MES Weekly Jobs Blog
Each week the MES Program curates career opportunities and resources such as jobs, internships, fellowships, scholarship, conferences, and networking events for students, alumni, and community members.
Subscribe to the blog to receive a weekly email on Thursday afternoon with the latest opportunities!
Master of Environmental Studies Association (MESA)
This active group of Master of Environmental Studies students is dedicated to addressing the academic and social needs of program students. They host events and provide services to increase student involvement with campus and community environmental issues.
About MESA
Why join MESA?
- Find financial assistance for student professional development opportunities
- Gain valuable connections with fellow students, alumni and the greater Thurston County community
- Student empowerment to serve as a professional means of retaining students’ voices and opinions in the larger program
- Presence on campus to educate the community about the program and local environmental issues
- Networking opportunities with local organizations and businesses
- Resume building to prepare for your job search
- An organization for you, run by you, with a focus based on your input
The Rachel Carson Forum
Each year, MESA hosts the annual Rachel Carson Forum in honor of Carson's influential and important environmental research, writings, and activism. The Forum invites activists, scientists, writers, and speakers to present and engage with the community to promote environmental awareness and discussion. The Forum has been running for over 30 years!
All are welcome to come listen and participate in this free event and we hope to see you there.
About Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
Rachel Carson was an aquatic biologist whose writings have been highly influential to the environmental movement and the formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1970). Carson is most well known for her incredible writings on the marine environment and the animals that comprise these ecosystems. Her books Under the Sea-Wind (1941), The Sea Around Us (1951) and The Edge of the Sea (1955), chronicle life in marine habitats and made aquatic science accessible to the public. In 1962, Carson's landmark book, Silent Spring was released and warned of the impacts chemical pesticides, such as DDT, presented to the environment. She challenged the chemical industry for providing the public with false information regarding pesticide use and questioned the concept that human beings could achieve mastery over the natural world. Rachel Carson was a courageous woman who showed us the influence one person can attain with determination and the power of the written word.
Thesis Process
You will develop and complete your thesis over the course of your final year in the program. Review the MES Thesis Handbook (PDF) for complete details and instructions.
Past MES Theses Past MES Theses Presentations
If you are collecting data, you may need to Apply for Human Subjects Review with the Institutional Review Board
Thesis Funding
Funding Your MES Research
Grants are a great way to cover the costs of your thesis research or conference travel. Grants can come from Evergreen or other outside sources.
Grants
Evergreen offers many funding opportunities to support student research and networking.
The Masters of Environmental Studies Association (MESA) also has a professional development fund for conferences in Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. The application for the fund will be sent out to students to their Evergreen email.
Some conferences offer their own scholarships to graduate students to pay for their attendance. Check with conferences you are interested in attending.
Thesis Research Fund
Supports thesis students to complete research
About the Thesis Fund
Overview
The Thesis Research Fund provides students with financial support for materials required for the successful completion of thesis research. Research funds are available through a joint fund between the program and The Evergreen State College Foundation.
The Fund is not intended to support expenses related to professional development, such as conference registration or travel, even if you are presenting your thesis research.
Requests of up to $1,000 will be considered with most awards being smaller in order to serve more students. Reimbursable expenses include things like laboratory supplies, sample testing at off-campus labs, postage, tools and equipment, mileage expenses or other travel needs directly in service of collecting data. Applicants must be active students who have successfully completed the final core class, case studies and thesis design by the deadline and funds must be spent within the academic year they are awarded.
Complete applications should be submitted electronically to mes@evergreen.edu. Late submissions will not be considered. The review committee will assess all submissions and provide applicants with funding decisions and award details.
How to Apply
A request is made by submitting the following materials. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.
- One-page cover letter that includes your expected quarter of graduation, a summary of your thesis research and your funding request (total amount and what it will be used for). Example Cover Letter.
- A copy of your complete and approved Thesis Prospectus. Your answer about budget should include all estimated costs of your thesis, not just the costs you are requesting funding for here. In your Prospectus please indicate any existing sources of funding for the estimated costs that you list in Q11.
