Application Deadline Extended to 3/27 for the 2023 FACE Program Summer Fellowship @RU

The Mansfield Institute’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) program will support 15 undergraduate Fellows over Summer 2023. This cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for a 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2022. In addition to tuition for this course, Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Following their course work in late May, Fellows will work in a social justice–focused community-based organization in or around Chicago for 9 weeks (11 hours/week) over the summer starting in early June. Fellows will have an opportunity to meet and work with past Fellows, attend University events together, and potentially present work at conferences. Applicants should have sophomore or junior standing with an interest in social justice and at least a 2.0 GPA (see below). Students receive a $2,500 stipend and 3 credits tuition-free for this experiential social justice-focused, cohort-based Fellowship.

New Deadline: Apply for the Fellowship by March 27, 2023

Eligibility

  • Open to all Roosevelt University students in any college or major
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 13, 2023 (sophomore or junior standing)
  • GPA of at least a 2.0
  • Have an interest in Social Justice

What Fellows Can Expect To Do

  • Work with program faculty to select and secure a paid summer internship
  • Participate in a 3-full day seminar at the end of May 2023
  • Work in a community-based organization (100 hours over the summer)
  • Develop networks and build friendships
  • Earn $2500 and 3 credits toward graduation

Application Info

Apply here for the Mansfield Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (new deadline is March 27th, 2023)

Applications Open for the 2023 FACE Program Summer Fellowship @RU

The Mansfield Institute’s Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) program will support 15 undergraduate Fellows over Summer 2023. This cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for a 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2022. In addition to tuition for this course, Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Following their course work in late May, Fellows will work in a social justice–focused community-based organization in or around Chicago for 9 weeks (11 hours/week) over the summer starting in early June. Fellows will have an opportunity to meet and work with past Fellows, attend University events together, and potentially present work at conferences. Applicants should have sophomore or junior standing with an interest in social justice and at least a 2.0 GPA (see below). Students receive a $2,500 stipend and 3 credits tuition-free for this experiential social justice-focused, cohort-based Fellowship.

Apply for the Fellowship by March 13, 2023

Eligibility

  • Open to all Roosevelt University students in any college or major
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 13, 2023 (sophomore or junior standing)
  • GPA of at least a 2.0
  • Have an interest in Social Justice

What Fellows Can Expect To Do

  • Work with program faculty to select and secure a paid summer internship
  • Participate in a 3-full day seminar at the end of May 2023
  • Work in a community-based organization (100 hours over the summer)
  • Develop networks and build friendships
  • Earn $2500 and 3 credits toward graduation

Application Info

Apply here for the Mansfield Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (deadline is March 13th, 2023)

Apply for the Mansfield’s 2022 Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (thru 3/2/22)

The Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) will fund a second cohort of 15 Roosevelt University undergraduate students from any college or discipline. The cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for a 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2022. In addition to tuition, fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Following their course work in late May, Fellows will work in a social justice–focused community-based organization in Chicago for 10 hours per week, for 10 weeks over the summer starting in early June. Fellows will have an opportunity to work with past Fellows, attend University events together, and have opportunities to present work at conferences.

Eligibility:

  • Open to all Roosevelt University undergraduate students in any college or major
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 2, 2022
  • GPA of at least a 2.0
  • Be able to participate fully in fellowship activities including course work, internship work, and ongoing cohort activities throughout the year

Deadlines:

  • The application process opens on February 1 and closes on March 2, 2022.
  • Applicants will be notified by March 16, 2022.

To apply, visit the Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) webpage. For questions or more information, please contact Prof. Heather Dalmage (hdalmage@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Mansfield Institute.

