Schneider Summer Fellowships: United Nations Foundation (UNF) 2022
UN FOUNDATION, Energy, Climate & Environment Team, Climate Science Fellowship
The UN Foundation’s Climate Science Communications workstream is housed within the UN Foundation’s Climate & Environment team. The team works to combat the global climate crisis, transition the world to low-carbon energy, and tackle our most pressing environmental challenges – from the loss of biodiversity to unsustainable agricultural practices. UNF is particularly focused on working to promote and protect the Paris Climate Agreement, the world’s first global deal on climate change, which was universally adopted by 195 countries in 2015. The Climate Science Communications workstream provides support to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN’s climate science body, in the lead up to and release of scientific reports. Despite the enormous task of assembling these reports, the IPCC has very limited resources to devote to disseminating and promoting the report findings.
The UN Foundation has worked directly with the IPCC since 2012 to provide staff, expertise, and resources to ensure the IPCC is equipped for the global report launches. UNF continuing to play this unique role again for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which released part one in 2021, parts two and three in early 2022, and will release the final report in September 2022.
The Schneider Fellow will play a key role in this work by analyzing report drafts, supporting communications tasks, fulfilling IPCC research requests, and assisting with drafting key messaging. The Fellow will also look at the different mitigation pathways and the role of sustainable energy in achieving global climate targets and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and help prepare briefs summarizing the main findings of the Synthesis report, focusing on mitigation pathways and energy systems developments.
The Fellow will further contribute to developing UNF’s Climate Science Communications program beyond its IPCC partnership, as we enter the final report for the AR6 cycle and will thus have more capacity to explore additional projects. Such projects could include enhanced support for academic research on climate communications; working with environmental media in developing countries; enhancing participation of Indigenous peoples in climate science; and organizing workshops on climate science in coordination with the UN.
Schneider Fellowship – Climate Science Fellow
The Schneider Climate Science Fellow is expected to work with the UN Foundation’s Climate team. Specifically, the Fellow will support the Foundation’s climate science communications initiative. This will include working closely with team members to accomplish the following:
· The Fellow’s main project will be reviewing and analyzing the Mitigation Pathways and Energy Systems draft chapters of the IPCC’s Synthesis Report for the 6th Assessment Report. The Fellow will evaluate the differences between the upcoming report and previously published IPCC scientific reports to help shape communications for the report launch.
· The Fellow will support the UN Foundation team in developing materials to help educate government, sub-national actors, businesses, and civil society representatives about the report findings, specifically on energy.
· The Schneider Climate Science Fellow may also represent the UN Foundation in domestic (and possibly international) events and/or meetings that occur during the Fellowship.
· In addition to the defined project, the Schneider Climate Science Fellow is expected to assist with other projects and tasks related to UNF’s climate program and/or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The abovementioned responsibilities will provide the Fellow with a broad view of the UN Foundation’s work and valuable exposure to the work of the UN on climate and sustainable energy issues.
Eligibility
Eligibility:
For complete eligibility requirements, please review our program policies in its entirety.
Undergraduates and graduate students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Priority will be given to students who have completed fewer than two previous Cardinal Quarter opportunities.
Requirements:
Selected Fellows are expected to begin service by June 20, 2022 for a summer fellowship. All fellows are required to work with their community partners full-time for twelve consecutive weeks at their placements. Fellows may be required to work remotely depending on the forthcoming University policies. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Quarter before fellowship
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop or worksheet.
- Attend Schneider Fellows cohort session(s)
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with site supervisor and academic mentor.
During fellowship
- Submit a brief preliminary report.
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Quarter after fellowship
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating fellowship experiences.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
For those who seek assistance, advising is available at the Haas Center to help students develop their applications.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to enlarge a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by our partner organizations with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
