EPM's Policy Clinic: Providing Students with Hands-On Experience
A hallmark of the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management is the annual Policy Clinic, a capstone class where student teams partner with environmental organizations to address an environmental policy or natural resources management issue. The Clinic, overseen by Instructor Abre' Conner, prepares students to enter the workforce by providing an opportunity to gain practical experience, build a professional network and develop key project management skills.
Around 30 students enroll in the Policy Clinic per year. On average, six or seven projects are selected for the Clinic each year by Conner and EPM's Executive Director, Jessica Penrose, based on fit, feasibility, student skill level and interest. Students begin coordinating with clients in November, with the projects officially beginning in January. Students have dedicated class time to work on the project as well as learn about important topics such as environmental justice, community engagement, greenwashing and professional skills critical to developing their projects.
Hands-on, experiential learning
This year's Clinic featured six projects covering topics including salmon in the San Joaquin River Basin, greening schoolyards in the state of California, evaluating farmworker's access to workplace rights, examining how climate change policy affects supply chains, restoring blue carbon ecosystems and exploring AI use in recycling. Stay tuned for more in-depth articles on each project to be published over the summer.
After working on the projects for 20 weeks, each team presented their findings at the annual Environmental Policy Symposium, sponsored by the UC Davis Institute of the Environment. Held earlier this month at the UC Davis International Center, the Symposium welcomed over 85 guests, including local professionals, students, faculty and staff. The evening ended with a reception and networking hour.
The future of recycling
The UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Science (CAES) published an article last week featuring EPM's Policy Clinic and highlighting the team who explored AI use in recycling. The team included Sophia Collins, May Myo Myint, Morgan Hickey and Tara Khan, who worked in partnership with the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, also known as CalRecycle. CalRecycle is tasked with implementing SB 54, a law that aims to reduce single-use plastics and encourage recycling, AI and robotics may play an important role in managing the issue.
The student team interviewed professionals working at materials recovery facilities (MRFs) using AI and those not, as well as haulers, trade groups and community members in the Bay Area. The goal was to identify challenges, barriers, benefits and identify the motivations as to why AI should be implemented. The team's results were summarized in a final report provided to CalRecycle, which can be viewed in the article linked below.
Looking ahead
A request for proposals for the 2025 Policy Clinic will be released in early July 2024. Partner benefits include:
- New ideas and perspectives from interdisciplinary graduate students
- Receive high-level deliverables based on your needs
- Develop a hiring pipeline to skilled graduate students near graduation
- No geographic limitations, proposals are accepted from organizations in and outside California
- No expectation of funding
Sign up for our newsletter to make sure you receive the RFP. You can see more information, example proposals and read more about previous projects here.
Contact:
Jessica Penrose, Executive Director japenrose@ucdavis.edu