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Sustainability Fellowships

The Trienens Institute and sustainNU oversee a project fellowship program, with funding support from Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner, and operator.

Facts & Figures

10
Fellowships Offered Annually
15 Hours
Amount of time students spend on projects per week
$5,000
Tuition Grant

Approximately 10 fellowships (x5 per quarter) are offered annually to Northwestern students to gain real-world experience in energy management and sustainability, furthering the University’s mission to support hands-on experiential learning and contribute to thought leadership, while also enabling students to engage with the physical environment and grow as leaders in these dynamic fields.

Project teams are selected through a competitive application process for ten-week fellowships during the fall and winter academic quarters. Undergraduate seniors, and all graduate students, are eligible to apply during each application cycle (rising seniors and fall-matriculating incoming graduate students are eligible to apply for the summer projects; students must be enrolled in courses during the period of their fellowship to be eligible).

The selection committee aspires to have one energy-focused project, and one sustainability-focused project annually. Preference is usually given to projects that support community needs in the Evanston, Chicago, and broader Midwest areas.

Selected students will spend approximately 15 hours per week on their project, working closely with a faculty advisor. The project client will meet weekly with student project teams to provide data, answer questions, and help manage project scope and deliverables.

Students will receive a $5,000 tuition grant to their student account the quarter following the completion of their fellowship (e.g. posted in the winter for fall projects, and in the spring for winter projects).

Upcoming Project

Winter 2025

Project Topic: Establishing a Net Zero Manufacturing District

APPLY (BY DEC. 1)

Project Synopsis: This project aims to work with a major tenant of the Kinzie Planned Manufacturing District to assess their current environmental footprint and identify available technologies, policies and incentives from utilities and government agencies that would enable them to reduce their footprint. The project also entails building a case study that can be used to engage other stakeholders within the Kinzie Planned Manufacturing District. The project will include establishing baselines for emissions, energy & water use, research into available technologies & sources of funding, modeling economic return on investment and developing a set of recommendations and engagement strategy for the broader district.

Project Client: mHub

Key Questions:

  • What is the target partner’s current environmental footprint from its operations?
  • What technologies would allow the target partner to reduce its footprint? How would these investments be economically viable?
  • How can mHub use this partner’s case study as the basis for establishing Kinzie PMD as a net zero manufacturing district?

 

Important Dates:

  • Monday, November 11, 2024 – application opens at 9:00 a.m. CT​
  • Sunday, December 1, 2024 – application due by 11:59 p.m. CT​
  • Monday, December 9, 2024 – fellowship teams notified​
  • Monday, January 6, 2025 – fellowship begins (first day of winter quarter)

 

Contact Information

For more information, please email mses@northwestern.edu.

News Coverage

Past Projects

Looking for past sustainability fellowship projects? Visit the past projects page to explore previous projects. 

Past Projects