Environmental Impact Fellows

Duke University

PhD students can be agents of environmental change by being more intentional about the questions they pursue, the audiences they engage, and the career paths they choose.

Department/Institute/Unit: Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions
Institution: Duke University
City: Durham
Country: United States
State/Province: North Carolina
Program Leader(s): Lydia Olander, Colette Watt
Point(s) of Contact: Colette Watt
Contact Email(s): Colette.watt@duke.edu
Year Initiated: 2020
Currently Active: Yes
Program Scale: Campus
Participant Model: Cohort Based
Participant Eligibility: Ph.D. Student
Time Commiment for Participants: 60+ hours
Requirements for Participation: Students sign a letter of commitment to attend trainings and fully engage in the program in order to be admitted
Application Frequency: Yearly
Application Process: Student submits applicant background, CV, Statement of interest, and letter of support from faculty advisor. Selection process – faculty advisory committee reviews and scores applications then deliberates for final selection.
Program Recruitment Strategies: N/A
Cost to Participant: No
Funding or Support Available to Participants: N/A
Amount or Types of Support Available to Participants (if applicable): N/A
Mentorship Model: Each fellow in the program is paired with an doctoral alumni with a non-traditional career path
Number of Participants in Program: 20-29
How Program is Funded: Internal
Other Program Partners: Communications staff at University; Government affairs lead at University; Recruitment people from diverse set of companies and institutions; alumni in fields outside of academia; policy makers and institutions that engage with them.
Number of Program Staff: 2
Is the Program Credit Bearing or Credentialing: No
Is there a Program Evaluation Conducted: Yes
Type(s) of Evaluation(s) Conducted: Pre and post program survey; training surveys

Engagement and Implementation

Building and using the intellectual and personal connections necessary for having an impact on environmental sustainability Who do you need to realize your strategic plan? How will you meet, connect

Science Communication

In this module students must answer: How can you most effectively connect to, inspire, educate and influence others with information? In what medium are you best able to express yourself

Strategic Planning for Careers

What is it you hope to accomplish in different phases/stages of your career? In the next five, ten, twenty years of your life? What are the challenges you will have