Mansfield Institute Kickoff Event on 2/1: Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement

Join Roosevelt’s Mansfield Institute on 2/1/22 to recognize our current Fellows for Activism and Community Engagement and community partners. Attendees will hear about the program experience of current fellows, learn about the 2022 program, and meet our community partners. Register here! All Roosevelt students from any college or major with at least 45 credits are eligible to apply for the fellowship program. The selected 2022 fellows will take part in the Social Justice in Action internship-based course, a three-day seminar, and work with a social justice-focused, community-based organization for which they will receive a summer stipend. For more information, contact Prof. Heather Dalmage, Director of the Mansfield Institute (hdalmage@roosevelt.edu).

Mansfield Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement Application

The Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) will fund a cohort of 15 Roosevelt University undergraduate students from any college or discipline. The cohort-based summer fellowship includes funding for the 3-credit Social Justice in Action internship-based course in May 2021.  In addition to tuition, fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Students will be placed in in social justice-focused community-based organizations in Chicago for 10 hours per week, for 10 weeks over the summer. Fellows will also attend University events together, including a recognition ceremony and will have opportunities to present work at conferences.

Eligibility:

  • Open to all Roosevelt University undergraduate students in any college or major.
  • Students must have between 45 and 72 credit hours completed on March 15, 2021.
  • GPA of at least a 2.0.
  • Be able to participate fully in fellowship activities including course work, internship work and ongoing cohort activities throughout the year.

Deadlines:

  • The application process opens on February 15 and closes on March 15.
  • The committee will meet on March 17 and applicants will be notified by March 17, 2021.

To apply, visit the Mansfield Institute Fellowship for Activism and Community Engagement (FACE) webpage. For questions or more information, please contact Prof. Heather Dalmage (hdalmage@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Mansfield Institute.

Part-time Student Sustainability Position Available in RU’s Physical Resources, Chicago Campus

RU Campus STARS logoThe RU Physical Resources Department is offering a paid student internship/work-study position for the 2016-17 academic year. This job is an outstanding professional development opportunity and involves working directly with the RU Physical Resources Team under the direction of Paul Matthews, Assistant VP for Campus Planning/Operations. The internship is based primarily at the Chicago Campus, Applications are being accepted ASAP (see details below) until the position is filled.

Duties and responsibilities include:

  • Assist in implementing the newly adopted Sustainability Strategic Plan, approved in Spring 2015
  • Help maintain and update of the RU Green Campus website, Green Campus Blog, and associated social media pages to provide other information which may benefit and educate the RU community about environmental sustainability
  • Help manage the Chicago Campus Rooftop Garden
  • Assist in maintaining contact with associations and government sponsored agencies that support the Physical Resources Environmental Sustainability Initiatives, including: Association for the Advancement for Sustainability within Higher Education (AASHE), United States Green Building Council, Second Nature, World Wildlife Federation, EPA Green Power Partnership Program, and the Illinois Governor’s Campus Sustainability Compact
  • Participate in DCEO Recycling Grant Reporting; Recycling Project for AUD, Field House, and Wabash (with 50% diversion goal); and university Compost Agreement, which provides materials for Schaumburg Garden Plots
  • Help prepare PowerPoint presentations on select ES topics to present to the RU Community when necessary.
  • Attend RU-based meetings that deal with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership thru Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification Program for the Wabash Vertical Campus, Field House, and other major construction projects. Assist in tracking the LEED credits for certification and green building construction, and in achieving USGBC LEED Silver level for Field House.
  • Work on Physical Resource plans or initiatives that center around green technologies, landscapes, hardscapes, alternate methods of transportation, and renewable energy sources.

To Indicate Interest and Get More Information: Contact Paul Matthews, Assistant VP of Operations/Planning, Department of Physical Resources, Roosevelt University, at 312-341-3600 (office) or pmatthews@roosevelt.edu (email). This position does not require federal work-study status, but may qualify as a work-study position for those with that designation. See the Career Resources page on RU’s website to apply.

SUST Symposium 3.1 (Spring 2016) Today at RU

Today, April 27th, is officially my favorite day of the semester: Symposium Day! Please join me at today’s Sustainability Studies Program at Roosevelt University for a special afternoon Symposium of student projects and research from 2:30-5:30pm in RU’s LEED Gold-certified Wabash Building at 425 S. Wabash Ave. in downtown Chicago (room 1214).

