Study here.
Change the world.
We’re confronting environmental challenges through transformative research, by bridging classrooms and communities, and forging partnerships locally and globally.
Training Tomorrow's Environmental Leaders
The Nelson Institute values and is committed to a liberal arts and professional education, built on the premise that complex environmental issues can best be understood through familiarity with diverse perspectives, and integration of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Research for a Better Future
Research drives the social and technological innovation needed to confront the challenges of a rapidly changing global environment. The Nelson Institute is a catalyst of imaginative research that combines skills and knowledge from the humanities, engineering, business, and law to the biological, physical, health, and social sciences.
Nelson News and Events
Latest News
What spring class should I take at UW–Madison?
October 23, 2026
Driving Sustainability Through Entrepreneurship
September 21, 2026Nora Álvarez-Berríos MS’01
September 17, 2026
Steven Lawry PhD ‘88
September 17, 2026Ken Conca MS’85
September 17, 2026- Read More News
Upcoming Events
- October
- October 25Nature Explorers - Join the WiSciFest BioBlitzUnleash your curiosity with the 2026 Wisconsin Science Festival BioBlitzAll day
- October 25
- October 25Poetry in the PreserveNature Walk with the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve1:30 PM, Picnic Point entrance kiosk, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2000 University Bay Drive, Madison WI 53705
- October 27Data Centers and the Grid Forward in Energy Forum4:30 PM, 1115 Wisconsin Energy Institute
Also offered online - October 30Bat Acoustic Walkwith the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve6:15 PM, Picnic Point entrance kiosk, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2000 University Bay Drive, Madison WI 53705
Support the Nelson Institute
The Nelson Institute welcomes and is grateful for various forms of support – discretionary funds for our many programs, internships and mentoring opportunities for students, and introductions to new networks that can help advance our reach and build partnerships around Wisconsin and the world.