The Centers, Institutes and Initiatives

The Kathy and Steve Berman Western Forest and Fire Initiative (WFFI) is a socially engaged, problem-oriented research program focused on western forests, fires, and communities. Its goal is to improve society’s ability to manage western forests to mitigate the risks of large wildfires, revitalize human communities, and adapt to climate change.

Nearly all of the research conducted at the Center for Sustainable Systems involves the participation of students. Through Graduate Student Research Assistantships, hourly employment (including work-study) and volunteer positions, students have the opportunity to publish their research results in CSS reports, peer reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, CSS fact sheets and press releases.

Hosted by the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan, CIGLR consists of a Research Institute and a Regional Consortium that is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), universities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, we work to achieve environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the Great Lakes.

EMI offers students many opportunities to get involved, enhance their résumés and meet valuable contacts. EMI Fellows are hired every semester to work on a wide range of projects, from case study research to planning and teaching workshops on collaborative ecosystem management. You may also apply to become a GSRA and gain practical experience while significantly contributing to EMI. EMI supports Master's Projects every year, where students work with faculty to provide real products for clients.

The Erb Institute sponsors a renowned dual-degree program between SEAS and the Ross School of Business. As an Erb student, you will gain an understanding of the complexities associated with the issues of managing organizations with environmental, social and economic challenges. Ross and SEAS allow students the flexibility to tailor their course of study so that they are prepared to face the challenges of meeting the ideals and the realities of sustainable enterprise.

The Global Center is an innovative multinational endeavor committed to enhancing the resilience of at-risk communities in the face of the escalating global water crisis. Our mission is to address the escalating water crisis on a global scale. We are dedicated to understanding and mitigating this crisis by tailoring our efforts to the unique water resource management needs of different regions. Our focus extends to preparing communities and ecosystems within transboundary water systems for the challenges brought about by climate change.

GLISA integrates information from a wide array of scientific fields, develops collaborations between entities with similar goals, and helps inform decision makers throughout the region with sound science. GLISA offers a unique approach to building climate literacy, long-term sustainability, and facilitating smart decision making across the eight Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario.

The Institute for Fisheries Research (IFR) was established in 1930 as a formalized cooperation between the Michigan Department of Conservation (now the Department of Natural Resources) and the University of Michigan. IFR's mission is to conduct research and education for advancing scientific understanding of the ecology and management of aquatic resources, habitats, and the fisheries they sustain; and to provide scientific and technical expertise to support sound management decision making.

The Institute for Global Change Biology (IGCB) creates multi-faceted, science-based frameworks to enhance decision-making related to global change drivers and the ecosystems they affect. Using translational science, the IGCB pursues solutions to issues that can be impacted positively by better management and policy-making.

The International Forestry Resources and Institutions Research Network is a unique group of researchers working on forest governance and livelihoods. It focuses on data collection and analysis across multiple international settings at the local level, using both social and ecological data collected at several points in time. It aims to explain how institutions shape forest governance outcomes.

MI Hydrogen, a joint venture by SEAS, the Office of the Vice President for Research, Michigan Engineering, and the Center for Sustainable Systems will foster collaboration among U-M researchers, community groups, government and industry partners so they can address existing knowledge gaps and develop strategies to help society transition toward an energy future that is equitable, affordable, clean and secure. The initiative, which will engage faculty across disciplines, is designed to provide the leading research necessary to accelerate the use of hydrogen beyond current industrial limits.

Michigan Sea Grant attracts highly motivated students who are passionate about the nation’s Great Lakes and marine resources. Students who work with Michigan Sea Grant help shape the program through their involvement in research, outreach and education projects, user surveys, and work related to ongoing programs. Hands-on experiences have brought students together with K-12 teachers, industry leaders, politicians, and natural resource managers from government agencies.

Michigan Sustainability Cases tell stories of real-world problems with no obvious solutions. Our cases, collected on the Gala platform, are codesigned by teams of students, faculty, and practitioners to widen participation in solving environment and sustainability issues.

At SEAS, we’re driven to find solutions for a clean, sustainable and just future for all. As a school, we acknowledge that we’re facing some of the most complex and pressing challenges of our time—which can understandably cause people to feel anxious or hopeless—but there are reasons to feel hopeful about a sustainable future. This initiative aims to offer resources for climate-related emotions, and how to cope with anxiety and harness it into hope and action. 

The SEAS Sustainability Clinic is working to combat the effects of climate change, including residential flooding, in Detroit. Its goal is to improve the ability of the City of Detroit and nonprofits serving the city to address the impacts of climate change on the natural and built environment, human health, and the city’s finances—while working to enhance sustainability policy and action.

The Sustainable Future Hub supports sustainability decision-making on campus and beyond. How we view the present and envision the future informs solutions. In a time of rapid societal and environmental change, the ability to harness technology to analyze and interact with data and environments is critical to anticipating the most pressing sustainability problems. 

The Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment enables SEAS to expand the scope of its Environmental Justice program to include the hiring and retention of top environmental scholars, including one at SEAS and one in the College of Engineering; provide for expanded justice programming and training; and allow for the recruiting of top students from underrepresented backgrounds who lack the resources to study in SEAS’ preeminent environmental justice program.