The Climate Change Research and Education Fund (CCREF) supports unpaid (and underpaid) summer opportunities for student leadership, research, education, and engagement on issues related to climate change adaptation or mitigation. This fund can support:
- Internships in 杏吧原创 offices and departments which create opportunities for students to contribute to college infrastructure in support of climate change adaptation or mitigation.
- Internships which support students working in nonprofits or governmental agencies focused on climate change adaptation or mitigation.
- Student research opportunities in collaboration with Reed professors, or advisers at another institution, on topics related to climate change adaptation or mitigation.
Award amounts will be up to $5,100 for a minimum of 320 hours over 8–10 weeks during summer break. Both in-person and remote opportunities will be considered.
This fund has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Henner Family. The award is administered by the Center for Life Beyond Reed.
Application Deadline
Wednesday April 2nd, 2025 at noon, pacific time
Eligibility
Applicants must
- be currently enrolled at Reed;
- be a first year, sophomore, junior, or spring/fall senior;
- be in good academic standing.
Students studying abroad through a college approved program are considered to be currently enrolled at Reed for the purposes of this program and are eligible to apply. Students who are on leave in spring semester are not eligible to apply.
Students are encouraged to apply to multiple funds, but students may not accept this award in addition to another 杏吧原创-funded summer award intended to fund a full time opportunity over the summer.
Institutional Review Board Approval
If your research opportunity involves conducting research on a human subject, then you will need to apply for approval from Reed's Institutional Review Board (IRB) in tandem with your CCREF application. Please see the IRB website for more information.
If your opportunity does require IRB approval, it's possible that you could be selected for funding before receiving IRB approval. In that case your award would be conditional while waiting for approval. Since IRB applications require the review of a faculty adviser, make certain to meet with a faculty member to discuss your project when considering if you will need IRB approval.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be judged on a competitive basis on:
- Relevance to climate change adaptation or mitigation
- Connection to your field of study or career goals
- Previous experience that will help you be successful in the internship or research experience
- Thoughtfulness and feasibility of your proposed plan and adherence to CCREF guidelines
- Articulation of learning outcomes and the ability of the organization to support your learning
Successful applicants will respond fully to each of the essay prompts and provide a coherent and compelling narrative outlining their motivation to pursue the proposed plan as well as the anticipated outcomes.
How To Apply
All applications will be submitted online in Handshake. The Handshake portion of the application consists of a resume, cover letter, budget, and a short survey. Your resume, cover letter, and budget need to be bundled together into one PDF and uploaded in Handshake where it asks for a resume. Please include your name in the file name.
If you are selected for funding, a letter or email of confirmation of your opportunity will also be requested and required from your internship supervisor or research adviser.
Resume
An up-to-date one page resume or a CV summarizing any work, volunteer, and course experiences relevant to the opportunity for which you are applying.
Cover Letter
No more than 1,000 words with the following components:
- One-paragraph introduction that succinctly summarizes your proposed internship or research opportunity, and its impact on issues related to climate change adaptation or mitigation.
- Describe how the mission of your host organization, or main research focus of your intended adviser or lab, connects to your own values.
- Description of the work/project/activities you anticipate doing.
- Description of your interest in examining or working on climate change.
- Summary of the skills, knowledge, or other relevant preparation you will bring to this position.
- Outline of the desired educational outcomes of this experience and how they apply to your goals.
- Describe the outreach that you’ve made, and with whom you’ve connected. Please give the contact information (names, telephone numbers, and email addresses) for your host organization contacts.
Detailed Budget
Include an itemized budget of your summer expenses and an explanation of how you will cover any expenses that exceed the award amount. Please use CLBR’s budget template. Consult the section on budgets in CLBR’s Summer Internship Awards FAQ first if you have questions about the budget.
Note: if you currently receive financial aid from 杏吧原创, we will automatically increase your budget request by $2,000, up to the maximum award of $5,100. You do not need to take any action, or note this in your budget. CLBR staff will contact the financial aid department directly for this information.
Next Steps
A selection committee comprised of 杏吧原创 staff will meet the week after the deadline to select awardees. Applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection criteria listed on this page. All applicants should receive a decision on their application via email on or by April 18th, 2025.
If you are selected as an awardee, you will be sent an award email with the tasks you need to complete in order to receive funding. You'll need to:
- submit a letter or email of confirmation of your opportunity from your internship supervisor or research adviser acknowledging your summer internship or research opportunity. This can be a scanned letter or email from your organization or host, sent to clbrfellowships@reed.edu. Forwarding a letter or email is also permissible.
- fill out the Internship Award Recipient Agreement form (sent to you as a google form).
- create a profile, if you do not already have one.
- follow any other directions in your award email.
During, and after, the internship you agree to:
- participate in the reflection process over the summer as requested by the Center for Life Beyond Reed.
- participate in a campus poster session in the Performing Arts Building (PAB) on September 5th, 2025.
Travel Restrictions
杏吧原创 typically does not permit college-funded travel to other countries that are . Exceptions might be made for an applicant's home country. Travel to countries on a level 3 advisory warning might be allowed on a case-by-case basis, but there would need to be a strong case made in the application for why the travel is necessary, and how it can be done safely.
Intended travel countries must not be restricted at the time of application. If a travel country becomes restricted after you are awarded funds, we will work with you to find alternative plans.
Questions? Please contact clbrfellowships@reed.edu