Summer Institute on Climate and the Environment
We are a community invested in broad issues related to energy, the environmental, and sustainability, and a space that values diverse people, disciplines, perspectives, and experiences. Within this space, we engage with future and current thought leaders and societal influencers. Through conversation, critical thinking, and community engagement, we create and share knowledge to shape the future.
About SICE Heading link
The causes and effects of climate change make up a complex web that is difficult to understand. The decisions of businesses and governments in Washington DC, Beijing, and Brussels will impact island nations like Micronesia and Fiji, towns in rural Puerto Rico, and farmers in the US Midwest and across Africa. Our current and future decision-makers must be knowledgeable and thoughtful about their actions at home, at work, and in the ballot box.
The Summer Institute on Climate and the Environment (SICE) considers the complex story of climate change across an intense five-day boot camp that explores the theoretical and applied work of people invested in climate change resiliency, mitigation, and adaptation (SICE Scholars Program) and through a three-month summer applied research position (SICE Fellowship Program). SICE is the successor program to the Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy (SISE), which ran from 2011-2022 While SICE retains the drive to cultivate critical thinkers in an interdisciplinary environment, it integrates the topics of sustainability and energy into the most pressing issue of our time: climate change.
Summer 2023 Programs
SICE Scholars Program
Application Due Date: June 1, 2023
Program Dates: July 17-21, 2023
SICE Fellows Program
Application Due Date: April 15, 2023
Program Dates: May-July, 2023 (some flexibility)
Program Tracks Heading link
SICE Scholars
Location: University of Illinois Chicago
Application Due Date: June 1, 2023
Program Dates: July 17-21, 2023
SICE Scholars are undergraduate and graduate students looking for a condensed, intense opportunity to understand the intersectionality of climate change better. Scholars attend a five-day bootcamp where they develop an understanding of scientifically based explanations for climate change and current models for future climate impacts. This impact is broadened beyond the natural world to human society as Fellows consider the effects on society, from political and economic implications to community responses through direct action and the arts.
Application Requirements
An online application found here and a brief meeting with program leadership upon receipt of application. The application requires submission of a resume or CV and includes three essay questions (250 characters, including spaces):
- What about climate change interests and/or concerns you?
- What do you hope to do or learn at SICE?
- Have you participated in climate-related research or activities that you could share while at the program?
SICE Fellows
Location: University of Illinois Chicago, Humboldt Park Neighborhood
Application Due Date: April 15, 2023
Program Dates: May-July, 2023 (some flexibility)
SICE Fellows are advanced undergraduate and graduate students selected from a competitive pool of applicants to participate in a three-month summer collaboration with the Puerto Rican Agenda (PRA) subcommittee on climate change. Fellows attend the SICE Scholars Program and receive a $1,000 honorarium and reimbursement for Chicago-based travel expenses for their time working on applied community-directed climate change and sustainability research. Additionally, Fellows will also receive direct mentorship and participate in Fellows-only discussions and presentations.
Application Requirements
An online application found here and a brief meeting with program leadership upon receipt of application. The application requires submission of a resume or CV and includes three essay questions (250 characters, including spaces):
- What about climate change interests and/or concerns you?
- What do you hope to do or learn at SICE?
- Have you participated in climate-related research or activities that you could share while at the program?
Program Information Heading link
Eligibility
Undergraduate (2- and 4-year institutions) and graduate students are preferred, but anyone over the age of eighteen may apply to either or both programs. Anyone under the age of 18 may petition to participate in the SICE Scholars Program. Those admitted into the SICE Fellowship Program will automatically be part of the SICE Scholars Program.
Requirements
Aside from admissions requirements, which include an application and interview, those admitted into either the SICE Scholars or SICE Fellowship program are expected to attend for the full duration of the boot camp program. SICE Fellows may hold other part or full time jobs provided they ensure they can complete their collaborative work and commit to attending the boot camp.
Cost
SICE is free for undergraduate and graduate students to attend. Members of cooperating organizations and communities may also attend free of charge. Other individuals over the age of 18 may attend the SICE boot camp for a nominal fee which will go to support the attendance of SICE Scholars and Fellows. Applicants not based in Chicago may attend free of charge but will need to arrange for their own transportation and lodging in the city.