KINGSTON, R.I. – March 12, 2026 – With a world facing numerous challenges that affect not only the environment but the people within it, there is a growing need for innovative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative approaches to addressing global crises. However, there remains a gap between the scientists and the communities they aim to help, who are often at the frontlines of environmental justice.

To help bridge this gap, a new specialization track has been added to the Master of Environmental Science and Management (MESM) program at the University of Rhode Island, which offers a special emphasis on service, mentorship, and community-driven action. The environmental justice specialization, led by Professor of Journalism and Film/Media Kendall Moore, addresses a critical gap in the methodologies and approaches to environmental science and qualitative research in the field.

This program addresses the need for experiential education at the intersection of environmental issues and the human impacts of marginalization and discrimination toward vulnerable communities. “Environmental justice is very much focused on fixing the problem and how we work together to fix it—it’s a very action-oriented field, which is not often thought about in the context of research,” said Moore.

The new track is flexible, designed to cater to students’ needs in terms of their professional goals, the type of work they aspire to do in the field, and the kinds of connections and mentorship they receive throughout the program.

Classes in the track’s curriculum are interdisciplinary, allowing students to take courses that best suit their particular interests. The track allows for students to curate a program curriculum that best serves their interests and professional needs, a feature that is reflected across MESM and caters to the wide range of career options available to students. The new track also emphasizes mentorship and mental health—two aspects that are critical to students looking to get involved in justice-oriented work around environmental issues in marginalized communities.

Students will complete an internship or research project with a non-profit organization to learn directly from community leaders and organizations and gain real-world experience in community organizing.

Moore states that the program is seeking individuals who are attentive to the needs of communities on the frontlines of environmental justice work. “It’s all about deference to the community, those who have been marginalized, the leadership and history,” she said. “The students we work with already are coming at this with the most humble intentions to serve.”

“We have a social responsibility to protect the environment,” Moore added, “and it is up to us to pick up the mantle and do the work.”

The Master of Environmental Science and Management program is constantly evolving to meet the demands of environmental fields and shaping students to become the next environmental stewards to continue the fight for the protection of both people and the environment. The addition of the environmental justice track speaks to the responsiveness of faculty to address emerging environmental issues.

“We have historically provided strong training in natural sciences, policy, and planning,” said MESM Co-Director Michelle Peach. “The new environmental justice track will offer critical training in inclusive community engagement that respects local knowledge and values.”

Several faculty at URI came together to create this new track within MESM; Moore joined with several colleagues in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences: Melva Treviño Peña, Yoshitaka Ota, Becky Sartini, Sunshine Menezes, and MESM Co-Directors Brett Still and Peach, as well as former URI professor Amelia Moore.

This story was written by Yvonne Wingard, Communications Fellow in URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences.