December 15, 2021
Dear University of Oregon Colleagues,
In this email, Adell Amos and I provide an update on the work of the Environment Initiative. We continue to be committed to keeping you informed and welcome your engagement.
The EI aims to focus the intellectual energy and work of faculty, students, and community partners on working towards a just and livable future through transdisciplinary research, teaching, and experiential learning. The effort is part of the UO’s academic initiatives, dedicated efforts to collaborate across disciplines, translate discovery for societal benefit, and develop the next generation of leaders and problem solvers.
Spring EI Faculty Fellow and Call for Applications
Congratulations to Sarah Stapleton, who has been appointed as the second faculty fellow for AY 21-22. As the Environment Initiative faculty fellow, Stapleton will move forward an interdisciplinary effort to create — in coordination with a team of Oregon teachers and Beyond Toxics, a grassroots environmental justice organization — an interdisciplinary, environmental justice high school curriculum. Read the full story.
The Environment Initiative Faculty Fellows program aims to enhance transdisciplinary research and advance the strategic priorities of the initiative. The fellowship is a competitive award funded by the Office of the Provost. EI Faculty Fellows will receive a course buyout to complete a project that advances work on behalf of the Environment Initiative. Read the announcement and consider applying online.
#UOenvironment
The EI home page now features a Social Connections feed. Please use the hashtag #UOenvironmenton all environment related news, events, and announcements.
Research Justice Principles Workshop
On January 27th, the Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate Justice (JFI) and the UO’s Environment Initiative (EI) will host a workshop for faculty interested in conducting applied research on race and climate justice. Led by John Arroyo, JFI Director and the UO’s Environment Initiative’s inaugural faculty fellow, the workshop will provide attendees two opportunities to contextualize our Research and Data Justice Principles (RDJPs) in action.
The first part of the workshop will focus on defining several RDJPs through one of the key projects in each of our specific JFI themes (Academic Incentives, Economic Dignity, Ice and Society, Indigenous Lifeways, Inclusive Cities, AfroIndigenous Healing, Stories of Fire, and the “Next West”). The second half of the workshop will be interactive, allowing participants to join two rounds of small, facilitated groups based on the RDJP they aim to address in their applied research.
All researchers are invited to participate on January 27, from 10-Noon. Please RSVP below.
Upcoming EI Node Workshops
With the urgency created by the impacts of climate change and the need for environmental justicewoven throughout, eight areas of emphasis emerged from the AY20-21 campus engagement process. Read the report here.
This fall, the EI convened four node workshops – Energy and Decarbonization, Water Futures and Community Restoration, Environmental Hazards and Landscape Resilience, Ecology, Systems, and the Designed Environment – resulting in robust and fruitful discussions which are ongoing.
This winter, Adell and I invite you to participate in the node workshops listed below. The workshops are intended to convene interested parties to brainstorm projects, partners, and opportunities.
Please rsvp at the link below and watch your email for details.
- February 14, 2-4 pm, Social Change through Environmental Education and Communication
- February 18, 1-3 pm, Natural Climate Solutions, Restoration, and Biodiversity
- February 25, 2-4 pm, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Sovereignty
- April 1, 1-3 pm, Environmental Entrepreneurship and Circular Economies
RFP Coming Soon…
In a joint effort between the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and EI, a Request for Proposals will be coming to your inbox soon. The RFP will call for research and curriculum proposals that align with the EI Guiding Principles and further the strategic goals of the initiative.
Thank you for all the work you are currently doing on the grand challenges we face. Adell and I are excited to see what happens next.
Sincerely,
Patrick Phillips
Provost and Senior Vice President
Adell Amos
Executive Director, Environment Initiative Clayton R. Hess Professor of Law