Political science professor Lauren MacLean was selected for the 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program. MacLean is one of 35 fellows chosen from a pool of 200 nominees.
The Carnegie Fellows Program is offered through the Carnegie Corporation in New York City. Every fellow receives up to $200,000 to put toward research and writing in the social science and humanities fields. Other fellows include emerging scholars, journalists and authors who drive technological and cultural creativity, explore global connections and improve the natural and human environment, according to the Carnegie release.
MacLean will use her funding to author a book on how to handle renewable energy issues in Africa and target it toward a broader audience of politicians, businesspeople and NGO leaders, according to the IU release.
MacLean’s research at IU is on the challenges promoting renewable energy in Africa with a focus on the positive developments.
“The average person immediately thinks of conflict or the refugee crisis when they think of Africa,” MacLean said in the IU release. “But the conditions in Ghana in recent years have been more democratic and more conducive to thinking about environmental sustainability."
Both dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Larry Singell, and Provost Lauren Robel praised MacLean for her work and research.
“From the fate of young democracies, to issues of representation of American Indians in U.S. health policymaking, to the politics of new renewable energy technologies in Africa, her research reflects a passionate interest in the welfare of people and our planet,” Singell said in the release.
The Carnegie fellowship also awards MacLean the gift of time to work, Singell said.
“Professor MacLean's research stands out not only for its rigor and insight but also its far-reaching impact on policy in Africa and beyond," Robel said in the release.
