Climate Action Teaching Fellowship

The Climate Action Teaching Fellowship invites university instructors from all disciplines to engage their students in addressing real-world climate challenges in a partner city. This fellowship enables instructors to adapt existing project or research requirements within their courses to focus on specific climate-related problem sets defined by the city. Student work will directly contribute to the city's climate action goals, with potential for projects to be handed off to subsequent student groups or City Hall teams for continued development and implementation. The fellowship emphasizes close collaboration with city government counterparts to ensure projects are relevant and impactful.

Objectives

• Facilitate student-led climate action projects within existing university courses, aligning with the partner city's local climate action plan.

• Foster active co-ownership and co-creation of project designs and implementation with relevant city government offices.

• Develop a teaching and learning model that supports effective project handover between student cohorts across academic terms, where applicable.

• Promote knowledge sharing by disseminating project outcomes, encouraging collaboration with other universities and cities.

• Build the capacity of city departments to utilize innovative solutions developed through university coursework.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to university instructors in any discipline who are willing to:

• Adapt existing project or research requirements in their courses to address climate-related challenges in a partner city.

• Commit to collaborative problem-solving with city government staff.

• Foster student engagement in real-world issues.

Responsibilities

• Mentor and guide students in the design, development, and implementation of climate action projects within the context of their course.

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with counterpart staff in relevant city government offices.

• Oversee project planning and execution, ensuring alignment with course objectives and city needs.

• Facilitate the documentation and dissemination of project outcomes.

• Support students in presenting their work to city officials and community stakeholders (where feasible).

Benefits

• Enable students to make a tangible contribution to climate action in a partner city.

• Enrich course content with real-world relevance and impact.

• Build a network of collaborators focused on urban climate solutions.

• Gain recognition for contributions to climate resilience and sustainability.

• Access to unique research opportunities and data related to the partner city’s climate challenges.

Project Themes

Projects should align with the partner city’s local climate action plan and can be tailored to various disciplines. Examples include:

• Urban planning courses developing climate-resilient neighborhood designs.

• Engineering courses designing sustainable infrastructure solutions.

• Business courses creating business plans for climate-friendly enterprises.

• Communication courses developing public awareness campaigns on climate issues.

• Data science courses analyzing climate data to inform city planning.

How to Apply

Interested instructors should submit:

• A CV or resume.

• A cover letter outlining their relevant teaching experience and a brief proposal describing how they plan to adapt an existing course project/assignment to align with a partner city's climate challenge.

• A sample course syllabus or project description.

• (Optional) Examples of past community-engaged or project-based learning initiatives.

Teaching Fellows are encouraged to collaborate with a small unit at the city government level and actively co-design and prototype projects over a one to two year period. Click here for Videos on a Teaching Fellow's Journey. 

Sample Impact-Oriented Course Designs

Engaging Universities to do Impact-oriented Programs