Cambridge, Massachusetts (April 21, 2022) - Nine (9) colleges and universities have been named as the awardees of the Third Round of the Acceleration Fund. Second Nature, an NGO whose mission it is to accelerate climate action in, and through, higher education, announced the awarded schools during the 2022 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit. (PDF)

A team of University of Arizona researchers is working to scale up production of carbon-absorbing marine algae in an effort to curb the worst impacts of climate change.

What is your major/year?

I am a junior Natural Resources Major emphasizing in wildlife conservation and management, minoring in American Indian Studies.

The Santa Cruz River was once a beauty that connected the residents of Tucson to nature, but now is the biggest trash bin in the county. Sonoran Institute has recognized this and has dedicated their efforts to bring it back to its original beauty, hoping that this lost relationship will return as well. After joining the Earth Grant cohort, I began working with Luke Cole and Claire Zugmeyer from Sonoran Institute on their ongoing study of litter in the Santa Cruz River.

What is your major/year?

I am sophomore doing a dual degree in PPEL (Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law) and EWRE (Environmental and Water Resource Economics).

Recently, a small group of Earth Grant and College of Architecture and Planning (CAPLA) students got the opportunity to go on a group hike up to Rock Spring in Saguaro National Park, East. This is a place where the saguaros, sacred plants to the Tohono O’odham tribe, grow big and tall. Many of us were amazed at the beautiful scenery of the area, often stopping along the trail to look out and admire the countless cacti, shrubs, and stones that the park protects.

“My father always encouraged my sister and I to be ‘global citizens,’” says Earth Grant student and Engineering sophomore Ani Melichar. Through Earth Grant, Ani is working with people from all over the world, by supporting the International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s New Roots program, an initiative to support recent refugees to Tucson in gardening, food production, nutrition, and generating revenue through farmers’ markets.

What is your major/year?

I am a senior double majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Conservation Biology and a Marine Science minor. 

Earth Grant student Paloma Martinez spends every Tuesday morning at Midtown Farm, in the Barrio Centro neighborhood of Tucson. Working alongside farm managers Jacob Robles and Brandon Alexander, Paloma walks the produce rows at the farm to see what vegetables are ready for harvest.

What is your major/year?

I am currently a freshman and am on track to double degree in psychological sciences and political science.