As we prepare to welcome our new Fellows to the Switzer Network at the fall retreats, we'd like to take this opportunity to ask all Fellow alumni to make sure your Switzer profile is up to date.  To do this, just take a moment and go to the Fellows' Directory on our website, and go to your profile page.  If your current affiliation or your bio are not current, please send updated information as soon as possible.  Why take a moment to do this?  We have several good reasons!

• New Fellows want to meet you.  We are hard at work connecting new Fellows with alumni for networking, career advice, and topical common interests.  This is harder to do when your bios are not current, since we rely on the Directory to know what you're up to. 
• When someone Googles you, your Switzer profile will show up in the top 3 or 5 search results.  It really will!  So please use that to your advantage and keep your profile up to date!
• Our website gets an impressive amount of traffic.  People are interested in Switzer Fellows and are increasingly recognizing this Network as a resource of expertise. You can help us maintain this relevance by keeping your profile up to date.

You can update the information yourself if you log in to the site, or you can send your updated information to Don Brackett.  If you want to update your headshot, please email your horizontal photo to Lauren Hertel.  Thanks in advance for taking a few moments to help us help you! 

Just a brief reminder that we will be accepting concept letters for the Leadership Grant Program only in the spring 2017 cycle.  Our fall 2016 cycle has been suspended for this year. 



Our Network Innovation Grant Program is unchanged.  We will still review smaller (less than $5,000) requests on a rolling basis.  Requests for more than $5,000 will be reviewed on a quarterly basis in accordance with our board meeting schedule.  Deadlines are posted on our website.



Professional Development Grants, which offer up to $500 for Fellows to attend conferences or important meetings, are also unchanged and we will continue to review those requests on a rolling basis.



Please contact Erin for questions about any of our grant programs.

Fellows at ESA annual meeting 2015

There are a number of national (and international) conferences throughout the year which regularly attract Switzer Fellows.  Whenever possible, we try to facilitate Fellows getting together at these conferences as a way to network with each other and find community.  Here is a short list of upcoming conferences, but please let us know if there are others!  Please contact Erin if you will be attending any of these:



Greenbuild Conference, Los Angeles, CA, October 5-7th

SXSW Eco, Austin, TX, October 10-12th

Bioneers, San Rafael, CA, October 21-23rd

Land Trust Alliance Rally, Minneapolis, MN, October 28-30th

American Public Health Association annual meeting, Denver, CO, October 29-November 2nd

COP 22, Marrakech, November 7 - 18th

Sarah Hameed discusses the Marine Conservation Institute's proposed Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES) to address the growing threats faced by marine life.  GLORES will be a strategic network of strongly protected marine areas awarded designation according to science-based standards.



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Angel Hsu writes about the latest World Health Organization (WHO) global urban air pollution database.  She says the increases in coverage in air pollution measurement and reporting is encouraging, but the WHO numbers reveal that we still have a ways to go to construct a comprehensive and accurate picture of global air quality.



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Brian Bowen writes about the latest JD Power survey that shows utilities are increasingly getting it right on the customer satisfaction front, but says a rising tide leads to even more competition for the utility industry's top spots.



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Heather Coleman, Climate Change Manager for Oxfam America, writes we need to chart a more coherent climate finance policy agenda and determine how progress on climate will be measured.



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You could say that Amanda Beal, who was just announced as the new president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust, came by her interest in farming policy naturally.



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Marissa McMahan is working with Maine locals and Venetian fishermen to turn the invasive green crab into a gourmet dish known in Italy as moleche.



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