Princeton University
ER-18: Sustainability Research Incentives

Course-related field work and laboratories

Faculty and associated faculty of the Princeton Environmental Institute represent a community of scholars and dedicated educators who encourage and mentor students to pursue rigorous environmental study and research. Entry level and upper level courses comprising the Environmental Studies course of study incorporate a “Real World Model” as part of a laboratory curriculum that uses the campus and local community as laboratories for scientific study of environment and sustainability topics. Also, field research is an important component of multiple entry level and upper level ENV courses and seminars with course-related field work in destinations including Kenya, Bermuda, and Panama.

Summer research fellowships

Princeton undergraduates have the opportunity to complement their academic coursework with hands-on, engaging, independent research, and project experiences during the summer months. Students interested in exploring and expanding their knowledge of complex global environmental problems related to energy and climate, sustainable development in Africa, infectious disease and global health, and environmental sustainability may apply to one of 90-plus established internships with faculty on research projects or with select mentored projects with NGOs, academic, policy, or industry enterprises. http://www.princeton.edu/pei/undergrads/internships/

Princeton undergraduates may also request funding to support self-initiated projects involving environment or sustainability themes with connections to their academic course of study and a suitable mentor clearly identified. Such experiences frequently guide the selection of independent research projects in the senior year – a requirement of the undergraduate experience at Princeton. Princeton undergraduates may apply for support of travel, research, and supplies for field research on environmental or sustainability topics related to their senior independent projects. http://www.princeton.edu/pei/undergrads/funding/

Undergraduate Institute for Study of Rainforests

Led by Princeton faculty, the Princeton Institute for Rainforests and the Amazon including their Nutrients, Hydrology, and the Atmosphere (PIRANHA) provides undergraduates with funding, connections, and the support needed to carry out state-of-the-science research on topics related to sustainability of tropical forests.

http://www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges/energy/research-highlights/rainforest-research/

Graduate Fellowship Program for Energy and Climate Scholars

The Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS) involves Ph.D. candidates from a wide range of departments including Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Economics, Geosciences, and from the School of Engineering and the Woodrow Wilson School. Launched in 2008 with support of the Seibel Energy Challenge, PECS enhances the research experience of Princeton’s graduate students involved in climate and energy research and encourages the most talented of these students to transcend the boundaries of their fields by fostering a sense of common intellectual adventure. Students are selected by competitive application to participate in the PECS Program, receive a modest research stipend, meet bi-monthly as a group and with an interdisciplinary faculty board of advisors.

Graduate Research Awards for work in energy and climate

The PEI Walbridge Fund Award, initiated in 2009, provides 2-3 awards annually in amounts up to $10,000 to Princeton graduate students pursuing innovative projects in the fields of energy technology, carbon policy, and climate science. Funds may be used for a range of purposes, including fieldwork support, travel, conference participation, the purchase of equipment, and costs associated with data analysis and facilities use. A competitive application process is held annually with awards determined by a Faculty Selection Committee.

Through its Grand Challenges Program, Princeton promotes cutting-edge interdisciplinary research on energy, health, and development themes. Research funding is awarded and carried out locally and around the world with the engagement of a broad cross-section of the University community to explore the scientific, technical, public policy, and human dimensions of global environmental problems.

The High Meadows Foundation Sustainability Fund provides grants for faculty sustainability research projects that use the campus as a laboratory and benefit the Princeton community.

-For information about support for undergraduate research support, see: http://www.princeton.edu/pei/undergrads/funding/

-For information about Undergraduate Research Program in Sustainable Rainforests (PIRANHA), see: http://www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges/energy/research-highlights/rainforest-research/

-For information about Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars, see: http://www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges/energy/pecs/

-For information about the Walbridge Fund Award for Graduate Research, see: http://www.princeton.edu/pei/grads/fellowships-awards/walbridge/

-For more information on faculty research, see: http://www.princeton.edu/pei/outreach/sustainability/research/