Rachel Morello-Frosch. PHOTO: Julie Gipple.
Professor Rachel Morello-Frosch has received the Chancellor's Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity (CAAIEE). The CAAIEE is presented annually to UC Berkeley faculty members who have an extraordinary record of accomplishment in advancing equity, inclusion, and diversity through their scholarship, research, teaching, and public or university service.
Chancellor Carol Christ and Vice Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion Oscar Dubón sent the following message to the campus community regarding the announcement of the award:
Professor Morello-Frosch lives the values of equity, inclusion and social justice in everything she does. She is a passionate scholar and advocate whose work on environmental health and social inequality has profound scientific, community and policy impacts. Her research is timely and urgent, focused on problems faced by vulnerable and marginalized populations in relation to air pollution, chemical exposure, and climate change. In all her projects, she weaves together exciting science with a deep commitment to community knowledge and public engagement. Her work has influenced government agencies, foundations, community organizations, the California legislature, the state Department of Public Health, and the EPA, as well as shaped the academic fields in which she works.
Alongside her outstanding scholarship, Professor Morello-Frosch is an award-winning teacher and beloved mentor. Her support and guidance is greatly valued by students and postdocs from underrepresented groups, and her courses on ethnicity, race, culture and environmental health inspire students of all backgrounds to use what they learn to help create a better world. Finally, she embodies her commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity through a wide range of leadership and service projects – in her departments, the American Cultures Program, the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, the Center for Latino Policy Research, and throughout the campus.
Professor Morello-Frosch plans to use the $10,000 CAAIEE award grant to develop and test new community-engaged strategies for recruiting underrepresented minority students to STEM fields that emphasize environmental science and health.
Read the Chancellor Christ’s full message on the UC Berkeley’s Diversity and Inclusion website.