Students in Roosevelt’s SUST program will give presentations about their recent campus sustainability projects, internships, and research experiences in a forum that is open to all RU students, faculty, and staff as well as the general public. The Symposium also will be videoconferenced via Zoom, so you may attend online or by phone, if you wish (see below).

I’m exceedingly proud of all of these students and the work they’ve done this semester. Break a leg, everyone!

Featured Student Speakers

Members of SUST 390 Sustainable Campus (honors) — From Plan to Action: Moving Sustainability Forward at RU

Students in the Spring 2016 honors seminar “Sustainable Campus” will start our Symposium with a series of group presentations on their campus sustainability projects undertaken this spring to help advance RU’s Strategic Sustainability Plan across several fronts. Teams will discuss their initiatives in four areas: general education curriculum (Nicole Kasper & Kurt Witteman), food waste reduction (Michael Gobbel & Tom Smith), student orientation (Jessica Heinz, Claudia Remy, & Moses Viveros), and bottled water policy (Ashley Nesseler, Lacy Reyna, & Brandon Rohlwing). And if you think they look happy in this photo, wait until they’re done presenting today.

Lindsey Sharp — A Key to Unlocking Species Diversity at Lolldaiga Ranch

Lindsey is a senior SUST major and returning adult student who was awarded the prestigious Travis Foundation Scholarship this fall at RU, a competitive award given to 16 students each year. The scholarship enabled her to continue her studies as well as pursue a Spring 2016 internship at the Field Museum of Natural History, which she reported on recently here. Her project focuses on the preparation and identification process of specimens collected during field research in the Eastern Province of Kenya. The results of the identification process were also analyzed in order to determine the area’s population of rodent species, which can be compared to earlier samples gathered from the area in order to determine changes in biodiversity over time. Her talk will discuss her everyday work at the lab in the larger context of mammal ecology, biodiversity conservation, and the value of museum collections research.

Cassidy AventSummer at SCARCE: An Environmental Education Internship Experience

Throughout the summer of 2015, SUST senior Cassidy Avent had the opportunity to work as an intern for an environmental NGO known as School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education (SCARCE). Her summer included working at the SCARCE office in Glen Ellyn IL, giving environmental education presentations at schools and community events, participating in teacher workshops, and many other fulfilling activities. Within this presentation she discusses her experience at SCARCE along with all of the valuable information and insights she gathered while interning at such a fascinating place.

Tiffany Mucci head shotTiffany Mucci — Midewin: One Land’s Story of Recovery and Renewal

SUST senior and returning adult student Tiffany Mucci, who has served as the Assistant Editor of the SUST at RU Blog this academic year, explores Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie as a living example of both the challenges we face in restoring and managing our native landscapes, and the resiliency of nature. Her presentation will highlight this site’s history as one of our nation’s most productive ordnance complexes to ever exist, and reveal its present-day designation as a protected tallgrass prairie ecosystem under the U.S. Forest Service. From seeding, to frogging, to corralling the newly-adopted buffalo of Midewin, she’ll relate what goes into “making a prairie” in the 21st century.

Lacy-ReynaLacy Reyna — Temporal Distribution of Bryophytes in Cook County, IL

Senior science major and honors student Lacy Reyna, a double major in biology and psychology and RU’s 2015 Lincoln Laureate, worked in the botany division of the Field Museum while enrolled in the museum-based SUST 330 Biodiversity course this past fall with Lindsey. Using collections data from various institutions including the Field Museum, her research done in collaboration with FMNH scientists documents the shift in bryophyte species in Cook County across time. Her talk provides potential explanations for the shifts in species populations as well as discusses the importance of museum collections for biodiversity conservation.

