[Sehefac] 2026-27 UCR Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowships

[dana.simmons at ucr.edu]

Hello, SEHE friends!
I hope that you are finding some rest and energy this summer after such a
long and intense year.

I'm writing to share that the application for the *2026-27 UCR Bonnie Reiss
Leading on Climate Fellowships* <https://forms.gle/o5ahUBrh19mTUXUU8> is
now open! Could you please forward this to current UCR graduate and
undergraduate students, who you think might be a good fit, and encourage
them to apply?

The Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Student Fellowship program engages and
energizes students in support of UC’s climate action and sustainable food
goals. The fellowship program is funded by the UC President’s Global
Climate Leadership Council (GCLC). Fellows receive a $5000 stipend and
Engagement Fellows each manage a $1000 programming fund; it is expected
that fellows will work approximately 8 hours/week on their fellowship
projects.
Applications <https://forms.gle/2c4AtVRRunGmMw9i9> are due by *Friday,
August 7*.

We welcome applications for each of the following fellowships:

1) The *Climate Action Engagement Fellow* will work with the Office of
Sustainability <https://sustainability.ucr.edu/> and other relevant
departments to create a coordinated marketing and media campaign to enhance
the visibility and impact of sustainability and climate action on campus to
reach a larger audience, including students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
The Sustainability Campus campaign has been identified as one of the 15
Climate Actions in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP)
<https://sustainability.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/2026-02/uc-riverside-climate-action-adaptation-plan_20260113.pdf>.
The Climate Action Engagement Fellow will also play an important role in
communicating student opinions on UC’s climate policy, programs and actions
to university leadership. The Climate Action Engagement Fellow will receive
a $5000 stipend and will manage a $1000 programming fund.

2) The *Student Commute Survey Fellow* will work with the Office of
Sustainability <https://sustainability.ucr.edu/> and other relevant campus
departments to develop an annual student commuting survey. The survey will
help the university to better understand student commute patterns and
identify solutions to reduce single occupant vehicle use and increase
campus accessibility. The Student Commute survey has been identified as one
of the 15 climate actions in the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP)
<https://sustainability.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/2026-02/uc-riverside-climate-action-adaptation-plan_20260113.pdf>.
The Fellow will receive a $5000 stipend.

3) The *Food Recovery Fellow* will work with the UCR Basic Needs Department
<https://basicneeds.ucr.edu/> to advance campus food justice through food
recovery and education, reducing food waste and addressing food insecurity
at UC Riverside. The fellow will manage campus food recovery efforts in
housing areas, including: overseeing and maintaining food donation bins;
hosting one educational workshop or event per academic quarter; tracking
and reporting recovery data and impact; identifying and initiating a
partnership with a new food recovery partner (on or off campus) to expand
the program’s reach. Please see this
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vwdsH1pnk7_RDHCZEj6HbZrLV9iFkVtRbPR-4i5FVMI/edit?usp=sharing>
description
of expectations and qualifications for the food recovery fellowship
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B-bLt0TVIeLSCQcA9FvcSvBqo8Vu3MgLm7i1EHajXcA/edit?usp=sharing>.
$5000
stipend.

4) The *Sustainable Food Engagement Fellow* will work under the mentorship
of Dining Services
<https://dining.ucr.edu/ucr-dining-services-sustainability> to aid in the
implementation of the Reusable Container Program at the Highlander Union
Building Restaurants in order to reduce waste from single use disposable
food containers. The aim of the UCR Reusable Container Program is to gain
at least 30% participation at launch, and to gradually increase
participation to create a healthier environment for current and future
generations. In addition to participating in ongoing engagement activities
to promote the reusable container program, the fellow will study what
messages encourage adoption, evaluate the impact of the disposable
container fee as an incentive to change behavior, and research success of
the Reusable Container Program across other universities to suggest
improvements that will increase participation at UCR. Please see this
description of expectations and qualifications for the Engagement Fellow
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/10uelVCe256-lYA04bIUrmYxe3TfSsl_abQZXWCT6gsM/edit?usp=sharing>.
The
fellow receives a $5000 stipend and manages a $1000 programming fund.

5) The *Food Procurement/ Analytics Fellow* will work with Dining Services
<https://dining.ucr.edu/ucr-dining-services-sustainability> staff to gather
and analyze metrics to identify challenges and barriers to participation in
the reusable container program in order to find solutions that will
increase participation rates. Additionally, the fellow will conduct an
audit of the disposable food packaging products used in all the campus
coffee shops and restaurants to identify single use plastic items and find
locally compostable and/or reusable alternatives with the goal of
eliminating single use plastics. Please see this description of
expectations for the Food Procurement/ Analytics Fellow
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R91FJBXWbtvrrcOfpAAS89gVhWmyU2o1xzDk9GEfwDU/edit?usp=sharing>.
$5000
stipend.

Fellowships are open to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless
of immigration status. Students must be enrolled at UCR for the entire
2026-2027 academic year.

Fellows will be connected to a mentor in a UCR unit relevant to their
project (UCR Office of Sustainability, Basic Needs Department, or Dining
Services). Fellows are advised to work with their mentor to develop a work
plan that includes their project goals, deliverables, timelines, and the
metrics for measuring success. Fellows should meet regularly with their
project mentor to discuss projects, progress and issues.

Student fellows are requested to attend the following systemwide events:
● A virtual orientation in mid-September, 2026.
● A leadership training in mid-November, 2026.
● Quarterly Fellows meetings and topical trainings hosted throughout the
year.
● A virtual closing symposium and poster presentation in May 2027.
● Additional activities such as conference calls, Global Climate Leadership
Council meetings and trainings or cohort building activities.

Thank you and take care!
Dana

-- 
Dana Simmons
Chair and Professor, Department of Society, Environment and Health Equity
Cooperating Faculty, Department of History
University of California, Riverside

On Hunger: Violence and Craving in America from Starvation to Ozempic
<https://www.ucpress.edu/books/on-hunger/paper> available May 13 from UC
Press (Open Access)
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