2016-17 Global Food and Climate Fellowship Opportunities
The Sustainability Initiative is now accepting applications for the 2016-17 Global Food and Climate Neutrality Student Fellowship Opportunities. These opportunities are sponsored by the UC President’s Global Food and Carbon Neutrality Initiatives.
On the UC Irvine campus, four $4,000 fellowships are available. The fellowships are designed as on-campus internships to enable graduate and undergraduate students to contribute significantly to a select group of projects. The projects reflect some of the many ways our campus is mobilizing to achieve the underlying goals of the Global Food and Carbon Neutrality Initiatives.
The application period is now closed. Please see below for selection and notification process.
Each fellow will receive:
- hands-on, project-based experience in the fellowship area;
- approximately $4,000 in the form of a paid internship;
- campus and university-wide recognition as a member of a select group of student leaders;
- an opportunity to convene in person with carbon neutrality and food fellows from across the UC system at the beginning and end of the fellowship year;
- an opportunity to participate in intensive sustainability leadership training and retreat;
- an opportunity to participate in a system-wide student visioning and action planning process on climate change and food issues; and
- guidance from prominent scholars and mentorship from practitioners in the field.
In return, each fellow is expected to:
- contribute approximately 9-10 hours per week to the fellowship during academic year 2016-17;
- orally present one status update each quarter at select campus-wide events;
- attend one fellows’ study break each quarter;
- write at least one blog post each quarter for select social media platforms;
- create at least one additional way to engage at least 20 additional members of the campus community in the fellowship project;
- complete work products specific to the fellowship project by June 15, 2017; and
- write a short mid-term report (date TBD) and final report by June 15, 2017.
Fellows are expected to participate in the following systemwide activities:
- attend one day-long orientation in Fall 2016
- attend one residential 2.5 day leadership training and retreat
- participate in a symposium and poster presentation held in conjunction with the CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) in June/July 2017
- participate in monthly conference calls
- attend Fellows’ field trip
UCI Regional Climate Resilience – Two Positions
Description: The UCI Regional Climate Resilience Project is an exploratory, community organizing project focused on climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, action, and activism from the deserts of Riverside County to the coast of Orange County, California. While climate change is a global problem, its effects are—and will continue to be—felt locally. Increasingly, municipalities are looking regionally for support, knowledge sharing, and partnership to address local climate challenges. Regional knowledge hubs, like the University of California, Irvine, can play an important convening, coordination, and scientific role in this work. The UCI Regional Climate Resilience Project seeks to better understand the matrix of existing activities and budding opportunities to enhance climate preparedness in Orange and Riverside Counties and their borderlands.
Student Project: To begin building a data-driven narrative synthesizing the various environmental, demographic, social, and other factors that contribute to the current opportunity for regional climate resilience collaboration in Orange and Riverside Counties and their borderlands. This project will include quantitative and qualitative data analysis and reporting, and may include analysis and/or synthesis of the climate mitigation and adaptation policies that are having an impact on the region.
UCI Food Waste Fellowship Project
Description: UCI Hospitality & Dining in partnership with Student Housing is committed to sustainable practices in food waste. UCI supports the sustainability goals of the UC Office of the President in reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing the sustainable foods available, and reducing water usage. UCI Hospitality & Dining, in conjunction with dining partner Aramark Higher Education, was awarded the 2014 EPA Food Recovery Challenge Narrative Award for Source Reduction.
Student Project: This project fellow will create and implement educational programming and conduct engaged research on food waste at UCI. The fellow will be a team member of the sustainability program of Student Housing and/or Hospitality & Dining Services. The fellow will also engage students involved in the on-campus culinary house and new Green Earth Cooperative.
UCI Garden Project
Description: UC Irvine hosts several urban agriculture efforts on campus, including multiple community gardens, a permaculture project, and an aquaponics project. The Global Sustainability Resource Center (GSRC) enables community skills sharing and education regarding sustainable and drought-friendly approaches to urban agriculture at these sites. GSRC hosts community seed-to-plate workshops on these skills together with a visiting eco-chef, and is increasingly being called upon to generate new learning opportunities in urban garden settings in broader Orange County. In addition, together with a school-based center, GSRC hosts a for-credit student internship that enables participating students to use the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability through urban agriculture.
Student Project: To work with sustainability faculty, staff, and fellow students to develop and carry out the UCI Garden Project. This is a hands-on, experiential learning internship engaging the range of skills essential to urban agriculture, both inside the garden and as a community organizer.
New! Global Food and Climate Ambassadors
In addition to the four Global Food and Climate Fellows, the UC Office of the President has funded two Ambassador positions.
The Student Ambassadors serve as the student engagement ‘go‐to’ person for the UC Irvine campus. Ambassadors will participate in leadership meetings of the Global Food and Carbon Neutrality Initiatives where they will share their student voice, report on student engagement activities, and connect with working group leaders across the system.
Please note: Preference is given to students who have already served as Global Food and Climate Fellows in prior years.
- hands-on, project-based experience in the fellowship area;
- approximately $4,000 in the form of a paid internship;
- campus and university-wide recognition as a member of a select group of student leaders;
- an opportunity to convene in person with carbon neutrality and food fellows from across the UC system at the beginning and end of the fellowship year;
- an opportunity to participate in intensive sustainability leadership training;
- an opportunity to participate in a system-wide student visioning and action planning process on climate change and food issues; and
- guidance from prominent scholars and mentorship from practitioners in the field.
In return, each fellow is expected to:
- contribute approximately 9-10 hours per week to the fellowship during academic year 2016-17;
- promote student awareness of the UC Initiatives and campus student fellow projects (e.g., tabling, engaging student leaders and student organizations in discussions about the CNI and GFI, etc.)
- network and/or help assist with publicizing campus events related to fellowship activities;
- infuse, where appropriate, CNI and GFI branding into campus events, including, e.g.:
- coordinating on-campus activities in conjunction with Food Day in October 2016
- coordinating on-campus activities in conjunction with Earth Day in April 2017
- Support efforts to rollout outcomes from CNI and GFI Working Groups
- join monthly Ambassador system-wide conference calls;
- attend in person meetings of the Initiatives’ leadership;
- participate actively in Working Group meetings;
- attend on-campus subcommittee meetings;
- submit quarterly updates, along with other working group leaders, sharing the status of engagement efforts;
- provide student feedback and communicate campus needs and opportunities; and
- offer guidance on advancing campus-based student engagement.
Ambassadors are expected to participate in the following system-wide activities:
- attend an orientation in Fall 2016
- attend one residential 2.5 day leadership training and retreat
- participate in a symposium and poster presentation held in conjunction with the CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC) in June/July 2017
- participate in monthly conference calls
- attend Fellows’ field trip
Food Engagement and Communications Project
Climate Engagement and Communications Project
Description and Student Project: Student selected to serve this project is expected to work with UCI’s Sustainability Initiative and Office of Environmental Planning and Sustainability to communicate about campus and UC-wide sustainability goals and programs, to assess existing programs and efforts, and to engage students in those efforts. The fellow should also enable and empower students to provide feedback about campus and UC-wide sustainability programs. In addition, the fellow is expected to help shape and participate in a UC system-wide discussion and communication process among fellows. This process will be facilitated and overseen by the student representatives to the UC President’s Global Climate Leadership Council, who will convene regular meetings with fellows from all campuses. The fellow will be responsible for maintaining and expanding our campus’ online sustainability communications mechanisms, including, for example, the events calendar, student opportunities database, and weekly e-digest for students.