In the Media

Three University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) PhD students have been honored for their work. All are members of SEAS Associate Professor Bilal Butt’s Critical Environmental Geopolitics Research Group.

Marlotte de Jong (MS ’18, PhD ’25) is the recipient of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2024 Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. This prestigious fellowship in Washington, D.C., is designed to “learn about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation.” The first SEAS student to receive this award, de Jong previously was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Award for her doctoral dissertation in Kenya, where she examines the challenges of livelihood and environmental insecurity among smallholder households.

Hana Manjusak (PhD ’28) is the recipient of the 2024-2025 University of Michigan Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES) and U.S. Department of Education (US/ED) Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship. The fellowship is awarded to “meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies.” She is also the recipient of the William A. and Shirley P. Yolles Graduate Fund for Research on Humanitarianism.

Ember McCoy (MS ’17, PhD ’25) is the recipient of U-M’s 2024 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. This prestigious award recognizes “the efforts and accomplishments of GSIs who demonstrate extraordinary dedication and excellence as teachers.” McCoy is the first SEAS student to receive the award in the last decade. She previously received an extremely competitive National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award for her research on air pollution and environmental justice in low-income communities in Detroit, Michigan.