- An itemized budget that sufficiently details the specific expenses for which reimbursement will be sought, for reviewers to determine if those expenses are reasonable and consistent with the intent of the fund and College policies. The budget should be submitted as an Excel spreadsheet, with the total dollar amount indicated. Please use the following categories:
- Travel - This may include mileage in a personal vehicle for driving to/from study sites to collect data, or to conduct in-person interviews. If you are collecting data in a more distant location one round-trip airfare will be considered. Mileage to/from the Evergreen campus, even if to process or analyze lab samples, cannot be included.
- Materials/Supplies - These are typically items that you buy multiples of, e.g. lab supplies, flagging or notebooks, other field supplies, sample testing, postage for mailed surveys (or to send samples off), printing costs (of surveys or other materials needed for research, not the thesis itself).
- Equipment - These are typically one-time purchases, e.g. of an instrument or tool necessary for data collection, or of specialized computer software. Computer hardware (e.g. a new laptop) should not be requested.
- Other - If you have specific expenses that aren’t covered in the above categories. Tuition cannot be covered by this fund.
- A budget justification that, for each category, briefly explains why you are requesting funding for the specific expenses you list, and how the funding will contribute to the success of your thesis research. Please indicate (at the end) if you have any pending funding requests that would potentially apply to the costs you are requesting funding for here.
- A completed MES Thesis Fund application
Evergreen Clean Energy Grant
Funds campus sustainability projects
The Evergreen Clean Energy Grant provides funding for campus sustainability projects. The grant is open to any member of the Evergreen community and is offered throughout the year.
Evergreen Student Travel Fund
Supports students presenting their research at conferences
Student Travel Fund for Conference Presentations
Are you a student traveling to present your academic work at a conference or professional meeting?
The Academic Deans office has a limited fund to help reimburse your expenses. Awards are up to $250 and students can be granted one award per academic year. The fund for these awards is limited and requests for funds will be denied once it is exhausted.
Eligible Applicants
- Currently enrolled at Evergreen (undergraduate or graduate)
- Presenting work tied to an academic program/course or ILC
Applications must include
- Name, contact information, and A#
- A brief description of the conference or meeting and title of presentation
- Place(s) and date(s) of travel
- Benefit expected from participation in the conference or meeting
- Brief letter of support from the faculty that sponsored the academic work
- Cost of transportation, registration, and other expenses the award would be used for
- Any other sources of funding being used to cover expenses
Funds can be used for:
- Conference registration fees
- Lodging
- Evergreen van rental (if authorized)
- Plane or train tickets
Funds can be not used for:
- Food
- Reimbursement for miles used traveling in a personal vehicle
Applications should be sent as a word or pdf document to academicgrants@evergreen.edu. Requests must be received at least two weeks before the travel date.
External Grants
Find Funds
A searchable grant database that can only be accessed in the library. Please work with a reference librarian to use this resource
Michigan State’s list of grants for individuals
Subscribe to the MES Weekly blog
Weekly emails update about jobs, internships, fellowships, and scholarships.
External grants
Mountaineers Foundation
Offers up to $5,000.00 for short-term projects
The Association for Women Geoscientists
Various grants at the bottom of their scholarships page.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources
Various resources listed on this page under the financial assistance tab.
Mazamas
Offers grants up to $1,500.00.
Society for Northwest Vertebrate Zoology
Offers a yearly $1,000.00 scholarship to an Undergraduate or Graduate Student researching Pacific Northwest vertebrates.
Environmental Research & Education Foundation
Graduate Scholarships in Solid Waste Research
American Association of Zoo Keepers
Trees For You and Me Grant
External Fellowships
Find Funds
A searchable grant database that can only be accessed in the library. Please work with a reference librarian to use this resource
Michigan State’s list of grants for individuals
Subscribe to the MES Weekly blog
Weekly emails update about jobs, internships, fellowships and scholarships.
