Mellon Initiative

Thanks to a recent award by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Lewis & Clark's Environmental Studies Program is pursuing a multi-year initiative. The goal is to further scholarly rigor and coherence in the field of environmental studies by cultivating interdisciplinary research skills among undergraduate students at Lewis & Clark and other American institutions. These students are key to the future of environmental studies, as they will serve as the next generation of environmental leaders in academic and policy settings.

In addition to building undergraduate research resources and promoting faculty development at Lewis & Clark, the initiative sponsors two dozen students enrolled in American environmental programs. With support via faculty mentors at their institutions, these students participated in a collaborative research venture starting in spring 2008 with a launch workshop at Lewis & Clark, and culminating in spring 2010 with a concluding conference. The students will collectively deploy and test a novel method of interdisciplinary inquiry which we call situated research.

More Information 

Background on the Initiative
Background on Situated Research (PDF)
Bios & Projects of Initiative Student Researchers
Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Abstracts, Summer 2009 (PDF)
Initiative Discussion Forum (Moodle forum - login required)
Initiative Student Research Forum (Moodle forum - login required)
Interview with Dr. Jim Proctor, Director of the Initiative (video)
Photo Gallery from the Initiative Workshop, Spring 2008