Previous Work

The 2023 Global University Climate Forum will build on a series of student workshops hosted by institutions like the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) and

the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN). Previous workshops included:

A two-day workshop during the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) where student groups from 15 universities each submitted proposals for an ambitious-yet-achievable project to implement on their campus
A one day “competition” in 2012 in partnership with Fundação Getulio Vargas and the University of Massachusetts Boston during the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
(Rio+20) where student teams from 19 universities on six continents offered their ideas for community-scale projects.
A one-day conference during the 2015 Paris Climate Negotiations where over 125 students from 30 universities presented their actionable world-changing ideas to a set of expert reviewers. (See the full report here)
A year-long program centered around the 2021 Glasgow Climate Negotiations where nearly 600 students from 44 countries actively participated in programming while implementing their ideas and reporting on their progress. (See the final publication here)
A 6-month online program where 16 teams from 20 countries developed innovative ideas in their contexts and communities, aiming to bring young voices to decision-making spaces. Final reports were added to The Knowledge Sector Publication.

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Collaborators

Each year the Forum is offered, different people and partners come together to ensure success. Information on the 2023 people and partners will be augmented as the program advances.

Organizers

Organizers are the core team – they are responsible for running the program, supporting student teams, and maintaining communications and visibility.

Melissa Brown Goodall: Program Director
Victoria Smith – Executive Director, ISCN
Karla Terroba – Program Manager

Steering Committee

A globally diverse Steering Committee makes foundational decisions about the program and supports the organizers in developing an excellent program for

students.

Partners

Partners are networks and universities that have offered support –whether it is financial or in kind – to make the Forum possible.

University of Pennsylvania
International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN)
International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU)

Reviewers

Reviewers are experts from partner organizations around the world who have agreed to evaluate applications. They will provide feedback on the submitted

proposals according to the criteria established for selection, including, but not limited to viability, measurability, replicability, and scale of impact.

Speakers

Throughout the program, Speakers from around the world offer their expert insights through workshops and panel discussions. The chosen speakers are as diverse as possible, and selected based on their ability to speak about topics that are not so likely to be offered in a typical classroom.

Facilitators

During the workshops, Facilitators will introduce speakers and guide discussion between students following the presentations.

Mentors

Provided upon request, Mentors will offer student teams guidance, motivation, feedback, and networking opportunities to ensure that proposals are implemented, incorporating the guidelines and skills learned at the workshop.

Meet the Team

Program Director

Melissa Brown Goodall

Melissa is the Senior Director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Formed in 2020, the Environmental

Innovations Initiative is a pan-university program intended to meaningfully impact the critical environmental challenges of our time,

particularly climate change, biodiversity loss, and human vulnerability. Before joining Penn in 2021, Melissa was at Yale University – first with

the School of the Environment, then with the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and finally with the Office of Sustainability.

Program Manager

Karla Terroba Rodriguez

Karla is a Program Coordinator at the Environmental Innovations Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a degree in Behavioral

and Decision Sciences. She is passionate about sustainability and wants to bridge these two fields to create a more pro-social behavior and drive

change.

Executive Director ICSN

Victoria Smith

Victoria is the Executive Director of ISCN. She has been actively engaged with ISCN since 2014, and joined the inaugural ISCN Advisory

Committee in 2016. Over the last few years, Victoria launched a pilot seed funding initiative, supported the development of the ISCN Latin

American Chapter and ensured that the network was well represented at COP26 events. Victoria holds a Master of Arts in Environment

Education and Communication and brings over 25 years of public and private sector sustainability experience.

Institutions

Environmental Innovations Initiative

Founded in 2020, the mission of the Environmental Innovations Initiative is to catalyze solutions to significant real-world environmental

challenges. One of the oldest higher education institutions in the United States, the University of Pennsylvania has a proud tradition oftranslating knowledge into social-minded action that dates back to its founder, Benjamin Franklin.

Networks

International Sustainable Campus Network

The mission of the International Sustainable Campus Network is to provide an international forum to support higher education institutions in the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices for achieving sustainable campus operations and integrating sustainability in research and teaching.