External Fellowships
Fellowships can sometimes function like grants
AAAS Fellowships
For graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and math
AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships
For graduate students identifying as women.
AAUW International Women's Fellowship
For women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the United States to women who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who intend to return to their home country to pursue a professional career.
The Bullitt Environmental Fellowship
For graduate students interested in pursuing leadership positions within the environmental field.
Coalition for a Livable Future Equity Fellowship
For assisting with analyzing maps and conducting basic statistical analysis of the raw data.
Coastal Management Fellowship
For students who will complete their master's, doctoral, or professional degrees within two years.
Coastal Fellowship Graduate Opportunities
For Coastal Management Fellowship, Coral Reef Management Fellowship, Digital Coast Fellowship, and the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship.
College Guide for Indigenous Students
For indigenous students in the United States seeking higher education opportunities.
Community Sustaining Fund of Thurston County
For community-oriented projects in Thurston County.
Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program
For applicants typically have a master's degree and two years of experience or a bachelor's degree and four years of experience. Jurisdictions may require additional or alternate skills, such as outreach and education experience. Jurisdictions may set other specific eligibility requirements which are provided when new fellows are being recruited.
Echoing Green Fellowship (for social entrepreneurial ideas):
For continuing development for an organization in start-up phase
EPA Campus Rainworks Challenge
For: Develop innovative approaches to stormwater management.
EPA Fellowships
For: Research in environmental studies
FlowCAM Student Equipment & Travel Grant
For: Research surrounding marine or freshwater plankton, want to use Flow CAM in research
Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs
Fulbright Awards
For: Fulbright is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
German Marshall Fund Fellowships
For: Leadership fellowships for working professionals aimed developing diverse cohorts of cross-sector leaders, in-residence policy fellowships for mid- and senior-level professionals to pursue research in the transatlantic cooperation space, and professional growth and networking opportunities for young professionals.
Global Health Equity Scholars Fellowship
For: one-year mentored research fellowship sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and several collaborating institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Henry Luce Foundation: Luce Scholars Program
For: College seniors, graduate students, and young professionals in a variety of fields who have had limited exposure to Asia.
Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award
The Graduate Fellowship Award is based on merit (not need) and consists of a cost-of-education allowance and a personal-support stipend.
IBP Pathways to Science
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) Pathways to Science sector offers a number of different fellowships to teachers, undergrads, graduate students, and postdocs. The majority of fellowships are geared towards interdisciplinary studies and students involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). There are also fellowships specifically geared towards minority students in these fields.
Kinship Conservation Fellows Program
For: Interested attendants of Kinship’s intensive, in-residence instruction on the forces that drive environmental markets.
Meridian Institute Fellowship
For: Recent college graduates to work on varied and highly complex public policy issues, learn about the field of multi-party collaborative problem solving, and engage with leaders from a variety of sectors and interest groups.
Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship
For: Students who are pursuing degrees in science, technology (IT), engineering, or mathematics (STEM majors).
Ms. Foundation Fellowship
For: leaders who are advancing solutions to critical issues, with a focus on the areas of: reproductive health, child sexual abuse, and/or child care (access to affordable child care and improved working conditions for child care providers)
NSF Long Term Research in Environmental Biology (LTREB)
For: Proposals that generate extended time series of biological and environmental data to address ecological and evolutionary processes and resolve important issues in organismal and environmental biology.
National Water Research Institute Fellowship
National Wildlife Federation Fellowships
For: Graduate student enrolled in school for a 15 month period who are interested in one of four fellowship topics: Protected Wildlife in Cities and Suburbs, Saving Appalachian Forests and Wildlife, Stopping Expansion of Dirty Energy, and/or Clean Energy Solutions.
NOAA Graduate Sciences Program & NOAA Fisheries/Sea Grant Fellowship
For:The Graduate Sciences Program (GSP) is aimed primarily at increasing opportunities for students in NOAA-related fields to pursue research and educational training in atmospheric, environmental, remote sensing and oceanic sciences at minority serving institutions (MSI) when possible. The GSP offers between two years (master's candidates) to four years (doctoral students) of NOAA-related research and training opportunities.
North Pacific Research Board Graduate Student Research Awards
For: Award funds may be used for stipend, tuition, university fees, research-related travel, supplies, or analyses. The award includes funds for travel to the Alaska Marine Science Symposium
Open Society Fellowships
For: The fellowship funds work that will enrich public understanding of those challenges and stimulate far-reaching and probing conversations within the Open Society Foundations and in the world.
ORISE Graduate Internships and Fellowships
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Nonproliferation Graduate Fellowship Program
For: Career interest in nuclear nonproliferation, U.S. national security interests
Panasonic Trust Fellowships and Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowships
For: UK Citizens
Park Break Fellowship
For: Park Break is an all-expenses-paid, park-based field seminar for graduate students contemplating a career in park and land-use management or related research and education fields.
Presidential Management Fellows Program
For: want to enter a 2-yr leadership development program, potential government leaders
REEEP Renewable Energy
For: Renewable energy projects in developing countries
Strong Cities, Strong Communities Fellowship
For: Practitioners in the United States who have experience and expertise in economic development, public administration, community development, planning, housing, education, public finance, health, transportation, or other relevant fields
SustainUS Agents of Change Program
For: 18 – 26 years of age
UC Santa Barbara Bren Fellowship
United Nations Young Professionals Program (YPP)
For: Under 32 yrs of age, interested in working with UN as international civil servant
Walton Family Foundation Sustainable Water Markets Fellowship Program
For: Offers an education in science, economics, policy, business and law, augmented by specialized training in innovative approaches to sustainable water resources management and conservation planning.
WA Sea Grant
For: Graduate students or recent graduates interested in working with state agencies in Olympia, working on ocean and coastal science and management issues.
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship for Minority Students
For: Representative of underrepresented community; able to intern for 10-15 weeks for Aspen Institute in Washington, DC
Resources on Systemic Racism and Environmental Justice
These resources have been sourced and submitted from our students, faculty and staff for the education of the Master of Environmental Studies community. Please reach out to program staff if you have content you would like to contribute.
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are the latest reminders of systemic racism, violence and injustice towards People of Color in our country. We grieve these deaths, and so many others. We stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and support its work to dismantle systems that continue to favor whiteness and oppress People of Color.
Environmental professions have especially been dominated by white faces and voices stemming from historical racism within natural resource conservation in the U.S. Meaningful steps toward more diverse representation has been painfully slow; complacent behaviors and attitudes cannot persist if we expect to make real progress. An important part of the work means educating oneself about the Black Lives Matter movement and its historical context, and realizing the place each person has within it.
As one step toward deepening collective awareness and understanding, we reached out to Master of Environmental Studies faculty and staff (who are predominantly white) about resources that they found especially valuable for understanding systemic racism and environmental justice.
Kevin Frances, History of Science
Here are a few sources that have helped me, someone with intersecting privileges, understand structural racism in our country and its immense economic, social and psychological consequences. I still have so much to learn—I welcome your contributions to this list!
The Lake Street/Powderhorn Park neighborhood where George Floyd was murdered was my second home during grad school. For brief historical context about segregation in Minneapolis, which is replicated in many northern cities: George Floyd and Derek Chauvin might as well have lived on different planets.
James Baldwin. I found him as a teenager yearning for complex, relatable gay characters. I kept reading and two books in particular opened my eyes. The novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, shows one black family’s struggle against the racist criminal justice system. The first essay in The Fire Next Time is a powerful letter to his nephew on racism in American history. I recommend the movie If Beale Street Could Talk and documentary I Am Not Your Negro.
J. Drew Lanham’s "Birding while Black" is essential reading for environmental scientists because it shows the extent to which the threat of racial violence can terrorize black field scientists and completely reroute their careers. Landham's longer memoir, The Home Place: A Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature, is amazing.
