Eckerd College Community Farm Faculty Director, Environmental Studies Internship Coordinator and Instructor David Himmelfarb, Ph.D. and Katie Milano ’25 work on the farm that will receive more work supplies as a part of a $25,000 grant from Duke Energy Foundation. Photo by Penh Alicandro ’22
Funding for student interns and buying essentials like shovels, gloves and goggles are just part of how two Eckerd College environmental studies faculty members plan to use a recent $25,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation.
The funds will also allow the College to launch the Eckerd College Conservation Corps, an initiative designed to engage students directly in conservation, restoration, and sustainability projects across the region and on campus.
The grant project is titled Environmental Studies at Eckerd College: Supporting Student Interns and the Launch of the Eckerd College Conservation Corps. The goal is to strengthen hands-on learning opportunities for student interns and expand community-focused environmental work.
The project will be led by Tyler Cribbs ’16, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental studies, whose focus will be on developing and expanding the Conservation Corps. And David Himmelfarb, Ph.D., co-founder and faculty director of the Eckerd College Community Farm, instructor of environmental studies and coordinator of the discipline’s internship program. Duke Energy Florida President Melissa Seixas ’92, an Eckerd alumna and honorary trustee, was a champion for Eckerd to receive this grant.
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Tyler Cribbs ’16, Ph.D.
“The grant will provide important funding for students doing internships on campus and with community partners,” Himmelfarb says, “and it will increase the number of students who can participate because it will give them important economic support.”
“This is a way for us to make sure these opportunities are available to anyone, and that the students get recognized for the great work they’re doing.”
The year-long grant will provide stipends to 12 interns during the spring, summer and fall of 2026. Completing an internship before graduation is a requirement for all environmental studies students.
“We already have a solid group of dedicated students,” Cribbs adds. “It’s a great way to start the Conservation Corps.” Among the groups the Corps will work with, Cribbs points out, is Stewards of Our Urban Lakes, a St. Petersburg-based nonprofit that aims to improve the water quality and restore the natural habitat at eight local lakes, including Crescent, Round, Mirror, Jungle, Winston, Pasadena, Eagle Crest and Meadowlawn.
Cribbs says the Conservation Corps will also go a long way to “re-wild” the Eckerd campus, including efforts to bolster the living shoreline and restore the canopy of trees, many of which were damaged or destroyed by hurricanes in 2024. “Students benefit by getting outside of the classroom,”Cribbs says. “Besides restoring a shoreline around one of our ponds on campus, students can come back to campus years later and say they helped put that garden in, or “We planted those trees and look at them now.” It’s a lasting piece of themselves on campus.
“Our thanks to Duke Energy for helping us expand these opportunities,” he adds. “It’s perfect timing and the need is there. We’re really looking forward to helping build a solid foundation for future student impact.”
