Study here.
Change the world.
We’re confronting environmental challenges through transformative research, by bridging classrooms and communities, and forging partnerships locally and globally.
Training Tomorrow's Environmental Leaders
The Nelson Institute values and is committed to a liberal arts and professional education, built on the premise that complex environmental issues can best be understood through familiarity with diverse perspectives, and integration of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Research for a Better Future
Research drives the social and technological innovation needed to confront the challenges of a rapidly changing global environment. The Nelson Institute is a catalyst of imaginative research that combines skills and knowledge from the humanities, engineering, business, and law to the biological, physical, health, and social sciences.
Nelson News and Events
Latest News
Meet Computer Sciences: Our Home Away from Home
April 7, 2026Tia Nelson to be awarded honorary degree from UW–Madison
March 26, 2026A Comprehensive Look at Wisconsin’s Climate-Change Outlook
February 26, 2026- Read More News
Upcoming Events
- April
- April 12
- April 14Climate, People, and the Environment (CPEP) ProgramLand Modeling for Uncertain Futures: Community and Engagement Across Disciplines12:30 PM, 811 Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences Building
- April 16Peace Corps Recruiting OfficeServing as Peace Corps Volunteer: Environmental sector in Mexico3:30 PM, 158 Birge Hall
- April 16Weston RoundtableQuantifying and Managing Climate Risks and Inequitable Outcomes4:15 PM, 1163 Mechanical Engineering Building
- April 16Breathing Room: Environmental Justice, Environmental Neuroscience, and the Nature CureA Humanities Without Boundaries lecture with Rob Nixon5:30 PM, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building
Support the Nelson Institute
The Nelson Institute welcomes and is grateful for various forms of support – discretionary funds for our many programs, internships and mentoring opportunities for students, and introductions to new networks that can help advance our reach and build partnerships around Wisconsin and the world.