Sarah Hamman, Restoration Ecology
I’ve always considered that my primary contribution to making the world a better place is to help protect and restore land and rare plants and animals, using the best science possible. The recent (and ongoing) atrocities against communities of color across our country and our world have highlighted that, as a privileged white woman, I absolutely must do more. I must speak up and speak out against racial injustice and actively promote the voices and priorities of people of color in both my personal and professional life. These resources have been helpful for me to learn more about how our institutions have promoted (environmental) racism and to think about ways to start dismantling this system to create a more equitable and just world.
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) has sponsored a new podcast called BOLD: Conversations about Race
- As stated by Esteban Burchard (UCSF) in this article by Yessinia Funes, “Increased diversity in science and medicine leads to better science.”
- Short 2018 article in the Atlantic highlighting the reality of environmental racism.
- Stories of institutional racism and how we can teach tolerance.
Shawn Hazboun, Environmental Sociology
When COVID-19 first struck the U.S., life felt overwhelmingly hard - how was I supposed to work from home while watching my young daughter? However, I've lately been reflecting on my clear privilege with respect to existing social disparities now augmented by the pandemic. Now, I am reflecting on another facet of my privilege as the nation reels in grief and rage after the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota police. I would like to offer several articles that have helped me understand and reflect on racial inequality in relation to both the pandemic and the protests against ongoing systematic racial oppression. These short, easy to read articles appeared recently in The Conversation, which is an independent news source written by university professors and researchers.
- "Native American tribes’ pandemic response is hamstrung by many inequities" (June 1, 2020)
- "Coronavirus discriminates against Black lives through surveillance, policing and the absence of health data" (April 20, 2020)
- "Black Americans are bearing the brunt of coronavirus recession – this should come as no surprise" (May 6, 2020)
- "George Floyd’s death reflects the racist roots of American policing" (June 2, 2020)
- "The fury in US cities is rooted in a long history of racist policing, violence and inequality" (June 1, 2020)
Kathleen Saul, Energy Policy & Political Ecology
I have had the amazing privilege of meeting with a group of people once each week all year long--in person in Fall and Winter and via Zoom this past quarter. During our first meeting, the white people in the group were asked why they wanted to be part of a group that sought to undermine the very structure of white supremacy that supported us in getting us where we are today. Because Black Lives Matter. We have watched films, shared experiences, discussed current events, and worked through So You Want to Talk About Race, chapter by chapter. Those meetings and frank discussions have changed me.
This list comes from those meetings:
- Book: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- Book: Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
- Book: In the Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel WIlkerson
- Book: How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev
- Film: I Am Not Your Negro (2016 documentary directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript Remember This House)
- Film: Just Mercy (2019 film from the book of the same name: Just Mercy tells the story of EJI, from the early days with a small staff facing the nation’s highest death sentencing and execution rates, through a successful campaign to challenge the cruel practice of sentencing children to die in prison, to revolutionary projects designed to confront Americans with our history of racial injustice.)
- Film: Good Fences with Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg
- Film: The Uncomfortable Truth (2015 documentary about the history of institutional racism)
- Film: Who Put the Klan in Ku Klux Klan (2018 documentary about the link between racism in the Deep South and the Scots who lived their)
- "6 ways to be ant-iracist, because being 'not racist' isn't enough"
- "A Message for White Progressives"
- "Beyond the HashtagL How to Take Anti-Racist Action in Your Life"
- "The Climate Crisis is Racist. The Answer is Anti-Racism"
- "I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet." From the Washington Post
- I like this piece from NPR - Kathleen "Clarinetist Anthony McGill Kneels, Pleads And Plays For Justice"
- The Washington Environmental Council has found these stories helpful to understand the intersections of race and the environment
- I’m a Black Climate Expert. Racism Derails our Efforts to Save the Planet. By Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson in The Washington Post.
- Black Environmentalists Talk About Climate and Anti-Racism. By Somini Sengupta, featuring Sam Grant, Robert D. Bullard, and Heather McGhee, in the The New York Times.
