Mellon Research Initiative

Thanks to a recent award by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Lewis & Clark's Environmental Studies Program is embarking on an ambitious 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 will sponsor 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 on April 5, 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.

For more information, choose a link at right.