think tank explores uncertain futures & risks

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Every academic year, the Bailey COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergraduate students, plus a noted scholar from outside the University, to gather together for the Think Tank: a yearlong discussion of a critical environmental issue. The 2025-2026 Bailey COE Think Tank features (left to right, top to bottom) Basak Kus, professor of government; climate policy expert Tim Sahay, assistant research scientist, Johns Hopkins University, and the 2025-26 Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Wesleyan; Hari Krishnan, Co-Chair, Global South Asian Studies, Professor of Dance; and Mitali Thakor, Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies.

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spring into garden fest!

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The Fourth Annual Garden Festival will be hosted by the Environmental Solidarity Network (ESN), The Shed, and the Bailey College of the Environment on Saturday, April 25th in the backyard of Russell House (350 High St, Middletown, CT 06457) from 12pm-4pm. 

Garden Fest started as a non-traditional thesis by Talia Zitner ‘23 for Earth Day, with student bands, art, and food. ESN and their many partners have turned the event into an annual tradition with an added component of social justice through tabling and fundraising.

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goh ’24: from wesleyan to washington

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Debbra Goh ‘24 (ENVS/RELI) recently completed a year-long James C. Gaither Junior Fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in Washington, DC. She is currently a research assistant for the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program there.

What research did you work on as part of the Gaither Junior Fellows program?
I finished my tenure as a junior fellow in summer 2025, but I continue to work as a Research Assistant in the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I contribute to a range of research initiatives spanning the program’s core focus. My work spans four main areas: the geopolitics of clean energy technology, climate mobility, climate activism, and climate adaptation.

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Turning Food Justice Into state Policy

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On Wednesday, February 3, Wesleyan was honored to welcome Randall Mel, Jr., director of Wellness and Nutrition Services for Middletown Public Schools, to facilitate a workshop about the state legislative process, food justice advocacy, and how students can get involved. Attended by members of food justice organizations from all across the state, as well as Wesleyan students and faculty, the workshop gave attendees concrete and actionable advice to begin influencing policy in Connecticut. The event was the first in a series of Activism & Advocacy Workshops being held this spring.

Mel drew from his personal experience as a food advocate working in the Middletown Public Schools, as well as with End Hunger CT. He began the workshop by going over the schedule and structure of the Legislature, emphasizing that even during small “budget adjuster” legislative sessions, like 2026, student voices can have a powerful impact on maintaining funding for important programs.

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CDMX: Dignity and Possible Futures

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Basak Kus

As part of our Bailey COE Think Tank’s ongoing work on disruption and futures that feel increasingly unpredictable, and more dystopian than hopeful, we (Basak Kus, Mitali Thakor, and Tim Sahay) headed to Mexico for a three-day excursion. The trip was short and intentionally dense. Curated by Tim and Mitali, it involved speaking with people working on climate policy; visiting one of the most discussed municipal experiments in contemporary urban governance—the Utopias initiative, created under the leadership of Mexico City’s widely popular mayor, Clara Brugada; and, last but not least, meeting with the esteemed scholar Paula Ricaurte, whose work on technology, power, and AI has been formative for Mitali’s thinking. As we took off from JFK, we were excited about what lay ahead.

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building a sustainable future

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This semester, Environmental Studies (ENVS), the academic arm of the Bailey College of the Environment, is offering a student forum called Constructing Sustainability: Solutions to the Environmental and Housing Crises. The forum aims to equip students with the ability to engage in and think critically about the interdisciplinary nature of the current “affordability” crisis. A major question posed to the class is, “How can we reconcile the pressing reality of the climate and ecological crises with urgent demands for affordable housing?”

The forum’s student leaders, Thalia Witkovsky ‘27 and Luca D’Agruma ‘27, designed the course as an introductory survey of the intersection of the major contemporary issues within the fields of housing, climate, and urban policy. A copy of the syllabus is linked here, if you’re interested in learning more. 

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wes grabs stars gold

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Wesleyan has just earned a AASHE STARS Gold sustainability rating (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).  This is the second time we’ve received Gold due in large part to the Sustainability & Environmental Justice Pedagogical Initiative’s expansion of these topics in the curriculum and the implementation work of Wesleyan’s Sustainability Strategic Plan. 

Wesleyan’s sustainability website includes links to past STARS reports and the 2026 report. Thank you to all on campus and within the community who helped to make these gains happen! 

from campus to the ct capitol

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On Wednesday, February 18, Wes students, faculty, and staff joined former state rep Christine Palm, founding director, The Active Voice, for From Campus to the Capitol: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Transforming Wesleyan Student Voices into Connecticut Environmental Policy Change. The event was sponsored by the Bailey College of the Environment.

2026 summer fellowship app now closed!

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The Bailey College of the Environment (COE) Research Fellowship Program allows current Wesleyan undergrads to undertake research on environmental topics under the guidance of a faculty mentor, either during the summer or during fall or spring semesters. Projects must relate to any of the broad themes covered by Environmental Studies and the Bailey COE. Fellowships are available to current Wesleyan juniors, sophomores and first-years, regardless of major, and may be undertaken at Wesleyan or anywhere in the world. Full summer research fellows will receive a total of $5250. Partial summer & fall or spring fellowships, also available. Deadline for all, for 2026: February 25, Need more info? Email lkenney01@wesleyan.edu.