Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship
Former UC President Janet Napolitano, together with UC’s 10 chancellors, launched the UC Global Food Initiative and the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative. Building on existing efforts and creating new collaborations among the UC system, the initiative draws on UC’s leadership in many fields. Through these initiatives, two fellowship programs were created to engage students in the meaningful climate and food work happening at all 10 campuses, health centers, LBNL, ANR, and UCOP.
President Michael Drake has expanded these two initiatives under one umbrella called the Leading on Climate Initiative. Through this initiative, the Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate fellowship program intends to engage the student body in this work through fellowship experiences on all 10 campuses, health centers, LBNL, ANR, and UCOP. Project Fellows work on research and implement projects that reduce a location’s operational greenhouse gas emissions, other benchmarks, and expand access to food security.
The SRC partners across campus to host students in these fellowship positions. The fellowships enable undergraduate and graduate students to contribute significantly to a select group of on-campus projects. These fellowships are yearlong commitments starting in September and ending in June the following year.
What do Fellows do?
All Fellows are expected to attend the following meetings and trainings:
- A virtual orientation session in the fall
- A leadership training in the fall
- Fellows’ meetings and topical trainings for fellows working on similar projects throughout the year
- A closing symposium and poster presentation in late spring
- Periodic conference calls to discuss individual projects and share best practices with peers
Planning and collaboration are key to a successful fellowship. All fellows are expected to work with their supervisors to develop a plan that includes their project goals, deliverables, timelines, and the metrics for measuring success. Fellows are expected to meet regularly with their supervisors to discuss projects, progress, and issues. Fellows will submit progress reports and a final evaluation to UCOP, including metrics used to evaluate project’s impact. And fellows will develop a poster outlining their projects.
Specific fellow roles and site placements can be found below.
UCI Main Campus
Climate Action – Project Fellow
This Fellow will be a team member of UCI Campus Planning & Sustainability and support climate action planning efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% no later than 2045. Projects will focus on decarbonization. This can include assisting in interim target setting, developing fossil free strategies, and assessing vulnerability and equity issues through engagement with students, staff, and faculty.
Climate Action – Project Fellow
This Fellow will be a member of UCI Campus Planning & Sustainability and support ongoing efforts to advance campus climate resilience planning. Projects will focus on climate resilience and adaptation efforts. This can include outreach events, utilizing UCI’s vulnerability assessment, assisting in prioritizing adaptation strategies, integrating DEIJ into the campus framework, and serving as a student representative.
Climate Action – Engagement Fellow
This Fellow will be a team member of the UCI Sustainability Resource Center (SRC). The fellow will focus efforts on outreach and engagement with the broad campus community in sustainability initiatives at UCI. Projects will focus on student engagement. This will include large quarterly events, representing and presenting to various organizations, assisting the SRC outreach team, administering campus-wide surveys, and collaborating.
Sustainable Agriculture & Food – Project Fellow
This Fellow will be a team member of UCI Student Housing and serve as the Arroyo Vista “Ants-in-Your-Plants” Garden student coordinator. This fellow will be responsible for on-site maintenance, volunteer recruitment and management, fresh vegetable and other produce donation management to UCI Basic Needs, and more.
Sustainable Agriculture & Food – Project Fellow
This Fellow will be a member of UCI Student Housing and UCI Dining. They will serve as a food waste student coordinator. This fellow will be responsible for food waste education initiatives, food recovery and gleaning initiatives, and anything else related to the food waste systems at UCI.
Sustainable Agriculture & Food – Engagement Fellow
This Fellow will be a member of UCI Dining and serve as the engagement fellow. They will be responsible for engagement initiatives from UCI Dining to encourage sustainable behavior from the UCI community. They will work closely with the UCI Dining sustainability coordinator on these efforts.
UCI Health
Climate Action – Project Fellow
This Fellow will be a team member of UCI Health Planning Administration and support ongoing efforts to advance medical center projects to transition to a fossil free UCI. Projects will focus on decarbonization and electrification.This will include identifying decarbonization strategies, supporting carbon reduction projects, conducting annual greenhouse gas emission inventorying, and more.
Climate Action – Engagement Fellow
This Fellow will be a team member of UCI Health Planning Administration and support ongoing efforts to advance medical center projects at the intersection of health, equity, and climate change. Projects will focus on engagement. This will include supporting sustainability staff in education and engagement, greening the OR, organic waste, climate resilience, and more.
Sustainable Agriculture & Food
This Fellow will be a team member of UCI Health Planning Administration and support educational efforts for sustainable food and waste initiatives in UCI Health Medical Centers.