Two Geography professors were selected for the University of Colorado Boulder’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:34:35 +0000

Two Geography professors were selected for the University of Colorado Boulder’s Sustainability Research Initiative Fellowship Gabriela Rocha Sales Mon, 04/27/2026 - 15:34

Katherine Siegel, and Keith Musselman along with 18 other researchers will participate in a year-long incubator designed to bring ̽��Ƶ researchers together to collaborate and conduct research that addresses complex, multidimensional, boundary-spanning sustainability issues.

The SRI Research Fellowship is built on a simple premise: when talented people are given the space, time and community to dream big together, transformative ideas emerge. Sustainability challenges are complex and multidimensional, and addressing them requires intellectual approaches that cross boundaries, challenge assumptions and leverage diverse perspectives.

This fellowship is designed to cultivate exactly that environment. This first cohort of fellows includes 20 researchers from departments and research institutes across campus. Through a series of intensive trainings and retreats, the fellows will spend the year building community, practicing future-oriented thinking, and forming transdisciplinary teams capable of shaping the next generation of sustainability scholarship and solutions.

“This new fellowship is emblematic of ̽��Ƶ’s strong campuswide commitment to sustainability, and it demonstrates how SRI is elevating and connecting CU’s sustainability researchers in creative and unexpected ways for greater impact,” said ̽��Ƶ Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock.

SRI conducted a series of focus groups in the fall of 2025 and a resounding theme emerged: researchers are eager to collaborate across disciplines, but institutional structures make that collaboration challenging.

“Comments like ‘Where can we think together?’ and ‘Can we buy faculty time for creative thinking?’ underscored the urgency,” said SRI Director Jane Zelikova. “The SRI research fellowship directly responds to these needs by carving out time and space for intentional community building across intellectual and departmental silos and for creative, non-proposal driven conversations. We aim to foster a space where serendipity can seed new ideas and collaborations and where researchers feel supported to explore bold, unconventional approaches.”

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Katherine Siegel Named in The Story Exchange's Saving Nature: 11 Women to Watch in Science

Gabriela Rocha Sales — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:57:15 +0000

Katherine Siegel Named in The Story Exchange's Saving Nature: 11 Women to Watch in Science Gabriela Rocha Sales Fri, 03/06/2026 - 09:57

Copied from The Story Exchange (https://thestoryexchange.org/11-women-to-watch-in-science-2026/) for archival purposes.

Letter from the Editor

We live in a time when words like “women,” “gender” and “diversity” are banned or restricted in federal research grants, particularly at agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

Yet that has not stopped trailblazing women from searching for urgent, innovative, science-based solutions to the human-caused “climate crisis” (another phrase that’s been banned, along with “global warming” and “emissions”).

These scientists are working to safeguard the safety of our water, air and soil. They’re seeking the smartest ways we can transition to clean energy. They’re pushing their limits to stop deforestation and curb greenhouse gas emissions. And they’re doing it within a system that – on top of the banned words and the Trump administration’s rollback of environmental protections — has long discriminated against them. Research confirms that women in science are paid less, given fewer leadership roles, and receive far less recognition than their male peers.

We can help with that last problem.

At The Story Exchange, we have long elevated women’s voices and achievements. Today, we are thrilled to spotlight these women scientists — nominated by peers — who are working tirelessly on our behalf. Their efforts alone will, of course, not be enough to save our natural world. We need thousands of committed scientists (and business and industries) like them. But their stories, dedication and perseverance can surely inspire others to try to do the same – and maybe just give the Earth a fighting chance.

Kathleen Alexander

Marianne Cowherd

Liz Dennett

Cynthia Gerlain-Safdi

Madeline Walker Miller

Rebecca Peters

Katherine Siegel

Ada Smith

Paige Stanley

Sarah Waickowski

Yagmur Yegin

"These women are using their hard-earned knowledge to protect our planet already ravaged by brutal storms, epic floods and intense wildfires."

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