Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Date February 11, 2025
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Research, Training, Travel: How IBES supports graduate scholars

For the past decade, IBES’ Research, Training, and Travel (RTT) Awards have empowered graduate students working in units across Brown University to advance environmental research while building skills beyond campus.

What does it take to tackle today’s biggest environmental challenges? For IBES graduate affiliates, it often starts with hands-on research in the field, specialized training, and access to key resources—opportunities made possible by IBES’ Research, Training, and Travel (RTT) Awards. This funding helps graduate students deepen their research and build the professional connections that shape their careers.

"The RTT program provides needed support to IBES-affiliated graduate students," said James Kellner, IBES Director of Early Career Development and Training and Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, and Environment and Society. “These awards help students acquire new skills, conduct fieldwork, and move the needle in their research programs.”

From exploring dolphin behavior to investigating environmental inequality and sustainable farming practices, recent awardees are making meaningful contributions to environmental scholarship and policy. Here’s a look at some of the projects made possible through RTT funding:

Technical training in spatial analysis and isotope hydrology 

Manuel Justin Custado, in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, attended the Isotopes in Spatial Systems (SPATIAL) summer session at the University of Utah. "The course equipped me with advanced skills in spatial analysis and isotope hydrology, which I am using to refine the stable isotope mass balance model I developed for Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho. This project will be part of my dissertation as a Ph.D. student in DEEPS," Custado shared. Beyond technical training, the experience fostered valuable connections with researchers that will support his work long after Brown.

Researching cocoa farmers’ climate change beliefs in Ghana

Yunyu (Shirley) Shu and Jiayue Zhang, both in the Department of Economics, used RTT to lay the groundwork for their work in Ghana. The team’s research, which focuses on climate change beliefs and adaptation strategies among cocoa farmers, has already influenced policy through partnerships with local organizations. "The funding was crucial for field preparation and securing local support, ensuring a successful project launch," Shu explained.

Hands-on farm work for understanding Black communal land stewardship

Raquel Douglas in the Department of Sociology participated in an Afro-Indigenous Permaculture Training program in Jamaica and began her dissertation fieldwork in North Carolina. "This training deepened my interest in growing food and introduced me to how Black communal land stewardship projects are adapting to climate change," Douglas said. Her fieldwork, which included hands-on farm work and informal interviews, allowed her to better understand the values that shape Black farmers' approaches to sustainability and community engagement.

Investigating environmental inequality through colonial history

Archana Ramanujam in the Department of Sociology conducted dissertation fieldwork on environmental inequality and colonialism, focusing on 20th-century environmental policy around refineries in Curaçao and Rotterdam. During her four months in Curaçao, Ramanujam conducted archival research and interviews with key informants, including a former prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles and environmental activists. "This funding allowed me to refine my research strategy and make major progress in answering my dissertation questions," she said.

Uncovering dolphins’ hidden histories

Max Bridge (Department of History) delved into the archives of renowned naturalist Ken Norris in Santa Cruz, California, and the Animal Behavior Enterprises Collection in Ohio. Their research explores mid-twentieth-century dolphin behavior studies and their broader implications for animal behavioral science. "This opportunity broadened my understanding and helped me connect with scholars in related fields," Bridge noted.

Exploring veterinary medicine’s role in antimicrobial resistance

Mira Guth (Department of Anthropology) researched veterinary interventions in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at dairy farms and veterinary schools in California and Pennsylvania.  She plans to publish her findings in an article titled, “More Bugs, Less Drugs: Veterinary Interventions in Antimicrobial Resistance in California’s Dairy Industry,” and will present this work at the March 14-15 IBES workshop exploring the history, ethics, and future of zoos. Her dissertation will expand this work, exploring how veterinarians navigate the tense intersections of public health and the livestock economies.

The transformative potential of IBES RTT Awards

RTT awards provide essential support for master's and Ph.D. students pursuing innovative environmental research. Applications for the next cycle of RTT Awards are due March 1.

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