Together for the Planet: Community Environmental Scholars Program

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Through gifts, the Community Environmental Scholars Program was launched in 2010 in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the university. This need-based scholarship program is for undergraduates either from an underrepresented ethnic group or who are first-generation college, veterans, disabled, or returning adults. In its inaugural year, the program served a cohort of 28 students who were dedicated to working with real people on real environmental problems.This project builds on the Scholars Program and adds new features. Over a 5-year period and using similar selection criteria plus an additional one of academic excellence, the university is awarding 35 or more scholarships averaging $8000 to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors pursing an environmental studies certificate or major, or pursuing an environmental science major. These scholarships support a cohort of students in STEM fields, primarily science and engineering. Intellectual Merit: The program models a real-world setting in which people trained in STEM work with people from other backgrounds to accomplish a common goal. Linking learning in STEM with real-world environmental issues has been shown to be effective for all students, but especially for women and underrepresented minorities. Broader Impacts: The current generation of undergraduate students faces unprecedented environmental challenges in their future lives as professionals and citizens. This project supports students as they train to meet these challenges. Campus networks are being used to recruit and retain a wide diversity of students for the scholarships. For all students who participate, this project represents a triple win: for the students themselves, for those in the STEM disciplines in which they enroll, and for the environmental health and well-being of the communities in which they one day will live and work.