The Scholars Program
Planetary Health Research Team Awards
2023/24 Academic Year
The global environment is changing rapidly—as evidenced by warming temperatures and extreme weather events; biodiversity loss, pollinator collapse, and food insecurity; and degradation of natural resources upon which we depend. Humans sit at the apex of these issues, disrupting such interconnected systems in this era of the Anthropocene. There is an urgent need for action; innovation, interdisciplinary research, and outside-of-the-box thinking are crucial to solving planetary health challenges.
The Planetary Health Graduate Scholars Program was created to galvanize awareness of and attention to planetary health research and scholarship at UW-Madison. The program supports graduate students conducting research related to the intersection of environmental public health and ecological or climatic change. The goal is to connect a diverse community of scholars from across campus to share ideas, form collaborations, and generate new scholarship.
NUMBER OF AWARDS AVAILABLE: Two Planetary Health Graduate Research Team Awards ($15,000 each) will be awarded for the 2023/24 academic year.
Each Research Team will receive $15,000.
Organizations
The Planetary Health Graduate Scholars Program is housed within the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and co-sponsored by UW-Madison’s Global Health Institute (GHI).
Donor Information
This scholarship award is provided through the philanthropy of UW Alumni Dave and Sarah Epstein.
Eligibility Criteria
Research Teams must be comprised of a minimum of 3 people: 1 Faculty Member and 2 Graduate Students. To ensure interdisciplinarity, all Graduate Students on the team must have different advisors; only one of the Graduate Students on the research team may be an advisee of the Research Team Faculty Member. Preference will be given to teams with members across different departments/centers.
All currently enrolled graduate degree-seeking graduate students at the University of WisconsinMadison are eligible to apply.
All graduate students on the research team must:
1. Be enrolled full-time and making progress toward a graduate degree
2. Be in good academic standing (minimum 3.0 GPA)
3. Be engaged in (or planning to begin) research on a topic relevant to planetary health topics at the intersection of human health and the environment
4. Be present on-campus during the 2023/2024 academic year
Note: Priority consideration will be given to research teams comprised of applicants who have not received Planetary Health Scholars Program funding previously; however, past Planetary Health Scholars are still eligible to apply and receive funds.
Award Information
Priority will be given to Research Teams comprised of Graduate Students with pre-dissertator status.
Applications will be reviewed by a faculty selection committee, led by Professor Jonathan Patz.
Award notification will be made in advance of Friday, April 21, 2023.
Award Requirements
Remain actively enrolled in an M.S./M.A./MPH/Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the entire 2023/2024 academic year. Research Teams must be comprised of a minimum of 3 people: 1 Faculty Member and 2 Graduate Students. All Graduate Students on the team must have different advisors; only one of the Graduate Students on the research team may be an advisee of the Research Team Faculty Member.
A Faculty Member must serve as the Research Team Leader for the research project, although additional faculty can be part of the team.
• Students/faculty teams are expected to attend the two program events:
a. Welcome event and research kick-off: (September 2023, exact date and time TBD)
b. Report back and final research event: (April 2024, exact date and time TBD)
• Please turn in summary of research activities and research findings at end of the academic year (Friday, May 12, 2024).
Applications should include the following:
Planetary health is an emerging interdisciplinary area of research and action rooted in understanding the interdependencies of human and natural systems. Please describe your team’s research and how it aligns with planetary health. Be sure to include the following:
• Introduction and summary of research objectives
• Background and significance of research
• Brief overview of research design and methods
• Description of preliminary data or findings (if available) and next steps
• Explanation of how participation in the Planetary Health Graduate Scholars Program could lead to future external funding in this field
• Current 2-page CV for each team member
• UW transcript (unofficial is okay) for each student team member
Applications should not exceed three pages, single spaced in 11-point font. References should be cited in a consistent style and will not count toward the page limit.
Award Amount
2 Research Team Awards ($15,000 each) will be distributed for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Deadline
Friday, April 7, 2023
How to Apply
Please submit the materials (written proposal, 2-page CVs, and UW transcripts) using this form.