Celebrating Generations of Global Impact
For five decades, the Nelson Institute’s environment and resources (E&R) program has led environmental solutions by following the lead of its students. Though its name has changed, its mission has been steadfast: to empower the next generation of environmental leaders through flexible, individualized study.
ER@50 is your chance to reconnect with the program and fellow alumni, share your stories, and build the future of this one-of-a-kind program. Whether you’re one of the first graduates or a current student, we invite you to be part of the celebration.
ER@50 Events
Weston Roundtable Lecture
Thursday, September 24 | 4:15–5:15 p.m.
1163 Mechanical Engineering
1513 University Avenue, Madison
Kick off the ER@50 celebration with a special Weston Roundtable Lecture, cohosted by the Nelson Institute’s environmental professional program and the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. Speaker information coming soon.
This event is free and open to the public; no registration is required.
ER@50: One Degree, Countless Careers
Friday, September 25 | 1:30–4:30 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m.)
Memorial Union Tripp Commons (second floor)
800 Langdon Street, Madison
Hear brief reflections from remarkable alumni whose careers span academia, industry, and government, then connect with program alumni working in a variety of fields during an interactive networking session. Whether you’re exploring career paths, expanding your network, or reconnecting with Nelson, don’t miss this chance to connect with environmental leaders across generations and the globe. Register today
Rendezvous on the Terrace
Friday, September 25 | 5–7:30 p.m.
Tripp Commons, Memorial Union
800 Langdon Street, Madison
Join Nelson Institute alumni and friends for a reception at Memorial Union. You’ll also have the chance to meet our 2026 alumni award recipients, who will be honored at the event.
This event is free and open to all Nelson Institute alumni and friends, as well as our graduating seniors. View more details
Register today for ER@50 and Rendezvous on the Terrace
Meet our Students and Alumni
From campus classrooms to global communities, E&R students and alumni have made their mark on the world and each other.
Lighting the Path Forward
Dorothy Lsoto never imagined she would be earning her doctorate in environment and resources at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
Healthy World, Healthy Womb
Would you choose to have kids if you knew they would be born into an environment riddled with toxic pollution, subjecting them to poor health throughout their lives?
Sustaining Students to Sustain the Environment
If you were on campus last fall you likely received this email asking you to participate in a campuswide sustainability survey.
Trekking with Tigers
When Sam Helle was growing up in the middle of Milwaukee, she didn’t expect to someday be a conservation biologist surveying tiger populations in the foothills of the Himalayas.
A Zeal for Zambia
Lend Nelson Institute PhD student Colleen Henegan your ear and she’ll tell you all about her time in Zambia, a landlocked country in the south of Africa.
- Read all stories
Registration