UHPSI staff connects students with on-the-ground conservation and land management projects supported by western collaborators throughout the year. These impactful projects and collaborations are made possible through three programs engineered to allow students to build their skills and knowledge while also supporting a western organizations work.jects tend to be interdisciplinary and include biophysical, social, economic, cultural, and policy topics.
Western Community and Connection
Join us for ongoing events celebrating networking, connection, and community among those interested in the West at Yale! Contact scott.carpenter@yale.edu with questions.
A partner-driven project that matches students with western leaders in need of conservation assistance in order to develop practical solutions.
Students work in pairs to tackle a diversity of interdisciplinary projects that span and intersect biophysical, social, economic, cultural, and policy topics. Students typically work 3-5 hours/week and are paid while completeing projects during September-May from New Haven.
- To learn more about this program, please visit here
- Students interested in these paid positions are welcome to contact Michelle.downey@yale.edu to learn more. Positions are usually filled by mid-September. Info on how to apply will be available at the beginning of the semester.
- Western partners interested in collaborating, please contact program director at michelle.downey@yale.edu.
- Past research projects here
Field Practicums
Intensive practicums designed to engage a team of students in field-based experiential learning
Prescribed Fire and Landowner Engagement Field Trip
UHPSI at Yale F&ES partnered with Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma to offer students participation in a 4-5 day field-based field trip. Trip usually takes place during early January or spring break. Noble’s Land Stewardship team is skilled in prescribed burn implementation, landowner engagement, range and wildlife management, and conservation practices. Students carry out several prescribed burns in grass- and shrub lands while learning learn how Noble successfully engages with landowners in implement conservation tools such as grazing, brush/habitat management, fire, and hunting to manage land in Texas and Oklahoma.
Land Management Field Practicum
A 2-week field practicum during early June designed to engage Yale students with students from 3 other universities (University of Wyoming, Sheridan College, and Texas A&M University- Kingsville) in a collaborative, decision-making process to address a western, natural-resource issue. Practicum involves lectures, field data collection, and communication with diverse stakeholders to produce a conservation deliverable. This experiential, service-learning practicum engages students in applied problem solving with people of different backgrounds, skillsets, and perspectives. Each year the team addresses a issue that a group of western organizations are seeking more information on. Student then spend the fall summarizing data and authoring a report to guide land management decisions.
A student-driven query involving research, an internship, or management project during the summer. Students are placed within a peer-mentoring framework to address a western conservation challenge of their choosing.
- Applications are due early March
- Students can be awarded up to $5,000 for their work
- Past fellowships found here
- Student Blog
