Support

Apply to the Sawkins Fund

We encourage all members of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences community to consider applying for funding to achieve outreach and engagement goals. The application is open to all students, staff, faculty and adjuncts in the department. 

Proposals will be reviewed for merit and compatibility with stated purpose of the endowment as given above by a committee composed of five members of the Executive Outreach Committee, including the chair and one representative each from the faculty, staff, graduate-, and undergraduate student bodies. Reviewers are expected to recuse themselves from the committee during funding cycles in which they are applying – in such cases an alternate will be appointed.

1. Applications must be made using the official Google Form at this link.  The form requests name and contact information for the PI and names for co-PIs, the goal of your project (1000 character limit), a timeline (500 character limit) and budget, and a project description (3000 character limit). A PDF version of the project description can be uploaded instead, but should adhere to the same text limit. Applications may include more than one PI, but one PI should be the point-of-contact for communicating with the committee.

2. There is currently no limit on requests, but funding will be limited to activities in the current or next academic semester. Project funding can be renewed in future academic years, pending a new application for each year that funding is sought for. No multiyear funding commitments will be made.

3. Although there is currently no limit on awards, the committee will strive to fund as many proposals as possible; in order to do so the committee may reach out to an applicant/ applicants to inquire whether they are willing to proceed with a project if only partial funding is available.

4. Awardees are expected to provide a one page report on the activities performed under the auspices of the award; reported activities will be shared with the fund donors and featured on the Department website. Awardees are expected to share materials such as hands-on-lab instructions, instructional videos, and the like produced with Sawkins funding on the outreach committee Google Drive to the benefit of the department’s collective outreach and engagement activities.

Previous Programs Supported by the Sawkins Fund

2023 Awardees

Outreach through Science and Art showcase

Due to the success of the first event, a second Science and Art showcase was hosted on the 3rd floor of Tate Hall in 2023. This provided a space to showcase student-created artwork centered on science-related themes and explore the potential of art to communicate abstract science ideas to a diverse audience. 

Dinosaur soundscapes: modeling sounds produced by hadrosaurs and ankylosaurs

Funding supported the creation of the hadrosaur instrument which was used in the Minnesota Science Museum’s “Dino Fest” in summer 2023. This project continues as it is scheudled to be installed as a walk-through soundscape exhibit at the Fern Room at Como Conservatory in October 2024. 

Building University-Community Relationships for Environmental Justice Summit

A second Community Environmental Justice Workshop was held in Spring 2023 at the Phillips community center. The goals for the workshop were to initiate and support meaningful relationships between researchers at the University and Twin Cities communities marginalized within the sciences by centering the community in research and development. An additional focus was on building awareness, understanding, and capacity for community-centered research and engagement.  There were 14 community partners from 11 different organizations and 18 researchers from the University of Minnesota who attended the workshop. 

Northern MN Trail Design and Installation project

The project includes development of a geologic trail at Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park for educational outdoor activities, content for the visitor center, and an interactive online platform with information, photos, and videos, accessible to visitors before they arrive. Funding supported two field trips— May and October 2023—to select representative outcrops for a geologic trail and develop a trail design. Geologic content is being developed in collaboration with K-12 educators to use as part of Earth science education with a potential field trip component to Soudan State Park.

2022 Awardees

Science Communication Writing Workshop

This weekly 5-session virtual workshop was aimed at department members interested in gaining skills in making academic writing more accessible. Participants applied writing strategies to specific writing that they were working on. The workshop began with a session catered to the themes identified by applicants and followed with sessions that used a hands-on approach in which individuals or small groups had time for peer-review. The workshop culminated in one-on-one feedback time with a writing consultant. The two facilitators were Clare Boerigter (UMN/SAFL) and Rob Ulrich (UCLA). 

Outreach through Science and Art Showcase

This project provided a space to showcase student-created artwork centered on science-related themes and explore the potential of art to communicate abstract science ideas to a diverse audience. The exhibit consisted of 2 main components: an in-person gallery on the 3rd floor of Tate Hall and an online platform. The 3rd floor gallery was on display for one week ahead of the UMN Earth Student Research Symposium. During this time, the public was able to visit the gallery during Tate Hall’s public access hours. During the Symposium, attendees were able to view art and interact with artists during 2 afternoon sessions. 

2021 Awardees

AGU "Communicating Science with Any Audience" Workshop

In October the department hosted AGU Sharing Science to facilitate a virtual 4-hour science communication workshop focused on talking about Earth Sciences to diverse audiences via multiple types of media, mediums, and modes. The workshop included presentations, virtual handouts of resources, and opportunities to develop science stories and messages and practice them by engaging in role play with mock audiences.

Building University-Community Relationships for Environmental Justice Summit

In Fall 2021, the team hosted a summit between ESCI and Twin Cities environmental community organizations to build awareness, understanding, and capacity for meaningful community engagement through research and curriculum development. The event brought together19 department members and 23 members of environmental community organizations including neighborhood associations, urban gardening organizations, youth outdoor programs, and water rights activist groups.