MES Student Resources

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! 

MES Weekly

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. 

Join MESA

About MESA

Reasons to join

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

About the forum and Rachel Carson

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 for complete details and instructions. If you are collecting data, you may need to Apply for Human Subjects Review with the Institutional Review Board

MES Thesis Handbook (PDF, 200 KB)

For more information, important forms and documents, as well as resources for thesis research, check out the MES Thesis Process Blog!

MES Thesis Process Blog

Past MES Theses

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.

Grant Writing Tips

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.

Learn more

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. 

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.