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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 the Florida Everglades. The Everglades Foundation is committed to supporting graduate students actively pursuing innovative methods in natural resources management, advances in the understanding of Everglades’ physical, chemical or biological processes, or research in economic, legal, political, or cultural factors directly related to Everglades restoration.
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to full-time graduate students pursuing degrees in the natural sciences, biological sciences, engineering, geography, planning and resources management, law, economics, and the social sciences.
Areas of Special Interest
The Everglades Foundation has identified several research areas that are of special interest. Applicants submitting research in these areas will be given preference in the awards selection. These areas include:
The value of Everglades' ecosystem services and the economics of Everglades restoration,
The response to, effects on, and role of the Everglades in global climate change,
Physical and biogeochemical cycles in the Everglades, and their relationships to native flora and fauna,
Use of advanced technologies in the monitoring of Everglades' response to restoration,
Legal and policy frameworks that promote ecosystem restoration.
Awards
The fellowship is a one-time award of up to $20,000 to cover 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 to accept their award, expenses paid.
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.
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
All applications will be reviewed by subject-matter experts to determine the potential contribution of the work to Everglades restoration and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Recommendations from the major professor 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.
Application Deadlines
Applications will be assessed periodically from November 1, 2008 until January 7, 2009. Awards will be announced no later than January 31, 2009. 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 contacted periodically for updates on academic progress, research directions, and items of general interest. Recipients will be interviewed occasionally for Everglades Foundation newsletters, and their research will be disseminated to practitioners.
Past Awards
All projects are reviewed for individual scientific merit, and past recipients are not necessarily indicative of future awards.
The 2007 recipients were:
Melissa Martin, University of Florida, An Evaluation of the Ecosystem Consequences of Melaleuca quinquenervia Invasion and Management in the Florida Everglades.
Jay Munyon, Florida International University, Influence of periphyton on carbon dioxide sequestration along enrichment and hydrologic gradients in Everglades marshes.
Clifton Ruehl, Florida International University, An Integrative Approach to Understanding Top-down and Bottom-up Processes limiting Snail Populations in the Everglades.
Pamela Sullivan, Florida International University, A physical and geochemical investigation of groundwater-surface water interactions in Tree Islands of the Everglades.
FIU students (from left) Jay Munyon, Cliff Ruehl, Pam Sullivan and Noosha Mahmoodi at the Everglades Foundation Gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in February, 2008
