Community Highlights

Congratulations to Ruta Hailu (BA '28), who has been selected as a recipient of the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship. The highly competitive program identifies future leaders in environmental, Tribal public policy and health care fields, with students participating in their respective schools'...

The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit organization founded by former Vice President Al Gore, hosted the 20th Anniversary Climate Reality Training at The Pinnacle in Nashville on May 2, 2026. The event included a panel discussion with University of Michigan School for Environment and...

Jennifer Dowdell (MLA ’07), ASLA, and Lauren Marshall (MLA ’10), ASLA, were named fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The two are graduates of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability’s Master of Landscape Architecture program. ASLA Fellows...

A paper co-authored by Joan Nassauer, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), has been selected for the 2026 Editor’s Choice Award by the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Board of Directors for “its broad community...

A team of six graduate students from the University of Michigan placed second out of 31 teams from four continents in the Emory Morningside Global Health Case Competition, held in March. The interdisciplinary team of students represented the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and the...

University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) graduate Robert Corry (PhD ’02) has been named to the 2026 Class of Fellows of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), one of the highest honors in the profession. The distinction is awarded to individuals whose...

Keenan Gibbons, an intermittent lecturer in environment at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), has been appointed a Climate & Biodiversity Action Fellow by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Gibbons is an internationally recognized expert on...

The AI Institutes at Michigan has honored 86 researchers and teams across the University of Michigan through its Empowering Research with AI Awards, including faculty at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). The awards recognize their use of artificial intelligence to advance...

University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Allen Burton is one of 15 U-M faculty members who were elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2025. The AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society, announced 449 members...

The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), along with Sheila Schueller, a lecturer at SEAS and the faculty lead for digital learning innovation, are among numerous recipients of the Distinguished Partnership Award for Community-Engaged Service given by Michigan...

Congratulations to Vianey Rueda, a fourth-year PhD student at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), who has been selected to participate in the 2026 Transect of the Americas Pathways Program, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative led by Washington...

Congratulations to Tony G. Reames, director of the SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic and Tishman Professor of Environmental Justice, on being selected to serve as co-chair of Detroit Mayor-Elect Mary Sheffield’s Infrastructure, Sustainability & Climate Change Transition Committee. This leadership...

Congratulations to SEAS Associate Professor Jalonne White-Newsome, who has been recognized by the Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN) with this year's Child Health Advocate Award. The award honors outstanding children's environmental health leaders who have gone above and beyond to create...

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) alumna Cynthia Shih (MS/MBA '13), who was featured in the 2025 Grist 50 list. The list features 50 climate leaders “who are making a real difference and moving the needle.” Shih, who performs under the stage...

Congratulations to the Community-Scale Wildfire Mitigation in California’s Wildland-Urban Interface master's capstone project team and their client, SWA Group/XL Lab, for being awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award in Communications! The research, which was completed in...

An Office of Strategy+Design team that included University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Associate Professor of Practice and Engagement Lisa DuRussel (BS ’02, MLA ’06) has been awarded the American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award in General Design. The...

Jonathan Overpeck, the Samuel A. Graham Dean and William B. Stapp Collegiate Professor of Environmental Education at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), has been reappointed to the Council on Climate Solutions by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for a term commencing...

Congratulations to the University of Michigan Fishing team, which recently took second place in the College Bass Tour Championship in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan! This is the first time the team made it to the finals after a four-year hiatus. The team included U-M students Brady Bush (College of...

Congratulations to Greg Keoleian, who was awarded the International Society for Industrial Ecology's (ISIE) Society Prize at the ISIE Conference in Singapore on July 1-4. The Society Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of industrial ecology. It is the ISIE's highest...

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Assistant Professor of Practice Lisa DuRussel, a lead on a project selected for a 2025 Engage Detroit Workshops grant. The program supports U-M faculty, staff, students and community partners in organizing...

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Michaela Zint for leading one of five faculty projects to receive the Provost's Teaching Innovation Prize. The prize honors faculty projects that use innovative approaches to improving student...

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) doctoral candidates Malu Castro, Congyi Dai and Charlotte Probst for being awarded Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships. The fellowship supports outstanding doctoral candidates working on dissertations that are...

Ivette Perfecto, a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), has been selected to serve on the Status of Insects in North America ad hoc study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The study committee will conduct a...

Congratulations to University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Professor Maria Carmen Lemos! Lemos was recognized by the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Human Dimensions of Global Change group for her many years of leadership in the field of human dimensions and...

Congratulations to Michelle Martinez, who has received the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Energy and Environment Speciality Group's 2025 Powershift Award. She, alongside four other award recipients, will be recognized for their work during the 2025 AAG Annual Meeting in Detroit, Michigan...