Today’s students are tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, doctors, business people and citizens who will live in a world dramatically altered by climate change. By training a generation of young people to understand the nature of climate change adaptation, ND-­GAIN aims to project its influence more broadly and provide opportunities for students to work on authentic problems, such as:

• In collaboration with the Center for Social Concerns, ND-GAIN recently supported two curriculum grants during that included elements of the Papal Encyclical Laudato Si’ and climate adaptation. Courses included, “Practicum in Field Environmental Biology: Galápagos Islands" and “Introduction to Ecological Horticulture.”
• Students in the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland built upon the Urban Adaptation Assessment’s pilot project to identify how climate change vulnerabilities can be addressed through integrating adaptation activities into existing city priorities and actions.
• Notre Dame’s Business On The Frontlines (BOTFL) course brings Mendoza MBA students to countries recovering from war or violent conflict to examine the role of business in restarting economic growth. ND-GAIN scores were to integrated to explore that current BOTFL are some of the least ready, most vulnerable in the world.
• Notre Dame was chosen by the U. S. Department of State to host 25 Washington Fellows as part of the Young African Leaders Initiative. ND-GAIN trained YALI fellows in climate adaptation risk and opportunity and collaborated on outreach to other stakeholders in their countries.
• Students pursuing their Master of International Public Affairs degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison teamed up with ND-GAIN to research India and China’s climate-induced migration and its possible effect on urban adaptation.

Each semester ND-GAIN also mentors several undergraduate and graduate students through various research internships. In conjunction with the Urban Adaptation Assessment, the team also recently implimented the Urban Ambassadors pilot program.