George Mason University Honors College student Cora Jackson was awarded the Schwartzstein Prize for First-Year Research on December 5 for her project on tribal water rights in the Colorado River Basin.
The University Scholar, pursuing a dual degree in conflict analysis and resolution and international security and law, is a Colorado native, and she saw firsthand “how these realities play out at the local level when people are not given the resource access that they need and ultimately deserve,” she said. “It’s a full-circle thing to research.”
Jackson's research addresses how the threat of climate change is exacerbating conflict and inequity as the basin dries up. Native American tribes stood out to her as the biggest stakeholder in this issue. She said, “[The river basin] is their livelihoods, not only from an economic standpoint, but also from a community and public health outlook.”
With the Schwartzstein Prize, Jackson received funding to continue her research, and she is excited to grow the project. “I’ll definitely utilize the mentorship that I’m provided with the Honors College, whether that is through a professor or another peer mentor,” she said.