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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 students and postdoctoral researchers actively pursuing the development of innovative methods in natural resources management and of advances in the understanding of Everglades physical, chemical or biological processes, or research in economic, legal, political, or cultural fields directly related to Everglades restoration. This initiative will enable a close collaboration between university professors (and/or scientists affiliated with other agencies) and Foundation staff member(s).
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to full-time graduate students and postdoctoral researchers pursuing degrees or working in natural sciences, biological sciences, engineering, geography, planning and resources management, law, economics, and the social sciences. Cross-disciplinary research efforts are of special interest.
Areas of Special Interest
The Foundation has identified several specific research areas that are of special interest. Applicants submitting research in these areas will be given preference in the awards selection. These areas include:
Impacts of sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion on the Everglades,
GIS, remote sensing and geostatistic applications in landscape ecology,
Phosphorus control in the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee watershed,
Temporal and spatial mapping of geochemical properties in the Everglades,
Everglades water quality (contaminant detection, removal processes and modeling),
The Everglades response to and role in the global climate change,
Physical and biogeochemical cycles in the Everglades and FloridaBay and their relationships with native flora and fauna,
Legal and policy frameworks that promote ecosystem maintenance and restoration.
Awards
The fellowship provides up to $20,000 for tuition/fees, stipends, travel, and other research-related expenses. Up to 4 fellowships are available. Recipients will also be invited to the annual Everglades Foundation Benefit Gala at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach (February 2010) to accept their award.
The Application Process
The application for the Everglades Foundation Fellowship should contain the following.
Cover Letter,
Proposal describing the research that the fellowship would support (no more than 5,000 words),
Proposed Budget,
A personal essay of no more than 500 words on the candidate’s career goals, expected contributions, and how the fellowship will support those goals and contributions,
A curriculum vitae, including transcripts,
A letter of reference from the student’s major professor,
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,
Other relevant or supporting work products or documentation (such as published papers, presentations, awards, etc.) could optionally be included.
It is strongly recommended that the results of discussions with the Foundation staff (http://www.evergladesfoundation.org/directors-staff.php) regarding their contributions to the research program be included in the application package.
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, FL33157
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.
Ideally, the specific work to be done by an Everglades fellow will be designed with significant participation of both a university professor or a scientist from research agencies and a science staff member of the Everglades Foundation. Work will be conducted under the joint guidance of science staff of the Everglades Foundation (sponsor) and the faculty (academic advisor). It is highly recommended that an Everglades Foundation scientist be invited to comment on and recommend approval of the final thesis or dissertation sponsored by this fellowship.
Application Deadlines
Applications will be assessed periodically from November 2, 2009 until January 15, 2010. Awards will be announced no later than February 1, 2010. 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 fellowship projects:
a)A final report (scientific or technical paper) due one month after the termination date of the fellowship at the latest. The report should be in the format of a high quality scientific research paper reviewed by the faculty advisor and the Everglades Foundation science sponsor for submission to a scientific journal.
b)Result presentation at a yearly seminar organized by the Everglades Foundation. (The latest results obtained while conducting Everglades-related research).
The Everglades Foundation reserves the right to request data or metadata collected or generated by the project. These results may be used for future research or dissemination through the Foundation web site. All publications or presentations resulting from this program should include an acknowledgment to the Everglades Foundation Fellowship.
Past Awards
All projects are reviewed for individual scientific merit, and past recipients are not necessarily indicative of future awards.
The 2008 recipients were:
Gregory Koch, FloridaInternationalUniversity: Dynamics of ecosystem metabolism, flocculent detrital source and transport and nutrient spiraling in the pond and creek pattern of estuarine TaylorRiver.
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.
Everglades Foundation fellows (from left) Jennifer Romanowich, Gregory Koch, Xin Wang and Shrada Prabhulkar at the Everglades Foundation Gala at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach in February, 2009
