Cornell Climate Online Fellows

Overview

Climate change poses threats to environments, communities, and economies, yet no single “one-size-fits-all” solution can be implemented across different countries and contexts. The Cornell Climate Online Fellows will work together over a period of 14 weeks to identify, discuss, implement, and assess greenhouse gas mitigation actions they take locally and within their social networks.

 

Participants

Environmental and education professionals, volunteers, and university students from any country. Discussions will be in English. Students lacking a basic knowledge of climate science will need to complete parts of online course, Climate Science, Communication, and Action, prior to the fellowship.

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Cost & Commitment

Free.

This is a serious commitment, from 4 -10 hours of work per week. All fellows will be expected to actively participate in weekly Zoom conference calls Tuesdays from 8-10am New York time, to engage in weekly online discussions, and to implement a climate mitigation action in their networks.

 

Educational approach

Fellows will access existing online resources (asynchronous), post discussion question responses (asynchronous), participate in weekly small group and full fellowship discussions (synchronous, Tuesdays 8-10am, EST), and conduct individual action projects (asynchronous).

 

Technology

Zoom for weekly discussions and Edge-edX for readings and discussion questions. We will also use Facebook and WhatsApp for optional informal discussions and sharing.

 

Activities

Fellows will become familiar with Drawdown’s prioritized list of 100 actions to reduce reduce greenhouse gases and identify two actions to investigate further using online sources and local experts. (Example actions include educating girls, reducing food waste, plant-rich diet, wind energy, and silvopasture.) During weekly Tuesday meetings, fellows and Cornell faculty will discuss the potential for implementation of climate solutions in the different countries they represent. Fellows will then implement one Drawdown action with their social network (e.g., office, school, Instagram group), and evaluate the implementation process and outcomes. Each fellow will complete a final report or presentation that includes a description of their action and its outcomes, and their reflections on the process. Fellows will also be part of a research project assessing the fellowship process and its outcomes.

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Application & Selection Process

Applicants complete an online application about their environmental and education work or volunteer activities, motivation for participating in the fellowship, ideas about climate action projects, and ability to commit the time to be an active participant in the fellowship over the 14-week period. Civic Ecology Lab staff will select the final fellows based on their applications and on our commitment to creating a group of fellows who bring diverse ideas and experiences and represent a wide group of countries.

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Benefits

Participants who complete the fellowship will be awarded a Cornell University certificate. However, the main benefit of the fellowship is the opportunity to work with a diverse group of climate-concerned citizens globally who will provide support and provide feedback on your local climate actions.

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Fellow outcomes

Fellows will:

1. Describe the feasibility and effectiveness of actions to mitigate greenhouse gases across different countries and contexts.

2. Implement and evaluate an action to reduce greenhouse gases among their social networks.

3. Make adjustments in their action plans based on new information, including research, feedback from fellows, and outcomes of the action.

4. Demonstrate critical thinking skills related to gathering and assessing sources of information and adapting their views and actions based on new information.

5. Participate actively in an ongoing global online community of climate-concerned citizens.

 

Fellowship Leaders

• Marianne Krasny

• Anne Armstrong

• Alex Kudryavtsev

• Yue Li

• Kim Snyder

 

Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab

Contact Email: CivicEcology@cornell.edu

View and Download PDF file of this fellowship opportunity.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Course email CivicEcology@cornell.edu When you email us, please always start the subject of your email with “CC Fellows” so that we can find your message.

2. What are you looking for in a climate fellow? Applicants to the fellowship should have previous professional or volunteer experience in environmental or education fields and demonstrate an ability to commit to and complete the entirety of the fellowship. Additionally, fellows will be selected with regard to cultivating a diverse group of participants with the motivation to take action on climate.

3. How long is the fellowship? This is a 14-week commitment, and it requires about 4-10 hours of work per week. Fellows will use existing online resources (asynchronous), participate in weekly small group and full fellowship discussions (synchronous, Tuesdays 8-10am, EST), and conduct individual action projects (asynchronous).

4. How will I receive a certificate? If you fulfilled the fellowship requirements, you will receive your PDF certificate within one month after the end of the course.

5. What websites and social media are used? Zoom is required for participation in this fellowship. Fellows may also choose to connect with one another via Facebook and WeChat to share ideas and resources. Participants gain a great deal from exchanging ideas and resources and “meeting” fellow students and instructors on social media. However, participating in social media is not required to complete the fellowship. Only fellows and instructors can be part of this Facebook group. Do NOT invite your friends or colleagues to this group. You can participate in both the Facebook and WeChat group (WeChat is mostly in Chinese).

6. Which languages are used? All materials for the fellowship are provided in English. Discussions will also take place in English.

7. Can I share course materials with my colleagues and friends? You are NOT allowed to share, copy, distribute, or forward any materials from this fellowship. They are only for your own learning. All the readings are copyright protected, and nobody is permitted to share them outside this course. You are welcome to share your learning experiences and course projects with your colleagues and friends.

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