about
In a 2020 survey of 104 Penn graduate students, only 5% believed that Penn’s climate programming met their needs. With this statistic in hand, a group of students across Penn’s graduate schools created the multidisciplinary Climate Leaders @ Penn Fellowship. The fellowship is open to all Penn graduate students with an earnest interest in solving the climate crisis. It uses a yearly format and selective application process to assemble a diverse cohort representative of the university’s many graduate and professional programs. Each year we select twenty students from a 50-70 member applicant pool from all of Penn’s graduate schools.
The fellowship's core approach involves tailoring educational, professional, and social initiatives that foster connections and knowledge-sharing across the entirety of the university. This serves not only to enhance the climate-related expertise within the Penn graduate community but also to empower both the fellows and the broader community to effectively address the pressing climate crisis. Through consistent social gatherings, meaningful connections between fellows are cultivated, culminating in a robust and enduring network of Penn students and alumni dedicated to climate-related pursuits.
The fellowship experience encompasses a sequence of biweekly to monthly Masterclasses and Social Events during the fall and spring semesters. Ranging from 90 minutes to two hours, these classes revolve around specific thematic subjects, such as renewable energy or sustainable agriculture, and feature industry experts as speakers, supplemented by relevant educational materials. To maximize networking and participation, these masterclasses are offered both in-person and virtually. Attendance at these masterclasses is mandatory. The fellowship also offers supplementary educational opportunities with centers across Penn such as the Water Center, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Perry World House, among others, culminating in a capstone project due towards the end of the spring semester.
The fellowship's core approach involves tailoring educational, professional, and social initiatives that foster connections and knowledge-sharing across the entirety of the university. This serves not only to enhance the climate-related expertise within the Penn graduate community but also to empower both the fellows and the broader community to effectively address the pressing climate crisis. Through consistent social gatherings, meaningful connections between fellows are cultivated, culminating in a robust and enduring network of Penn students and alumni dedicated to climate-related pursuits.
The fellowship experience encompasses a sequence of biweekly to monthly Masterclasses and Social Events during the fall and spring semesters. Ranging from 90 minutes to two hours, these classes revolve around specific thematic subjects, such as renewable energy or sustainable agriculture, and feature industry experts as speakers, supplemented by relevant educational materials. To maximize networking and participation, these masterclasses are offered both in-person and virtually. Attendance at these masterclasses is mandatory. The fellowship also offers supplementary educational opportunities with centers across Penn such as the Water Center, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, Perry World House, among others, culminating in a capstone project due towards the end of the spring semester.
