- Eligibility and Expectations:
To apply for the President's Sustainability Research Fellowship for the '24-'25 AY, you must be:
- A rising sophomore, junior or senior
- In good standing with the College
- Be a fully enrolled student at the time of applying, with no plans to take a leave of absence or study abroad during the following academic year.
A total time commitment of 10 - 20 hours per week is expected from the Fellows. This work includes:
- Course: two semesters and two credits of coursework through ENVS 089A and ENVS 089B, taught by an Environmental Studies Faculty with support from the Director of Sustainability
- Internship: Project Manager status for a project developed in close collaboration with a Swarthmore faculty or staff member
- Weekly meetings with a staff mentor, plus additional meetings as required by the project
- Advising from either an alumni or a consultant in the field of work of the project
- Application Timeline and Information Sessions
Application Timeline
- Application goes live: week of December 2nd, 2024
- Applications due: February 14, 2025
- Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis: February 24th 2025 - March 7th 2025
- Offers are sent: March 28th, 2025
- Acceptances are due by 11:59 pm: April 18th, 2025
Information Sessions
The Office of Sustainability hosts information sessions for the President's Sustainability Research Fellowship (and our beloved partners, the Green Advisors!) each year. Information sessions will be held at the Lang Center Keith Room on the following dates.
- December 12th, 2024 2:00-3:00pm
- February 6th, 2025 4:30-5:30pm
- Research Project Topics
Project topics for the ’24-’25 PSRF have not been finalized. The following list captures some of the project topics from previous iterations of the program, and the current list of project topics, found here. These lists are intended to give potential applicants an idea of the nature/topic areas of PSRF projects:
- Athletics: Engaging athletics in sustainability practice and community
- Building Energy Efficiency: Projects and policies related to conserving energy and reducing demand
- Campus Community Connections: Building relationships and sustainability in Chester
- Climate Community: Growing shared understanding of climate crisis and its intersections
- Carbon Charge: Pricing carbon, carbon offset research, and protecting our climate
- Crum Woods: Restoration and revitalization of the Crum Woods
- Curriculum: Infusing sustainability in teaching and learning across departments
- Food & Dining: Increasing the health and sustainability of our campus food systems
- Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System: Measuring sustainability using AASHE's STARS framework
- Renewable Energy: Developing renewable energy on- and off-campus
- Transportation: Developing sustainable transportation systems on campus
- Zero Waste: Developing a circular economy and transforming our relationship with stuff