Come join us to learn about and celebrate these students’ work! This event is free and refreshments are provided. Kindly RSVP to Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) your plans to attend. Videoconferencing will be made available via Zoom. Hope to see you there! And if you need further incentive to attend, just check out past Symposia from 2013-15.

Essential Information

  • Date / Time:  Wednesday, Apr. 27th, 2015 / 2:30-5:45pm
  • Agenda:  Refreshments served and pleasant hobnobbing begins at 2pm; presentations start promptly at 2:30pm; event concludes ~ 5:30pm (with more chit-chat and eating)
  • Place:  RU’s Wabash Building, 425 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago IL, room 1214
  • Zoom Videoconferencing: Can’t attend in person? See below!
  • RSVP:  SUST Director Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu)

Zoom Videoconference Information

  • Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/368245293
  • Or iPhone one-tap:  14086380968,368245293# or 16465588656,368245293#
  • Or Telephone:
    +1 877 369 0926 (US Toll Free) or +1 888 974 9888 (US Toll Free)
    Meeting ID: 368 245 293

Links to past Symposia

  • Symposium 1.1 (Fall 2013): Alison Breeding, Kyle Huff, Ron Taylor
  • Symposium 1.2 (Spring 2014): Colleen Dennis, Jordan Ewbank, Mary Beth Radeck
  • Symposium 2.1 (Spring 2015): Melanie Blume, Rebecca Quesnell, Mary Rasic, Emily Rhea

Internships and Volunteering as Pathways To Success

SUST alumnus Mike Miller (BPS 2013) interned in the summer of 2013 at Uncommon Ground's rooftop farm in Chicago
SUST alumnus Mike Miller (BPS 2013) interned in the summer of 2013 at Uncommon Ground’s rooftop farm in Chicago

A powerful way to gain experience and increase one’s knowledge base about sustainability during college is to pursue an internship or volunteer at an organization. The Chicago region abounds with sustainability-related internship and volunteer opportunities offered by non-profit organizations, museums, scientific and educational institutions, companies, community and professional organizations, and more.

The past several years, students in RU’s Sustainability Studies program have completed internships or volunteered their time in a variety of fields, including biodiversity research, environmental conservation, public policy, environmental education and outreach, and campus education — to name but a few.

These experiences provide rich beyond-the-classroom learning environments for students, enable networking opportunities with sustainability professionals in a variety of fields, and enhance students’ resumés for graduate school and job searches.

Presenters
SUST students Beeka Quesnell (BA ’15), Melanie Blume (BA ’15), Mary Rasic, and Emily Rhea presented their internship work at the Spring 2015 Symposium (M. Bryson)

For more information on finding internship and identifying volunteering opportunities in fields as diverse as urban farming, conservation biology, urban sustainability, community development, see this resource page here on my blog. And to learn about in more detail what past SUST students have done for their internship experiences, check out this info on the biannual SUST Student Symposium.

 

Metropolitan Farms Internship for Spring/Summer 2015

Here is an announcement for unpaid internships at a new aquaponics urban farm on the West Side of Chicago, available starting in April.

Metro Farms logoMetropolitan Farms is a commercial scale urban farm that is dedicated to the growth and development of aquaponic farming in Chicago. By condensing the agricultural food chain, reducing the use of water and electricity, and converting unusables to healthy consumables as efficiently as possible, we aim to foster an agricultural revolution. They produce organic and chemical free edible plants and fish in our advanced aquaponics system, which will be distributed all over the Chicago area.

Source: Metropolitan Farms
Source: Metropolitan Farms

We are looking for two reliable, hardworking, and passionate people to help us with the beginning stages of our aquaponic planting and harvesting process.

Time Frame:

  • April-July
  • 4-6 hours per week

Requirements:

  • Experience with plant production and care preferred
  • Access to a car with a valid drivers license
  • Familiarity with aquaponics preferred
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Great work ethic
  • High attention to detail
  • Ability to work independently as well as part of a team

Compensation

  • This opportunity is an unpaid educational internship.

