In a department as diverse as NRES, and with a strong emphasis on the management of landscapes, working partnerships with key organizations and individuals keep us connected to the audiences we serve. We work with a range of commercial enterprises, government agencies and non-governmental organizations in researching effective solutions to biological and social problems.

Our partners offer internships and research experiences for our students, hire our graduates, identify trends that suggest curricular changes to keep our academic programs current, and provide financial support for student scholarships.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program

Provides funding for faculty research projects, partners with NRES to provide an environmental education field course, and supports one professional staff member in Chicago with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency working on water quality issues. The Program addresses the critical concerns of resource sustainability, water quality, ecosystems and human health of the area of Lake Michigan bordered by the two states, serving:

  • Resource users - coastal residents, coastal businesses and industries, lake food consumers, tourists and recreationists
  • Policy makers - governmental and municipal officials at all levels
  • Information users - natural resource professionals, museum and aquarium planners and visitors, environmental organizations, industry
  • Managers, media, citizen groups, retailers, aquaculture producers and marketers, educators, and university researchers.

Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (ISEE)

NRES faculty and students are actively involved in the research, outreach, and educational initiatives of iSEE. Our students benefit from an annual field course tackling campus sustainability issues, and many participate in the SEE Fellows Program. NRES is home to both the Stuart L. and Nancy J. Levenick Chair in Sustainability, who manages the iSEE resident scholars program, and the Associate Director of Campus Sustainability.

Prairie Research Institute

Many of NRES adjunct faculty are part of the Prairie Research Institute (formerly the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability). Created in 2008, the Institute is the University home of the Illinois State Scientific Surveys. Many of the scientists working in the Surveys have an adjunct faculty appointment in NRES and collaborate with NRES faculty on research. Each year, NRES undergraduates and graduate students work as research assistants with Prairie Research Institute scientists, particularly those in the Illinois Natural History Survey.

National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

NGRREC is an innovative research and teaching center located at the confluence of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois rivers. NGRREC was formed by researchers and administrators at the University of Illinois and Lewis and Clark Community College. Several NRES faculty members contribute to research through NGRREC, and several NRES students participate in NGRREC's outstanding internship program each summer.

Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

An interdisciplinary graduate program at the University of Illinois. Many NRES faculty and graduate students are active partners in PEEC.

Program in Environmental and Resource Economics

pERE is a graduate program emphasizing the exploration of the complex relationships between environmental quality, economic prosperity, and human behavior. The program, which is a partnership between faculty in six departments at the University of Illinois, offers courses, seminars, and the weekly pERE workshop for graduate students and faculty.