Caroline Meier is the recipient of the 2025 Joan Mitchell Travel Award

Caroline Meier Caroline Meier is the recipient of the 2025 Joan Mitchell Travel Award. Meier is a PhD student from Augsburg University and the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development in Germany. Her research investigates the global environmental discourse in the post-war area and how the United Nations affected international relations and power distribution. Part of this research is focused on understanding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) contributions to dialogues on environmental and economic development, with particular emphasis on the creation of the Man and the Biosphere Program. 

Meier examined the George Francis fonds during her time at Laurier Archives and Special Collections. George Francis is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Environment and Resource Studies at University of Waterloo. His research and work focused on policy and governance associated with ecosystem management, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Program, and the UNESCO/UNEP International Environmental Education Program. Meier analysed various records related to the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, the relationships between organizations working in the global environmental field, the international development of the Man and Biosphere Program, and the implementation of the Man and Biosphere Program in Canada. 

Meier’s research will contribute to her PhD dissertation as well as a publication with Dr. Maureen Reed at the University of Saskatchewan: “This deep dive into the archive improved my understanding of the dynamics and developments particularly during the later parts of my research period. It allows me to produce a substantial dissertation and a topical publication that contribute to current debates on global sustainability, Indigenous rights, and international environmental governance.” 

Meier completed her research with support from the Laurier Archives and Special Collections team: “I would like to thank you so much for their attentive, professional and kind support. Communication prior and during my stay, as well as content-related cooperation ran smoothly, I could not have wished for more!” 

Please visit the Laurier Archives and Special Collections webpage for more information about the Joan Mitchell Travel Award.