Maggie O’Donnell ’19 is the research and program associate at The Climate Museum in New York City, where she coordinates new aspects of the Museum’s online presence including the Online High School Internship Program and the Climate Ambassador Card. Maggie was a religion and environmental studies major and art history minor at Wesleyan and a member of our 2018-19 COE Think Tank.
wes students earn master gardener certification

First-year students enrolled in ENVS125F/Community Gardening, taught by Rosemary Ostfeld ’02, assistant visiting professor of environmental studies, in spring 2021, became University of Connecticut Certified Master Gardeners this fall, thanks to a partnership by the College of the Environment, Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, and the UConn Extension Master Gardener Program.
wagner explores climate policy through econ lens
Climate economist Gernot Wagner shared his views on the current state of U.S. and global climate policy during a public virtual event sponsored by the College of the Environment on October 20.
wes celebrates the return of pumpkin fest!

On Saturday, October 16, members of the Wesleyan and greater Middletown communities attended the student-organized 2021 Pumpkin Fest at Long Lane Farm. The event was made possible with support from the College of the Environment and the Green Fund.
edwards ’21 contributes to higher ed toolkit for displaced students
Lizzie Edwards ’21 (she/her) double majored in Anthropology and Environmental Studies and minored in Middle Eastern Studies. While at Wesleyan, her senior capstone project, Politics of Thirst: Privatized Water, the Shadow State, and Citizenship Claims in Jordan, examined how water has become a key medium in which state responsibility is being privatized as well as the water access of refugees, low-income Jordanians, and elite residents. Here she shares her experience volunteering with the Student Voices for Refugees program of the University Alliance for Refugees & At-Risk Migrants (UARRM).
colson-fearon ’22 explores urban farming in baltimore
Every year, the COE awards fellowships to fund summer research opportunities for Wesleyan students across all majors and class years. Brionna Colson-Fearon ’22 is a biology and psychology double major who conducted a qualitative study looking at food apartheid in Baltimore, Maryland, and the role urban farming plays in increasing access to healthy food in the city. The research is a part of her ongoing interests in obesity and public health outcomes of African American communities in urban contexts. Colson-Fearon received the 2022 Clendeninn Prize for her outstanding work and contributions as a biology major at Wesleyan.
mountaineer byers joins coe as visiting bailey prof

Alton C. Byers, Ph.D. is a mountain geographer, conservationist, and mountaineer specializing in applied research, high-altitude ecosystems, climate change, glacier hazards, and integrated conservation and development programs. He is a senior research affiliate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the 2021-22 Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment.