By Erica Kowsz, Associate Director of Fellowships

The Udall Foundation was created to honor the legacies of Congressman Morris Udall and Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, whose careers significantly impacted Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources. The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues in one of the two categories: (1) Native American tribal policy or (2) the environment. The Udall scholarships provides access to the Udall Alumni network, a five-day scholar orientation, and a financial award.  The Udall Scholarship has been awarded nationally since 1992. While we have had an applicant named Honorable Mention in the past, Jesse Chang-Frieden ‘27 is Wesleyan’s first recipient of the award. He is a Udall Scholar in the Environment category. 

Jesse Chang-Frieden is an IDEAS minor and Environmental Studies and Earth & Environmental Sciences double major studying how landscapes and communities can recover from environmental disasters. His work combines satellite remote sensing, in situ sampling, and environmental policy to improve responses to wildfires, water contamination, and urban heat. He has worked with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Wesleyan’s Forests and Global Change Lab, where he developed models to assess post-fire water contamination. This summer, he will continue creating computer models with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to evaluate the most effective methods for cooling outdoor urban areas, while making the science behind these models more accessible to both researchers and the public.  

Outside of Wesleyan, Chang-Frieden has worked in wildfire mitigation through AmeriCorps NCCC, trail construction with the Appalachian Mountain Club, and several land stewardship and environmental design projects. These efforts have formed his commitment to equitable climate adaptation, accessible science, and interdisciplinary collaboration.