Category Archives: Research

Knight Center’s Bruno Takahashi involved with report on health and climate change in South America: “Now that we know, we must act”

By Finn Hopkins

Dr. Bruno Takahashi, research director at the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism has been involved in the production and publication of a 2022 report that explores the intersection of climate change and public health in South America.

The 2022 South America report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change was published on March 28^th, 2023. The Lancet Countdown South America (LCSA) investigates links between public health and climate change in 12 countries in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and Suriname.

The LCSA is the product of 21 academic institutions and UN agencies with 28 researchers from various disciplines. The 2022 report seeks to provide evidence and support to decision makers to combat the climate challenges facing South America.

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Knight Center Documentary Grant competition for 2023

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The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism will award up to 3 grants of $3,500 each to support the making of environment-related documentaries (video, audio or other digital media) b MSU faculty-student teams.

Here are the essentials

Deadline for submission: March 14, 2023, at 5 p.m.
Decisions to be announced approximately March 20, 2023
Open to faculty and students from all departments at MSU.
Maximum award: $3,500 for 1 year.

These must be documentaries, not public service announcements or advocacy pieces.
The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism must be credited for underwriting the project.
The Knight Center will be entitled to use your documentary, including linking on our website and presentation in classes, workshops and other activities.
Allowable expenses include travel, essential equipment, supplies, pay for students and festival & competition entry fees. All expenditures must comply with MSU procedures and rules. Any equipment purchased remains the property of MSU. Grant funds must be expended with one year from the date of approval by MSU Contracts and Grants.

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Open call for 2023 proposals for high school journalism and environmental science collaborations

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To encourage collaboration between high school journalism and environmental science classes, we invite teachers to submit proposals for innovative class projects in which journalism students will report about field research by environmental science students. Our principal goals are:

to help young prospective journalists better understand and explain to the public how science is done
to help environmental science students learn to use the media to explain their work to the public.
To promote environmental and science journalism.

The Knight Center intends to award 1-year grants of $2,000 to up to 3 high schools: $1,000 to the journalism program and $1,000 to the environmental science program for equipment, software or scholarships. In addition, the Knight Center will pair each school with a professional journalist to serve as a mentor to participating students and teachers.

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Journalism students study cross-border environmental problems in Port Huron

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Environmental reporting students on the beach at Lakeport State Park

Students in Knight Center director Eric Freedman’s Environmental Reporting class spent a day in Port Huron, Michigan, to explore transborder U.S.-Canadian environmental problems, including the continuing cleanup of a toxic hot spot and the threat of invasive species.

Such problems – along with extreme weather events, air and water pollution, climate warming, wildfires and the like – pay no attention to national borders or political jurisdictions.

The St. Clair River separates Port Huron from Sarnia, Ontario. Both cities are on Lake Huron.

Learning about native plants along the Blue Water River Walk

The recent field visit, supported by a grant from MSU’s Canadian Studies Center, began with a 1-mile hike along the Blue Water River Walk led by Shari Faust and Lynnea McFadden of the Friends of the St. Clair River.

Running for about 40 miles, the river connects Lake Huron with Lake St. Clair. Continue reading →