, 2025 Research activities will include the development and application of advanced deep learning frameworks to model and predict animal movement and habitat selection. The fellow will integrate spatially and temporally explicit environmental covariates (e.g., NDVI, vegetation structure, topography, seasonality), enabling nuanced exploration of how landscape features and dynamic conditions influence animal movement decisions at multiple scales. Research will involve constructing, training, and evaluating AI models capable of simulating realistic movement trajectories, identifying patterns in resource selection, and revealing how animals interact with variable or human-modified environments. Reach out to Neil Carter to determine research fit.

Weekly Update