By Shannon Dickey & Marjorie Kaplan
As a partner in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northeast Climate Hub, Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute (RCEI) hosted the USDA Graduate Student Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Partners (GradCAMP) scholars workshop May 14-15, 2024. Twenty graduate student fellows from across the region met at Rutgers University-New Brunswick campus to create Climate Equity Factsheets and hear from leaders about Equity and Justice Careers.
RCEI also connected the GradCAMP scholars with organizations dedicated to building resilient communities in New Jersey. Site visits included Rutgers University’s Gardens and Farm which distributes fresh produce to students in need of access to nutrient-dense food, and tours of Rabbit Hole Farm and the Garden of Hope (both in Newark, NJ) to obtain insights into local climate equity issues.
GradCAMP is a year-long program for graduate students in the Northeast region studying climate adaptation and/or mitigation on working lands or waters in the Northeast with a special interest in climate equity and justice. Throughout the program, scholars work alongside the USDA Northeast Climate Hub leadership and staff at West Virginia State University. The first half of the program features monthly virtual meetings with guest-speakers and the last half concludes with students working together to present their own research. The workshop was the culmination of their year-long program.
The scholars produced a webinar series known as Climate Equity in Working Lands/Waters, which has been made publicly available as a resource on the USDA Climate Hub webpage.
