What does it take to turn a class assignment into a story? Brown students in IBES' Science Journalism course investigated environmental issues shaping communities across Providence and saw their work appear in ecoRI News.

A dual-degree student in Environmental Sciences and Studies and the Rhode Island School of Design’s Illustration Department, Ho studies the gut microbiomes of wild sloths in Costa Rica to map normal variation and test how species, habitat, and rehabilitation status shape these microbial communities.

This summer, the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) welcomed its first group of students into a new program designed to expand access to faculty-mentored research opportunities in climate and the environment.

After witnessing pollution in Southern California’s coastal waters as a high school student, Ispendjian founded Saving the Sea. Today, the national nonprofit is helping students translate environmental research into policy and action.

Commencement Weekend offered a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 and the relationships and sense of purpose that connect the IBES community across generations.

Supported by IBES faculty and alumni mentors, a team of Brown undergraduates advanced to the finals of the Turner MIINT Competition and placed third overall against dozens of graduate teams from around the world.

Through the Swearer Center program, eight students affiliated with IBES will conduct community-engaged research spanning environmental justice, food sovereignty, conservation biology, and Indigenous land stewardship.

Dual concentrator Liza Marcus ’26 is unraveling the complex chemistry of nitrogen oxides and ozone in the atmosphere — work that could improve air quality predictions and inform environmental policy.

Kassalow, an Environmental Sciences & Studies concentrator on the conservation science and natural systems track, analyzes samples of parasitic worms found in tropical mammals to expand a scientific database for use by researchers.