Mellon Community Stations Fellowship
Community-based field research through a climate justice lens
Apply HereTraining undergraduates to conduct field-based climate action research and contribute to community capacity building
The year-long Mellon Community Stations Fellowship (MCSF), made possible by funding from the Mellon Foundation, is a continuation of the long-running—now retired—Blum Summer Field Internship (BSFI). BSFI was established in 2014 with generous funding from University of California Regent Richard C. Blum and the UC Office of the President, to enable dozens of UC San Diego undergraduates to participate each summer in immersive, team-based field research in the UC San Diego Community Station sites, located in four disadvantaged communities across the San Diego–Tijuana border region.
The aim of the Mellon Community Stations Fellowship is to foster undergraduate skills in field-based climate action research and relationship building with community partners. Fellows contribute to capacity building in community-based organizations through direct engagement and the development of a strong research portfolio.
This year-long, paid fellowship provides professional development and academic research opportunities for undergraduates through project-based field work at the UC San Diego Community Stations, a public scholarship initiative of the UC San Diego Center on Global Justice (CGJ). Field work is centered around two modalities: (1) Mentorship to local youth and (2) Collaborative work on a research project that contributes to larger CGJ goals.
The application for the 2025-2026 cohort opens in February and current sophomores and juniors at UC San Diego are encouraged to apply. Accepted Fellows are hired, trained and onboarded with CGJ as paid undergraduate researchers for the academic year (see schedule below in “Fellowship Sequence”). As this opportunity involves developing long-term connections with community partners, full participation is expected. Partial participation due to academic conflicts will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Similarly, progression quarter-to-quarter will be contingent on successful completion of program requirements. Full participation entails a minimum of 5 hours per week in the field and attendance at the 2 hour studio session each week during the Fellowship period. Field schedules are fairly flexible and TBD.
Research Initiatives
The Center carries out highly interdisciplinary research and programming projects, and as such your opportunities for research vary accordingly:
Watershed Mapping and Adaptation Planning
Fellows engage in social-ecological watershed mapping as their primary mode of field research. The goals of watershed mapping are to (1) inform locally-specific plans for social risk reduction, ecological resilience, and climate adaptation for urban canyons in San Diego and Tijuana (2) prioritize underserved communities with low ecological resilience, lack of historic investment, and high potential for provision of ecosystem services addressing relevant local risks and (3) link residents, students, non-profits, and local governments through collaborative priority-setting, multi-benefit policy recommendations, and outreach around collective implementation.
Youth Climate Literacy & Mentorship
Fellows serve as mentors to youth as their primary mode of field work while conducting research on topics including youth leadership, social-emotional development, environmental education and climate action. In the field at EarthLab, Fellows are trained to engage youth participants in environmental education based on a model of mentorship and social connection.
Urban Ecologies of Design
Fellows work in the studio and at Community Stations to advance research on equitable green urban development with a particular focus on the San Diego–Tijuana border region. Fellows with an interest in blue-green infrastructure, speculative design, and urban planning will align well with this initiative.
Fellowship Sequence
Summer: Orientation to Community-Based Field Work
10 weeks
Monday, June 23, 2025 – Friday, August 29, 2025
Training for field assignments begins. For mentors, this will include mentoring youth on-site beginning week 3. All Fellows start thinking about project directions and summer concludes with a presentation of project briefs to community partners and CGJ staff. Fellows will be working 20 hrs per week.
Fall: Drafting a Project Proposal
10 weeks
Monday, September 29, 2025 – Friday, December 5, 2025
Field work is in full swing as Fellows begin developing relationships with key stakeholders, including community partners. By the end of Fall quarter, Fellows are able to draft a full project proposal, collect feedback from stakeholders, and present a working proposal to community partners and CGJ staff.
Winter: Project Progression
10 weeks
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 – Friday, March 13, 2026
Fellows begin work on their research projects. Data collection is in progress as relationships with community partners deepen. Fellows present progress updates to community partners and CGJ staff.
Spring: Presenting Your Work
9 weeks
Monday, March 30, 2026 – Friday, May 29, 2026
Fellows prepare to analyze, make sense of, and communicate their findings to multiple audiences. Studio sessions prepare Fellows to confidently and effectively translate their work into next steps for their career. Spring culminates in a Fellow Symposium in late May.
Contact Us
To inquire about our Mellon Community Stations Fellowship, contact Amy Knight