Carson Scholars 2024: A Year in Review

Looking back on 2024, we realize that the Carson Scholars Program has done a lot that’s worth celebrating. From research to outreach, workshops to publications, retreats to graduations, our scholars and mentors have put a lot of effort into improving science communication in our local and global communities. 

Carson Scholars in 2024

Between the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 Carson Scholars Cohorts, we had a total of 29 scholars representing 8 University of Arizona colleges and 20 degree programs in 2024 including:

• College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Geography Ph.D
  • Archaeology Ph.D
  • History Ph.D
  • Creative Writing MFA (emphasis: poetry)
• College of Science
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D
  • Geosciences Ph.D
  • Atmospheric Science Ph.D
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology Ph.D
• College of Public Health
  • Environmental Health Sciences Ph.D
  • Health Behavior & Health Promotion Ph.D
• College of Fine Arts
  • Photography, Video, and Imaging MFA
  • Illustration & Design MFA
• College of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences
  • Environmental Science Ph.D
  • Natural Resources Ph.D
• College of Engineering
  • Civil and Architectural Engineering Ph.D
  • Biosystems Engineering Ph.D
  • Chemical Engineering Ph.D
• College of Humanities
  • East Asian Studies Ph.D
• James E. Rogers College of Law
  • Law JD
• Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP)
  • Genetics Ph.D

Most of these scholars will be completing their graduate degrees in or after Spring 2025, but we had a few complete their degrees in 2024. We are excited to see where these students end up and how their Carson Scholars training will play into their professional and academic careers. 

Scholar Financial Support

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, the Carson Scholars Program was able to award a total of $72.5k in stipends to Carson Scholars across the 2023 and 2024 cohorts. This money went toward supporting the scholars general living expenses and educational expenses such as research materials, conference attendance, books, and more. Thanks to this support, Carson Scholars were able to devote more time and energy to their studies and pursue additional opportunities for growth. 

This year, we were also able to reinstate the Rafe Sagarin Travel Grant after a 3 year hiatus due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions. This grant was established in 2016 to honor the memory of former Carson Scholars mentor Dr. Rafe Sagarin. Funding from this grant is dedicated to helping students pursue travel related to their research for field work and/or outreach. We received 12 applications for this grant from current and former Carson Scholars who are still working toward their graduate degree. Thanks to our supporters’ generous donations, we were able to fully or partially fund all 12 requests for funding at a total of $11,200. These 12 scholars will be travelling nationally and internationally to collect research data, perform experiments in specialized facilities, attend and present at conferences, disseminate research, and provide tools to the public to promote environmental health and resilience within their own communities. Click here to learn more about how this year’s grant recipients used their funding to support resilience research and environmental communication.

We hope to continue financially supporting our Carson Scholars in their educational journeys for many years to come, but this support is not possible without the generosity of our Carson Scholars community. Please consider donating to the Carson Scholars Program to support current and future Carson Scholars.

Training and Workshops

Carson Scholars participated in several retreats, workshops, and training opportunities this year to improve their science communication and environmental storytelling skills. 

Scholars in both cohorts read and reflected on “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication” by Dr. Faith Kearns. In addition to reading this book, both cohorts had a multi-hour long workshop with Dr. Faith Kearns where they were able to engage in discussions that expanded upon what they read in the book. 

Scholars also participated in skill-building workshops with University of Arizona faculty including Dr. Diana Liverman (founder of the Carson Scholars Program), Dr. Rachel Gallery, Hea-Ream Lee, and Dr. Kevin Bonine. 

Our 2024-2025 cohort had a great retreat to the Biosphere 2 at the beginning of the year where they began editing essays for publication and working on their elevator speeches. Since the retreat, scholars have had several opportunities in Fall 2024 to continue supporting one another in editing their essays, speeches, and practicing their public speaking together. 

Public-Facing Communication

Former Carson Scholar Maria (Mery) Touceda-Suarez had her essay published on Terrain.org in May 2024. You can read her essay titled “A Microbial Ensemble” here. Our current Carson Scholars are working toward publication in Terrain.org as well. 

In 2024, Carson Scholars gave several public talks about their research in various venues including:

• SEES EarthWeek at the University of Arizona
• The Tucson Festival of Books 
• The Tumamoc Hill Boathouse

These talks were all free and open to the public, so Carson Scholars had the opportunity to speak with a wide variety of people including scientists, educators, students, families, and Tucson community members. 

Thank you!

Thank you to all of our dedicated scholars and mentors who have devoted so much time this year to expanding and improving science communication. 

Thank you to all of our guest speakers and workshop hosts who have provided extremely valuable learning opportunities for our scholars. 

Thank you to everyone who attended any Carson Scholars public events this year.

Thank you to all of our generous donors and program supporters.

We greatly appreciate all of you!

Stay up to date with the Carson Scholars Program

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