The people in the Institute on the Environment’s network are as varied as the work they do: scientists and storytellers, policymakers and practitioners, educators and advocates. IonE serves to connect and enable them all – bringing together people and organizations doing environmental work across disciplines, sectors and scales.
Amplifying Ideas. Activating People.
When people with different expertise, experience and perspective work together, they produce something none of them could have achieved alone. Our partnerships are built on that premise – sustained relationships with organizations and individuals who bring their own knowledge, networks and capacity to common goals.
We’ll seek to develop even stronger networks and more robust relationships with our partners, and we’ll work to continuously challenge our systems, structures and ideas through our values and our commitments to organizational excellence and innovation.
A University-Wide Network
Our Affiliates program connects University of Minnesota scholars across disciplines, career stages and campuses.
Our Affiliates
What do you get when you bring experts together with a wide range of interests? A healthy exchange of ideas that can lead to new ways forward.
IonE welcomes two types of affiliates – Fellows and earlier career Associates – into its collaborative community. Affiliates learn from each other, challenge themselves in new ways and work across IonE’s full range of environmental and sustainability domains.
Connecting People to Drive Change
Environmental progress is made by people – and people do their best work in connection with others. IonE’s network platforms and initiatives create space for that connection: bringing together individuals and organizations across Minnesota, the Midwest and beyond to share ideas, build relationships and collaborate across places, perspectives and fields.
Whether you’re looking to deepen your engagement with a specific environmental challenge, find collaborators across disciplines or connect with a broader community of practice, IonE’s network-building initiatives offer an entry point. Explore what’s available and find out how you can get involved.
Explore major network events and convenings:
Scenes From Network Initiatives and Events
Keynote speaker Dr. Tseganesh Selameab, Speaking Science, 2025
A student presents their research at the IonE Sustainability Symposium, 2026
Zines by panelist Sophie Wang, Speaking Science, 2025
Keynote speaker Dr. Sarah Jacquette Ray, Annual Meeting, 2025
Students make terrariums, Sustainability Symposium, 2026
Have a question or need more information? Get in touch, and we’ll help you find what you’re looking for.