WISE Awarded $95,000 by UA Green Fund

April 4, 2018

The University of Arizona Green Fund recently awarded WISE $95,000 over two years to continue and expand the Bio/Diversity Project.  The Bio/Diversity Project aims to increase the diversity of voices included in discussions of environmental problems and the development of their solutions by creating a K-16+ and into the workforce pipeline.  In order to do so, WISE collaborates with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Friends of Saguaro National Park/Saguaro National Park, and K-12 schools and teachers in the Tucson metro area.  UA students are able to earn academic credit through 10 different UA units and gain valuable training and work experience serving as environmental science outreach interns as part of the program.  In this role, they work directly with K-12 teachers to develop and implement innovative lessons on biodiversity and the Sonoran desert in local schools, simultaneously increasing knowledge and fostering environmental stewardship.  The funding received from the Green Fund will allow WISE to expand the number of UA interns participating each year to about 45 and also enable us to offer paid positions for students to support the program and create direct connections between program partners/participants and the UA community.