May 2021
E-Newsline
Spring 2021 Leadership Grants Awarded
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Switzer Leadership Grants! Leadership Grants advance the leadership capacity and careers of Switzer Fellows, and give nonprofits, educational institutions and agencies greater access to individuals with excellent technical, scientific or policy expertise.
Accessible data for climate-smart agriculture 

Earth Science Information Partners is hiring Lindsay Barbieri to address data gaps and challenges facing climate-smart agriculture and nature-based solutions to climate change. 
Developing critical design tools and training in waterway restoration

The Waterways Restoration Institute is hiring Jessica Hall to expand regional knowledge of suitable bioengineering methods and materials for holistic stream restoration.

Apply for Professional Development Funds by June 15
We have additional Professional Development Fund (PDF) grants available this fiscal year, and we would love to spend them on you! Please apply by June 15, 2021. Your professional development opportunity can take place later than June, but now is the time to apply to make use of fiscal year-end funds. Please contact Erin with any questions. 

PDF grants up to $1,000 can help cover the costs of a training, workshop or other professional development opportunity. Recent recipients have used the funds for grant writing and drone technology training, leadership coaching, and developing personal and professional skills such as racial equity issues, navigating change and mindfulness-based stress reduction. 
Join us in welcoming the 2021 Switzer Fellows!
We are thrilled to announce that committed teams of volunteer interviewers selected the 2021 Switzer Fellows on May 14th (California) and May 21st (New England)! We look forward to sharing the official announcement with you very soon. As the new fellows join, we have two requests of the Network to help create a supportive and welcoming environment and facilitate networking. 

First, please check your Switzer profile. If it's not up to date, use this Google form to submit changes. This will be helpful for the incoming fellows who will be looking through the Switzer Network's directory for networking connections.

Second, when we make the announcement via the listserv, we invite each of you to reply with a welcoming message. This could include a hearty congratulations, a brief introduction, an offer of support, or a simple hello. The new fellows will have been added to the listserv by then, and they will all receive your messages.

Feel free to reply with any questions, and look out for more information about the new fellows in the coming days!  
Does science communication training work? 
Margaret Rubega co-authored a recent study with surprising results on science communications training. The study found that students who had taken training courses did no better communicating with undergraduate audiences than did the students who had had no training.

Fellow News
Asa Bradman shows food dye linked to neurological childhood behavior in California EPA study

Sarah Reed co-authors report on keeping social distance from wildlife

Nick Jensen, Naomi Fraga and Maria Jesus featured in Vogue: why California’s wildflowers are under siege

Lauren Richter co-edits special issue of Environmental Sociology: Race and the Environment

Camila Bustos is part of an expert group calling for policy options to address climate induced displacement from the Northern Triangle

Nick Jensen quoted in court victory for California Native Plant Society: Judge blocks massive Tejon Ranchcorp development in L.A. County


Kartikeya Singh comments on Biden’s first 100 days: New Deal for National Security

A Little Bird Told Me: a new website of notes on children's books and nature by Sara St. Antoine

Have news for this section? Send it to us so we can post it to our website, social media, and a future e-news issue.
Opportunities
The University of Vermont is hiring six post-doctoral positions in sustainable dairy food systems in collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service food systems research unit. Application deadline is June 1st. Meredith Niles is Interim Associate Director, UVM ARS Food Systems Research Unit and an Assistant Professor at UVM. 

COMPASS is hiring for two full-time positions: Science Communication Associate and Program Assistant. COMPASS has partnered with the Switzer Foundation to provide policy engagement training at the spring fellows' retreat for many years. 

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is hiring an Environmental Planner I-II. The deadline to apply is June 8th. Miriam Torres works at the Air District and can be contacted with questions about the job. 

The Sierra Fund is hiring an Executive Director in the Nevada City, CA area. Switzer Trustee Izzy Martin is retiring as CEO, and has offered to talk with any interested fellows. 

Environmental Community Action (ECO-Action) is seeking an Executive Director in Atlanta, GA. Christina Fuller is on the board of ECO-Action and would be happy to answer questions.

Thank you to everyone who has been sharing opportunities on the Switzer Fellows listserv! We encourage you to keep posting jobs that come your way. If you have a connection to the hiring organization and are willing to be contacted, please include that information when you forward the posting. If a fellow has a connection, we will include it in this section each month.

You are also invited to join our private LinkedIn Group. This is another space to connect with other Switzer Fellows and stay up to date on the latest opportunities and news - especially if you are hiring or job-hunting. Visit the page to join.
Events
2020 Fellows Virtual Summer Gathering
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021
4:00 - 5:00 pm Eastern Time
This event will be held using Zoom
2020 Fellows may contact Cora to sign up
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