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

[dana.simmons at ucr.edu]

PS. Would any of you be willing to review applications for this fellowship?
We usually get 15-25 applications for each position, and we choose two
finalists to interview. Review would take place August 7-11 and interviews
between August 17-24. Please let me know if you might be willing to pitch
in. Thank you!!
Dana

On Mon, Jul 20, 2026 at 12:39 PM <dana.simmons at ucr.edu> wrote:

> 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)
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/sehefac/attachments/20260720/b36f084b/attachment-0001.htm>