UMSI student named Dow Sustainability Fellow
Monday, 02/05/2024
By Abigail McFeeRachael Zuppke, a graduate student in the University of Michigan School of Information, has been named a 2024 Dow Sustainability Fellow. Supported by the Dow Company Foundation and administered by the Graham Sustainability Institute, the program is designed to foster collaboration across disciplines while encouraging sustainability leadership in different fields and sectors.
Zuppke, a first-year Master of Science in Information student, is among 32 fellows selected from twelve U-M schools and colleges through a competitive process. She will receive a $25,000 stipend, in addition to supplementary project funding and professional development opportunities.
“I was so excited to receive this news,” Zuppke said. “All I’ve wanted to do is interdisciplinary work, so that’s really what I’m seeking out as a student at UMSI, and the Dow convenes people from different disciplines to work on complex issues and sustainable solutions.”
From now until December 2024, Zuppke will work on a team with four other U-M students — from the Law School, School of Environment and Sustainability, and Civil and Environmental Engineering Department — to meet the needs of an external partner, the Coalition of Western Lake Erie Basin Partners.
“We will be working on improving coordination and fostering collaboration and resource sharing in the western Lake Erie watershed with the goal of reducing Lake Erie nutrient pollution,” Zuppke said. “It sounds like this is something the community has been asking for repeatedly.”
“We are delighted to welcome a talented new cohort of Dow Sustainability Fellows into this productive, highly selective program,” said Jennifer Haverkamp, Graham Family Director, in the award announcement. “Over the coming year, they will advance their external partners' sustainability goals and deepen their commitment to sustainability, preparing to promote a more sustainable future wherever life leads them after graduation.”