For more information, visit our website and our Facebook page. To apply, send an email to Ashley Luciani at alucianigarden@gmail.com with “Metropolitan Farms Internship” in the subject line. Please let her know a little about yourself, your experience with urban farming or gardening, and why you would be interested in joining this endeavor. Make sure to provide the best way to reach you.

Sustainability and Biodiversity at the Field Museum

Last Monday, as a warm 60+ degree (F) day enveloped downtown Chicago in a splendid preview of spring, my students and I hiked from Roosevelt’s Gage Building in the Loop to the lakefront, where we strolled southward to that great edifice of natural history and biodiversity, the Field Museum. Once there, we met up with Carter O’Brien, the Museum’s sustainability manager (who basically created the job over a number of years after spearheading the FMNH’s recycling program). Carter gave us a comprehensive walking tour of the museum’s grounds, community garden, and loading dock.

SUST 210 visits the FMNH with Carter O'Brien (front left), the museum's sustainability manager (aka "green guru")
SUST 210 visits the FMNH with Carter O’Brien (front left), the museum’s sustainability manager (aka “green guru”)

Along with many of staff and researchers at the FMNH, Carter has spearheaded the museum’s efforts to green its practices in energy consumption, waste management, food service, recycling, transportation, exhibit design, and gardening. Despite being an institution dedicated to studying and conserving the world’s rich trove of biodiversity, the Field Museum until recently was not at all sustainable in its own operations, an irony not lost on environmental advocates such as Carter and many of his museum colleagues. Now the FMNH is a recognized leader in transforming old buildings into sustainably-managed facilities, as it recently garnered a LEED Gold rating on its operations and maintenance from the US Green Building Council, only the 2nd existing museum building in the US to do so, and it has just received a $2 million grant to redevelop its grounds within Chicago’s famed Museum Campus in ways that enhance biodiversity, water conservation, and public education.

Carter brought us inside through the seemingly ancient (and surprisingly small) loading dock, thorough a phalanx of heavy doors, narrow passageways, and claustrophobic elevators (all part of the FM’s 19th Century charm), and to the Botany research division, one of the four major research/collections areas of the museum. There we met up with the equally ebullient Dr. Matt Von Konrat, who has many titles at the museum but is best known as an early land plant botanist (which means he studies mosses and liverworts both here and abroad) and the Head of Botanical Collections at the museum.

Dr. Matt Von Konrat in the Botany Collection at the FMNH (photo: M. Wasinka)
Dr. Matt Von Konrat in the Botany Collection at the FMNH (photo: M. Wasinka)

Dr. Von Konrat was kind enough to set up a sampling of preserved plant specimens from the Museum’s vast collection, which when arrayed on a huge wooden table represented a journey of 500 million years of land plant evolution. Many of these examples had special significance as type specimens, which are recognized as being archetypal examples of the species that are used for benchmarking certain key identifying characteristics.

Photo: M. Wasinka
Photo: M. Wasinka

One plant, a particularly tiny moss, held special significance in a recent court case about Burr Oak Cemetery scandal  in the far South Side Chicago neighborhood of Dunning. Cemetery caretakers dug up several hundred human remains and dumped them in a mass grave in order to sell additional plots in the cemetery over a several year period. The moss was part of forensic evidence analyzed by Dr. Von Konrat that proved the involvement of cemetery employees in this heinous crime. The story illustrates the profoundly important role that environmental evidence can play in forensics, and the potential value in aligning the study of botany (and sustainability) with that of criminal justice.

After both of these splendid tours, my students and I ventured forth into the public area of the museum — its exhibits, naturally! — where we inspected the notable (and LEED Gold certified) conservation exhibit, Restoring Earth, which documents FMNH efforts to conserve natural and human communities in South America as well as restore local prairie, woodland, and wetland ecosystems here in the Chicago region.

Photo: M. Wasinka
Photo: M. Wasinka