Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Eleanor Caves will use the funding to expand Brown University Discovery in Diving (BUDDi), a program that makes marine research training more accessible to undergraduates. Marine science fieldwork often requires specialized SCUBA certification, equipment, and training: requirements that can create significant financial and logistical barriers for students interested in entering the field. BUDDi helps address those barriers by supporting students through swimming preparation, open-water and advanced SCUBA training, scientific diving certification, peer mentorship, and paid research experience.

Two Brown undergraduates will move through the program and ultimately join the Caves Lab at its field site in Curaçao. There, they will conduct a mark-recapture study of cleaner shrimp to investigate how these ecologically important coral reef mutualisms may respond to warming conditions. Through BUDDi, students will develop specialized diving skills while gaining hands-on experience conducting marine field research.

Assistant Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and Applied Mathematics Mara Freilich will work with an interdisciplinary team of Brown researchers and Providence community partners to create a hub for community-engaged watershed research with undergraduate participation at its center. The initiative will connect students with environmental justice organizations addressing issues including water pollution, flooding, legacy contamination, and environmental health, while producing research and communication tools that respond directly to community priorities.

Undergraduates will work alongside faculty, graduate students, and community residents in collaborative working groups, contributing to every stage of the research process, from research design and data analysis to public presentation. Projects will include creating bilingual signs and videos to communicate local water, soil, and air-quality research, as well as analyzing long-term watershed data to help community organizations understand how flooding and stormwater runoff affect water quality. Through this work, students will gain hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research, environmental justice, science communication, and community-engaged practice while producing actionable resources for Providence organizations and residents.

Meredith Hastings, George Ide Chase Professor of Physical Sciences and Professor of Environment and Society & Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, will use the funding to expand undergraduate research opportunities through Breathe Providence, a community-scale air pollution monitoring initiative she launched in 2022. The project operates 29 low-cost air-quality sensors across Providence, with an emphasis on neighborhoods that experience elevated environmental and health burdens and have historically been underrepresented in government monitoring networks. Working with community organizations, residents, and local and state agencies, Breathe Providence uses environmental data to better understand air pollution, support clean-air interventions, and inform policy and sustainability efforts.

Undergraduate researchers will develop projects that directly respond to questions and priorities identified by Providence residents and community partners. Students may conduct quantitative “responsive analysis,” develop education and outreach initiatives, or contribute to research that advances community-driven policy goals. Through these experiences, students will build skills in independent research, data analysis, communication, problem-solving, and community engagement while gaining firsthand experience translating scientific research into action alongside environmental justice organizations, government agencies, and local communities.

Hodgin, Ibarra, and Marston will use the funding to develop a field-based soil research and education program that provides Brown undergraduates with hands-on training in soil science across southern New England. The project combines research with technical skill-building, using local soil profiles and research sites to teach students how to describe and evaluate soils while exploring questions related to glacial history, hydrology, carbon storage, land management, and enhanced weathering.

Students will participate in three research case studies examining glacial loess deposits, lateral soil development around wetlands and coastal environments, and soil variation at enhanced-weathering experiment sites. Through this work, they will gain experience in field sampling, soil and site evaluation, geochemical analysis, and environmental interpretation, with opportunities to develop their research into senior theses or capstone projects. The program will also expand Brown’s Soil and Site Evaluation Team, preparing students to compete in regional and national soil judging competitions while building practical skills relevant to environmental research and careers.

Ittleson Professor of Environment and Society J. Timmons Roberts will use the funding to support undergraduate climate policy research through Brown’s Climate and Development Lab (CDL). Students in the program work in small teams to investigate barriers to ambitious and equitable climate action in the United States, producing policy-relevant research and briefings that connect academic analysis with real-world climate policy debates.

The funding will allow the undergraduate research team to travel to Washington, D.C., where students will spend five days meeting with policymakers, climate experts, journalists, and civil society organizations and presenting their research to key audiences. The experience will give students a firsthand look at how climate policy is developed and debated, while giving them opportunities to receive feedback on their work, learn about careers across the climate-policy field, and build confidence navigating professional policy environments.