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2020 Switzer Fellowships!
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Fellows, we hope fall has gotten off to a great start for each of you! We have much to report in this E-News, but let's start by talking about Fellowships. Having just convened the fantastic and highly impressive
2019 cohort at the recent fall retreat we are very energized to get the process going for 2020 Fellowships. Applications will open on November 1, 2019, and we'll be asking each of you to spread the word to potential candidates. With Fellows as ambassadors we hope to reach the broadest representation of applicants, and this is particularly important for those of you with contacts with underrepresented student groups. If you are at a university or are connected to graduate student associations, please let
Erin know if you are willing to help.
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Leadership Grant Program hiatus
In our recent note to the listserv, we announced a change to the Leadership Grant Program. With our recent transition to new leadership, the Foundation is taking an opportunity to reflect on our programs and how we can best meet our mission. The Board made a decision to suspend the Leadership Grant Program for the
current fiscal year only We want to assure you that the Leadership Grant Program is very important to us, and we anticipate no long-term change to the general direction of the program! To support our review process, we invite you to share your thoughts about the Leadership Grant and our other programs by responding to
a few questions posed here. If you've received a Leadership Grant in the past, tell us about the experience. If you are considering one for the future, let us know. What other kinds of resources do you need that we could consider providing? Thank you for helping to guide our strategies!
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Reporting on the Fall Retreat
This year, for the first time, we convened all 20 of our new Fellows at one fall retreat! It was inspiring to watch how quickly connections were made across geography, disciplines, life backgrounds and career aspirations. We met at NatureBridge in California for 2-1/2 days of training, networking, small group discussions and campfires. Once again, we worked with
Angela Park
to offer a training for Fellows on "Equity as a 21st Century Leadership Competency," which covered a range of topics including understanding the impact of group identity, power dynamics, and a new session on embedding justice and equity into organizational culture, policies and practices.
The one-retreat format worked well and we anticipate this will be a terrific way to build strong and cohesive Fellowship cohorts that can motivate and support each other into the future!
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Boston-area Fellows, join us November 7!
Fellows in the greater Boston area (or those who can easily get there!), please join Switzer Foundation staff, Trustees and colleagues on Thursday evening, November 7th, for after-work beverages and light food! This will be a great chance to connect with each other now that we're all back into the fall routine, and to meet (or re-connect) with Sarah Reed, our new Executive Director! Sarah is interested in meeting and learning from as many Fellows as possible over the course of her first year.
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2019
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Save the date! Invitations and an RSVP link will be going out shortly. Contact
Laine Kuehn for more information.
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Upcoming conferences
If you will be at either of the following conferences (or any other national or large regional conference), let
Erin know! We will put you in touch with other Fellows attending. This is a great and easy way to network with other Fellows!
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Brooks: Early-career scientist in Nature
Fellow Cassandra Brooks was interviewed by Nature's social science editors for an early-career spotlight article. She discussed her research interests, journey in science communications and policy outreach, challenges and predictions for the near future of her field.
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Read more |
Marcus: Making Climate Connections
2019 Fellow Tamara Marcus studies methane emissions from permafrost thaw with Ruth Varner, professor of Earth sciences and director of the Earth Systems Research Center in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire. In addition to researching the impact of warming on carbon emissions from Arctic Lakes, Marcus is exploring how indigenous communities understand and apply weather and climate data. Marcus, who acknowledges that being a student of color at a predominately white institution has been challenging, credits Varner for helping her navigate both personal and academic struggles with compassion and patience.
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Read more |
Gallo: Scientists as citizens in a time of rapid environmental change
Science and policy shouldn't mix. Yet, in a recent TEDxUCSD talk, oceanographer and marine biologist Fellow Natalya Gallo spoke about the importance of scientists actively engaging in policy discussions - and how this powerful combination can solve the world's greatest challenges.
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Watch the talk |
Switzer represents all over the globe for the Global Climate Strike!
Fellow Francisco Dóñez kicked off a thread on our Switzer Fellows list to find out who was participating in the Global Climate Strike and... whoa! There were so many of you who responded it was like a daily dose of inspiration in our inboxes. We had Fellows attend strikes all over the United States, and internationally in Lima, London, Montreal, Nairobi, Paris, and Fortaleza. On the right is Francisco, striking in Los Angeles with his son holding a sign that reads, "Parents of Sarcastic Teenagers for CLIMATE JUSTICE!"
Fellow Ayana Elizabeth Johnson spoke in New York City and posted her speech on Medium. "I was the oldest person to address a gloriously large and diverse crowd," she writes.
If you attended the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, please email Lauren Hertel directly with any thoughts, impressions, links to published pieces, etc.
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Enid Wonnacott, 1961-2019
We are sad to announce the passing of Fellow Enid Wonnacott. Enid lived a life filled with family, friends, horses, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs, gardens, sports, outdoor adventures and a long career in organic agriculture. She was a 1990 Fellow who spent much of her career as the Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
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Read more |
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Upcoming Events
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Boston-area Fellows Social Hour
Thursday, November 7, 2019, 6-8 pm
Fellows in the greater Boston area will join Switzer Foundation staff, Trustees and friends for beverages and hors d'ouevres after work! Exact location TBA, in Boston or Cambridge.
Click here for more information .
Work/Life Balance Kick-off Call
Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 12:30-1:30 pm
In August we asked what work/life balance issues you would like the ability to discuss in a safe space with other Fellows. The response was fantastic, so we've decided to hold a kick-off call to discuss the ideas already proposed, gather additional ideas, and get your help with setting priorities for a work/life balance series and set of discussion tools moving forward.
Attend the call
or
visit the wiki
to add your thoughts and preferences
We will announce upcoming Switzer Fellows' virtual events soon, and more events will be planned to convene with Fellows over the course of the winter and spring. Stay tuned! Please also check the
Events page of our website for updates.
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Fellows in the News
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Kimberley Rain Miner was selected as one of 125
AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors, who will work to advance education and opportunities for girls and women in STEM.
Amy Rogers has started as the Director of Global Partnerships at
DroneSeed, the first and currently only company in the US approved to use drone swarms to deliver agricultural payloads such as herbicides, fertilizer and water.
Teniope Adewumi-Gunn's research on the impact of beauty products on black women's health was featured on a recent
Inside the Issues
segment.
Judith Rubin published a
guide for mobilizing volunteer groups in large-scale tree-planting and restoration work.
Candice Youngblood appeared in a Berkeley Law
story about student activism.
Wing Goodale published two papers (
here and
here) on impacts of offshore wind energy development on wildlife.
If you have news to share with the network, please email it directly to Lauren Hertel.
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A vibrant community of environmental leaders
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