A new paper led by Monica Farfan, published in Experimental and Applied Acarology, describes the non-prey food resources for a beneficial mite in watermelon fields on the eastern coast. Findings suggest non-crop plants with small pollens may help keep this mite in fields to prevent pest outbreaks and reduce the need for conventional chemical management. READ MORE. Farfan is the Executive Director of the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, housed at SoGES.

The Africa Center, housed in SoGES, has released a new installment of its podcast blog, Field Notes. On this episode Matt Luizza, a program officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Africa Branch, talks about his research, what it means to do good and ethical research, and advice for graduate students and early career academics. Luizza is also a SoGES 2013-2014 Sustainability Leadership Fellow.

In this post, Alex Mauro reflects on the state of mental health for graduate students. He writes, "...academia should view Fall ’21 as a chance to begin to fix a long-standing institutional problem for the sake of graduate students and for the sake of academic institutions themselves." Mauro is a SoGES 2020-2021 Sustainability Leadership Fellow and Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Biology and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology.

The SoGES Sustainability Leadership Fellows program, which prepares future innovators and thought leaders with state-of-the-art science communication and career development training, was one of the first of its kind and is one of the longest running programs of this type in North America. We recently announced the selection of the 2021-2022 cohort. READ MORE.

We are proud to recognize students completing the Minor in Global Environmental Sustainability (GES), Sustainable Water Interdisciplinary Minor (SWIM), Sustainability in Peace and Reconciliation Studies Minor (SPRS), and the Minor in Sustainable Energy (SEM). Our 64 minor graduates earned degrees from all eight colleges at CSU. LEARN MORE.

As we head into summer, catch up on a variety of sustainability topics and great guest speakers from this past semester. You can find recordings of SoGES events on our YouTube channel, including Managing the Planet panel discussions, the Sustainability Happy Hour broadcast, and other special events. For a quick-access list, CLICK HERE.

The Salazar Center for North American Conservation annual symposium will highlight how protected areas, habitat and migration corridors, and community-based conservation efforts can and should benefit from cooperation among nations, convening policy leaders, practitioners, and researchers who work on and around borders. The symposium will be held September 28-29. LEARN MORE.

This person will assist with research, coordinate events and programming, and maintain and update the Africa Center website and social media channels. The job position will be posted soon, but if you think you might be interested, email Kathleen Galvin, Director of the Africa Center, at Kathleen.Galvin@colostate.edu.

The CSU Spur campus team is accepting applications for its six-month Sustainability Research Fellowship. This Fellow will help structure and launch a long-term, sustainability-focused research platform as a "living lab" at the Spur campus. LEARN MORE.

The Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States and the Global Council for Science and Environment are hosting a free symposium about initiatives by research and academic institutions to mitigate environmental impacts and advance sustainability. The symposium will be held June 7-9. LEARN MORE.

Global Environmental Sustainability Minor (GES)

Our flagship minor, the GES program provides a deep understanding of the complexity surrounding the problems we face and the solutions that we need to implement to address climate change, biodiversity, pollution, public health, oceans, food security, and development on a global scale. LEARN MORE.

Jointly offered by the Colorado Water Center and SoGES, this minor focuses on water issues from social, political, economic, and ecological perspectives. Students gain knowledge of the complexities of water use and management. LEARN MORE.

This minor focuses on social, philosophical, and education aspects of peace and reconciliation and how these can address issues of sustainability. LEARN MORE.

Jointly offered by the CSU Energy Institute and SoGES, this minor focuses on the many dimensions of sustainable energy and breaking down traditional barriers that separate the science and engineering of energy from the social, economic, and political aspects of energy. LEARN MORE.

Online minor enrollment is available. Visit the SoGES education and training webpage to learn more, download the minor course check sheets, and set up an advising appointment.

SoGES addresses complex and global challenges by propelling sustainability research, educating future sustainability leaders, and connecting with the community. CLICK HERE to learn more about our School, our mission, and ways you can support our work.

PLUGGED IN: CSU's Sustainability Newsletter is distributed on the first Tuesday of each month. CLICK HERE to join our mailing list. Questions about this newsletter? Email micha.bennett@colostate.edu.