- Why Racial Justice is Climate Justice. By Claire Elise Thompson, featuring Adrien Salazar, Kerene Tayloe, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Mariah Gladstone, and Alvaro S. Sanchez, in Grist.
- We Need You to Fight for Us to Breathe. By April Sims in The Stand.
John Withey, Ecology & Ornithology
I'm not sure I can find words that are worthy of passing on to you all. In part because there's a big gap between what I WANT to do, to build an anti-racist community and society, and what I've been able to do. But white silence isn't an option, and I'll at least share that I'm struggling. And, some resources I've found useful.
For my own continued education and understanding our nation's legacy of racism and how that carries through the current day:
- Jill Lepore's These Truths has been very illuminating (full disclosure, I'm only halfway through).
- The documentary Thirteenth on Netflix, which focuses on the prison-industrial complex as a racialized system of control.
As a parent, it can be hard to decide how to talk about these issues with my kids. Some anti-bias resources I have appreciated include
- Race-conscious things you can say... (by Raising Race Conscious Children)
- George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement (by the ADL)
Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence (by Teaching Tolerance) - itself a collection of resources (geared towards school educators)
Averi Azar, Assistant Director
- Use NAEYC’s Position Statement on Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education in your practice along with tools and resources showing the many ways educators can put equity into action.
- Become a skilled anti-bias educator through deep engagement using the new second edition of Anti-bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves as a guide to confront and eliminate barriers of prejudice, misinformation, and bias. See Understanding Anti-Bias Education: Bringing the Four Core Goals to Every Facet of Your Curriculum.
- Read the two part series Black Boys Matter for an important discussion about ways to make classrooms more welcoming and supportive learning spaces for Black boys.
- Learn from educators who have engaged young children in conversations about race and racism in Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning about Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families and “What About People Like Me?" Teaching Preschoolers About Segregation and “Peace Heroes.”
Advocacy Resources
- Contact your Elected Officials.
- Register to vote and Pledge to vote. (And help your colleagues, staff, and families do the same).
- Learn more about the work to advance a unified, diverse, equitable, and effective early childhood education profession.
- Share your story.
Watch these webinars on equity: Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance, and Maximizing Learning in Diverse Classrooms.
Systemic Racism and Senior Housing and Care
Please also visit this resource by Excellent Care and Optimal Living, for information about aging adults and senior care, and Black Lives Matter's efforts to improve the way our elders are treated and cared for at the end of their lives.
Public Health Resources for Understanding Environmental Racism
Please visit this resource from Public Health Degress that brings awareness to environmental racism. Environmental Racism is intentional racial discrimination in infrastructural and environmental policy making. Public Health Degrees powered by 2U, Inc. created a resource that can equip individuals with information to better address these issues in their communities.
Student Submitted Resources
Naomi Korchonnoff
My partner works in the Franklin Pierce School District, where I went to high school. As the only teacher of color, he has been struggling to teach his coworkers about systemic racism in teaching through his Racial Equity & Inclusion workshops. One of the books they have focused on is called "White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism" by Robin Diangelo. Specifically for educators is the book "Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools" by Glenn E.Singleton.
Julian Wischniewski
I have been reflecting on resources I've encountered while writing my thesis and I wanted to pass them along. The first two came up during research, the third was recommended by an interview participant.
Critical Race Theory - by Stefancic and Delgado: this book helped me understand racial injustice from a legal, social, and historical perspective. A big take-away for me was learning about the 'weaponization' of desegregation, that it was used as a US foreign policy tactic during the Cold War to appear forward-thinking and accepting.
David N. Pellows writes about the connection between the Black Lives Matter and environmental justice movements
The Avarna Group and the Wilderness Society teamed up and designed a curriculum for environmental educators to address colonialism, racism, and exclusion from public lands
Student Handbook
Always check the Handbook if you have a question about Master of Environmental Studies policies or processes. Use the version from the academic year that you started in the program.