UW-Madison researcher loses Fulbright award for climate change project [View all]

Four days before Rick Lindroth planned to leave Madison and fly to Argentina, he received an email saying his Fulbright award had been rescinded. “That was a head spinner,” said Lindroth, a professor emeritus in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s entomology department. Lindroth spent more than a year finalizing paperwork and securing approvals for his Fulbright Specialist Program award. Part of the larger Fulbright Program, the federal State Department established the specialist program in 2001. The competitive, short-term award pairs U.S. academics with institutions to share their expertise abroad.



Lindroth specializes in chemical ecology — how plant chemistry influences ecosystems — and the ecological consequences of climate change. As his trip approached, Lindroth said, “I was getting a little nervous hearing about all these awards and grants that were suspended” under the Trump administration. Lindroth said he checked with the Fulbright Program a few weeks ago and his project appeared to still be on track. So, he booked his flights and lodging.

Lindroth was set to travel to Argentina March 1 and spend three weeks working in a lab at the University of Buenos Aires. He expected to help researchers set up experiments and studies examining the effects of climate change on plants in the Buenos Aires area. Instead, Lindroth received an email from a program administrator Feb. 25 saying his project was canceled “due to a change in United States’ government priorities.” While he didn’t receive additional explanation, Lindroth said he thinks his project was canceled because the term “climate change” was in the title: “Integrating Chemical Ecology and Climate Change Research.”

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the federal government has withdrawn from global programs and agreements aiming to address climate change. Federal agencies have removed references to “climate change” from websites or replaced the term with “climate resilience,” The Washington Post reported.

https://captimes.com/news/education/uw-madison-researcher-loses-fulbright-award-for-climate-change-project/article_af4b862e-fde3-11ef-8e7b-a3065955c21b.html

The damage Trump is doing is incalculable.