School of Arts and Sciences
Environmental Studies Program

Program Highlights

Faculty/Student News - 2026

We started the year by welcoming Dr. Sara Gomez as the new Director of the Environmental Studies Program. Having been a valued member of the program for many years, Dr. Gomez’s transition into this leadership role is both meaningful and well deserved. She is excited to guide ENVS into its next chapter and is deeply grateful for the support and guidance of Dr. Colin Orians, Biology Chair and former ENVS Director (2010-2025), faculty, and staff, throughout the transition.

This year, we also said good-bye to beloved ENVS Prof. Ninian Stein. Prof. Stein has mentored and taught hundreds of students during the last decade and has profoundly shaped the program, teaching signature courses such as ENV 1 Intro to Environmental Studies and ENV 135 Environmental Policy among others. We wish her the best!

To conclude the year, we graduated the class of 2026 that consisted of 48 majors and 24 minors - See some of the students in the Class of 2026 Yearbook here. 

Academic Awards

This year, 7 ENVS students were recognized for their achievements with Academic Awards:

  • Brianna Arce: Nancy W. Anderson Award for Environmental Sustainability 
  • Eli Brandt: Frederick M. and Dorie Ellis Prize
  • Jenny Hertzog: Audrey Butvay Gruss Science Award
  • Caroline Lever: Class Of 1942 Prize
  • Avery Newcomer: Adrian Misic Prize
  • Xander Pedersen: Ivan Galantic Special Achievement In Humanities Prize
  • Carly Segal: Donald A. Cowdery Memorial Award

ENVS Student Funding

One of Environmental Studies' main priorities is to support students' professional development. This year we proudly funded 23 ENVS students to conduct unpaid internship and research and to attend conferences and complete trainings. Here is an overview of the projects and recipients:


The Justin Packs Memorial Internship is a full-time, 10-weeks opportunity with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to honor ENVS alumn Justin Packs, A23. This year's inaugural recipient is Evan Kelly, A28, Applied Environmental Studies and Computer Science.

A new, endowed, Professional Development Fund was established last year thanks to the generous gift of an anonymous ENVS alum. This fund supports declared ENVS all year round. Students may apply for a $1600 stipend for unpaid internships/ research opportunities, or request reimbursement for project-related expenses, such as equipment, travel to conferences, or field work. This year we funded 13 ENVS students: 

  • Shani Dar - Tufts University, Prof. Ben Davies
  • Ruby Fairman - Environment Illinois
  • Diana Gaffner - Tufts Pollinator Initiative
  • Arianna Hellman - Green Governance Africa
  • Michelle Hung - Tufts University, Prof. Justin Hollander
  • Grace Maguire - Green Governance Zimbabwe
  • Gabrielle Ong - Adaviv 
  • Emilia Saldana - Powerful Pathways
  • Ilsiia Shakirova - Charles River Watershed Association
  • Bo Speirs - Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution
  • Ali Wawner - Waikōloa Dry Forest Preserve
  • Coco-Noel Williams - All Golden Beauty
  • Amanda Xu - Seaside Sustainability

Through the Career-Building Awards, we funded Madison Clowes, A26 to attend the 2026 Massachusetts Urban Farming Symposium.

Through the Tufts Summer Scholars, we funded 2 ENVS students to conduct summer research with Tufts faculty:

  • Ella Perin - Past and Future Practices in Land Engagements on Tufts' Campus. Advisor: Prof. Alex Blanchette 
  • Lenka Smiljanic - Human (Dis)Comfort in Tropical Architecture: Historic and Contemporary Responses to Heat in Singapore. Advisor:  Prof. Matthew Okazaki

 Through the Tufts Career Center Summer Internship Program, we funded 3 ENVS students to conduct unpaid internships. 

 Through the Tufts Pre-College Climate Resilience Institute, we funded 3 ENVS students to serve as course assistants.

  • Eli Brandt, A27 - Applied Environmental Studies
  • Madison Hagberg, A26 - Applied Environmental Studies
  • Serena Herold, A26 - Applied Environmental Studies

ENVS Student Capstone Projects

These are the students that conducted independent research this year as part of their major:

  • Liliana Boekhout – Strategic Electrification at Tufts: A Data-Driven Framework for Heat Exposure, Energy Demand, and Climate Resilience. Advisor: Prof. Ben Davies
  • Madison Clowes – Just Sustainabilities. Advisor: Prof. Julian Agyeman
  • Maya Lerner – Water Scarcity, Climate Change, and Economic Pressures: A Study of Community-Led Ice Stupa Systems in Pari Village, Pakistan. Advisor: Prof. Hassaan Khan
  • Elsa Schutt – Assessing the Effectiveness of Current Climate TV Advertising. Advisor: Prof. Julie Dobrow
  • Broden Walsh – Agricultural Cooperatives and Community Wellbeing: a case study of Common Goods Cooperative. Advisor: Prof. Silvia Bottinelli

ENVS Events

Environmental Studies is a vibrant student-centered program and as such, we aim to build community through a variety of events and initiatives. 
 

NEW - Environmental Writing and Storytelling Workshop

In partnership with the Film & Media Studies Program and Biology Department, we welcomed back Rosanna Xia, A11 — Pulitzer Prize finalist and environmental reporter for the Los Angeles Times — for a limited campus screening of her new documentary, followed by a small storytelling and writing workshop for ENVS and Biology students.
 
NEW - Environmental Studies Internship/Job Finding Workshop

This semester, in partnership with the Career Center, we hosted a Career Panel + Q&A session for our students featuring recent alumni ShaSha Kingston, A24, and Sierra Moll, A25, alongside senior Samara Haynes, A26 as panelists. Together, they shared insights into their career journeys, offered valuable advice on finding internships and jobs, and provided practical tips for building stronger internship and job applications.

15th Annual Environmental Photo Contest

Through our Undergraduate Environmental Photo Contest we invite all undergraduates to share their own interpretation of "environment". This year, we received 165 stunning photos from 36 participants. See top 3 photos here. Additionally, the top 10 photos will be displayed on the second floor of Barnum Hall for the next academic year.