Fellowships
RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE FROM THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION
The Everglades Foundation provides fellowships for advanced research in support of the restoration of America's Everglades. The Foundation is committed to supporting graduate research students actively pursuing the development of innovative scientific methods to advance the understanding of Everglades physical, chemical or biological processes, or research in economic impacts of environmental changes.
This initiative supports the aims of the Everglades Foundation.
ELIGIBILITY
The fellowship is open to full-time graduate research students pursuing degrees in natural sciences, biological sciences, engineering, geography, planning and resources management and economics. Cross-disciplinary research efforts are of special interest.
AWARDS
The fellowship provides $20,000 / year (Ph.D. level) and $10,000 / year (M.Sc. level) for stipends, tuition fees, travel, and other research-related expenses. This year, half of the fellowships available at a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. levels will be supporting direct collaboration between university professors (and/or scientists affiliated with other agencies) and Foundation science staff member(s).
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
The Foundation will support research advancing Everglades physical, chemical or biological processes, or research in economic impacts of environmental changes. Cross-disciplinary research efforts are of special interest.
However, when collaboration is to be developed, the Foundation identified several specific research areas that are of special interest:
1. Impacts of climate change, sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion on the Everglades,
2. GIS, remote sensing and geostatistic applications in landscape ecology,
3. Phosphorus control in the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee watershed,
4. Temporal and spatial mapping of geochemical properties in the Everglades,
5. Everglades water quality (contaminant detection, removal processes and modeling),
6. Ecosystem response to variations in water flow and quality.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS
The application for the Everglades Foundation Fellowship should contain the following:
1. Cover Letter,
2. Proposal describing the research that the fellowship would support (no more than 5,000 words),
3. Proposed Budget,
4. A personal essay of no more than 500 words on the candidate's career goals, expected contributions to Everglades research, relevance to Everglades restoration and how the fellowship will support those goals and contributions,
5. A curriculum vitae, including transcripts,
6. A letter of reference from the student's major professor,
7. At least one, and up to three other academic or professional letter(s) of reference, preferably from an investigator(s) currently engaged in Everglades research,
8. Other relevant or supporting work products or documentation (such as published papers, presentations, awards, etc.) could optionally be included.
When collaboration is to be developed, it is strongly recommended that the results of discussions with the Foundation staff (http://www.evergladesfoundation.org/pages/staff/) regarding their contributions to the research program be included in the application package.
Electronic submission is preferred. The package and letters of reference should be emailed to: fellowship@evergladesfoundation.org
Printed packages and letters of reference are also accepted. These can be sent to:
Everglades Foundation Fellowship Program
The Everglades Foundation
18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 625
Palmetto Bay, FL 33157
Download PDF Scholarship Information Sheet
Download 2009 Selected Applicants
Download 2008 Selected Applicants
HOW WILL FELLOWS BE SELECTED?
All applications will be reviewed by experts to determine the potential contribution of the work to Everglades restoration. Recommendations from major professors and investigators currently active in Everglades research are important. Other factors include the applicant's prior research and/or publication record, academic record, the personal essay and the interdisciplinary nature of the research.
When collaboration is to be developed, the specific work to be done by an Everglades fellow will be designed with significant participation of a science staff member of the Everglades Foundation (sponsor) who will collaborate with the academic supervisor.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Applications will be assessed periodically from November 2, 2010 until February 1, 2011. Awards will be announced no later than April 15, 2011. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and an award could be made earlier if the application is deemed particularly meritorious. Therefore, early applications are strongly encouraged.
FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS
After receiving the Everglades Foundation Fellowship, recipients will be expected to update the Everglades Foundation on their academic progress, research results and relevant activities. Recipients may be interviewed occasionally for Everglades Foundation newsletters and their research will be publicly disseminated.
Everglades fellows should provide to the Foundation the following deliverables from their individual projects:
a) A final report (scientific or technical paper) due one month after the conclusion of the fellowship at the latest. The report should be in the format of a high-quality, scientific research paper approved jointly by the faculty supervisor and the Everglades Foundation science sponsor for submission to a scientific journal.
b) Results presentation at a bi-annual seminar organized by the Everglades Foundation. (The latest results obtained while conducting Everglades-related research).
The Everglades Foundation reserves the right of access to all data or metadata generated by the project. All publications or presentations resulting from this program should acknowledge the contribution of the Everglades Foundation.
PAST AWARDS
All projects are reviewed for individual scientific merit and past recipients are not necessarily indicative of future awards.
The 2009-2010 recipients were:
Sylvia Lee, Florida International University: Mapping diatom community patterns along gradients of phosphorus, hydrology, and conductivity across Everglades regions.
Hugo Sindelar, University of Florida: Coupled biological/chemical systems for maximizing phosphorus removal from natural waters.
Sen Chen, Florida International University: The interactions of reduced organic sulfur and mercury in the Everglades.
Yiwei Cheng, Georgia Institute of Technology: How natural and anthropogenic perturbations impact the ridge and slough system of the Everglades.
The 2008-2009 recipients were:
Gregory Koch, Florida International University: Dynamics of ecosystem metabolism, flocculent detrital source and transport and nutrient spiraling in the pond and creek pattern of estuarine Taylor River.
Shradha Prabhulkar, Florida International University: In-field portable sensing monitor for highly sensitive detection of phosphorus and heavy metals in Everglades water systems.
Jennifer Romanowich, University of Virginia: Effects of submerged aquatic vegetation on fluid retention and sediment dynamics in the Florida Everglades.
Xin Wang, University of Miami: Linking hydroperiod with water use and nutrient accumulation in Everglades tree island habitats.
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
The Everglades Foundation also has an internship program. For more information, please visit http://www.evergladesfoundation.org/pages/internships/.
