Douglas Copeman
Our project looked to give undergraduate mathematics students at the University of Edinburgh greater confidence in solving climate related problems. My role involved a detailed search of climate-related resources both internal to the university and publicly available, that could integrate into an undergraduate mathematics course. Within the team of Goncalo, Foteini and myself we wrote a paper providing a map of these resources and along with providing workshop question proposals to specific University of Edinburgh mathematics course organisers.
I learned a great deal working in a team of people from such diverse career stages. This generated both a great pool of ideas as well as some interesting social challenges to navigate and learn from. This experience has been invaluable this year as I seek a career in climate-related geophysical fluid dynamics.
The project was transformational and it would not have been possible without the Earth Fellows. We built from the ground up the resources palette needed to embed sustainability in the undergraduate maths curriculum and also generated buy-in from staff. – Dr Goncalo Dos Reis, Reader, School of Mathematics
Jessica Chacko
I have been supporting Failure Modes of Engineering (FeME), an EPSRC-funded collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and Heriot-Watt University focused on engineering equitable solutions for climate change. In this capacity, I clean and summarise key insights from FeME’s inaugural Climate Challenge event to inform future programming. One of my biggest takeaways is the important gap FeME fills by creating community amongst professionals in engineering, academics, industry, and policy who are committed to bettering their practice.
I learned about how unilaterally implemented engineering interventions, even with good intentions, can fail when they overlook the affected community’s history, especially when it is intertwined with colonialism. Building trust is an essential step in creating any intervention. I aim to carry this lesson with me through my career by ensuring the projects I support are developed alongside end-users.
Jessica came on board as a FeME Earth Fellow at exactly the right moment. The Climate Challenge 2025 generated an enormous amount of rich, messy, meaningful data — transcriptions, surveys, participant reflections, session outputs — and it needed someone with the patience and skill to turn that into something the team could actually use. She helped ensure that what happened in the Climate Challenge is woven into FeME events and operations going forward. – Johanna Holton, Project Manager, Failure Modes of Engineering
Foteini Dervisi
As an Earth Fellow, I contributed to the development of a curriculum-aligned resource map for embedding climate science and sustainability into undergraduate mathematics. Our team searched across textbooks, articles, and online repositories, categorising materials and assessing their adoptability. A key finding was that integration opportunities extend beyond obviously applied courses. The project, carried out with collaborators at the University of Edinburgh and Queen Mary University of London, led to a research paper offering a practical guide for instructors.
The most striking realisation was that the barrier to embedding climate and sustainability in the mathematics curriculum is not a lack of material but its discoverability. Beyond reinforcing the value of practical, instructor-focused research, this work will help the University align its curriculum with its regenerative sustainability strategy.
The project was transformational and it would not have been possible without the Earth Fellows. We built from the ground up the resources palette needed to embed sustainability in the undergraduate maths curriculum and also generated buy-in from staff. – Dr Goncalo Dos Reis, Reader, School of Mathematics
Gina Constable
My role in sustainability outreach and behaviour change focuses on increasing engagement and awareness of the Sustainability Champions Network, Green Hub and Sustainability Rewards app. The University has a wonderful community passionate about sustainability and biodiversity, however this and broader sustainability initiatives are largely unknown to students. We’ve been building a framework to increase engagement among students, through hosting events, gaining student feedback surrounding the Green Hub as a space for sustainability and increasing visibility through social media and pop-ups.
Sometimes it can be easy to become disillusioned and feel that we are alone in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, but I have learnt that all around us there are people that care deeply and are trying their best to make the world a better, more sustainable place. Through working together, we can create change.
Gina’s persistent, audience-centred approach across The Green Hub and Sustainability Champions Network has been critical in building a foundational understanding of effective student engagement. Their data-informed work has identified emerging best practice and is shaping the methods we’ll use to scale activity next year and beyond, rebuilding a stronger framework for future engagement. – Lauren McLeron, Behaviour change programme manager, Department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability