[Coral-List] 2004 ISRS/OC Fellowships

[Peter Edmunds]

FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT FOR CORAL REEF STUDIES

DEADLINE - 29 FEBRUARY 2004

International Society for Reef Studies
and the
Ocean Conservancy
Graduate Fellowship for Coral Reef Research

The 2004 Guidelines are organized by:

Background and Fellowship Goals
Who can apply?
Application materials

Background and Fellowship Goals

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, they 
are globally distributed, and they support various aspects of coastal 
economies. Yet coral reefs are widely recognized to be in decline and 
studies are needed to provide information to manage and understand 
processes that cause coral reef change. Funds up to US$10,000 per 
award are available to support up to four Ph.D. students in the 
general area of coral reef ecosystem research. The focus of the 
Fellowship is to understand and predict coral reef response to 
management or disturbance-caused change (human-caused or natural). 
Research supported by the Fellowship should emphasize an ecosystem 
approach. Projects that focus on factors that control productivity, 
nutrient dynamics, carbonate accretion or erosion, fisheries, or the 
effects of exploitation of coral reef resources are examples of 
suitable topics. Projects that address such issues within the context 
of marine reserves are especially suitable for Fellowship support. 
Projects are not limited to these topics, but research should 
increase understanding of reef function that is relevant to 
management at local, regional, or global scales.  As a condition of 
the Fellowship, recipients are required to prepare an article 
describing their use of the funding, together with an outline of the 
findings, for the ISRS newsletter Reef Encounter. 

Who can apply?

The Fellowship is available to students, worldwide, who are already 
admitted to a graduate program at an accredited university. The 
intent of the fellowship is to help Ph.D. students develop skills and 
to address problems related to relevant applications of coral reef 
ecosystem research and management. The Fellowship can be used to 
support salary, travel, fieldwork, or laboratory analyses. The 
student can work entirely at the host university, or can split time 
between developed and developing country universities.

Application materials

A three page proposal, using 12 font or larger, double spaced, in 
English, is required from prospective fellowship candidates: 
proposals that do not meet these criteria may be returned. The 
proposal should include the following sections:

1.	Overview: The overview starts with the Proposal Title, Author 
Name, Author Address, Major Professor Name, Major Professor's Address 
(if different than the Author's), and total amount in the budget 
request. The overview places the proposed research in context with 
existing literature and local needs.  

2.	Methods: The methods section includes hypotheses, methods, 
and experimental design - including details about how data will be 
analyzed.

3.	Results: The results section discusses how the work is 
relevant to host country management and science issues. This section 
also includes evidence of host country coordination (e.g., 
identification of individuals or programs that will benefit from your 
results);

The following three sections are required but do not count against 
the three page limit:

4.	Detailed Budget: The budget must not exceed $10,000. 
Evidence of cost sharing is desirable but not essential for the 
application.  Cost sharing might include, for example, additional 
funding, accommodation, the loan of equipment, or access to 
analytical facilities.

5.	Literature Cited: Use a bibliographic format that includes 
full titles in the citations.

6.	Applicant CV: 2 pages maximum

Letter of support: The student's major professor must submit a 
support letter for the project based on their knowledge of the 
project, and familiarity with the student's background and abilities. 
If work will be conducted at a second university, a support letter is 
required from the sponsoring professor.

Submitting your application

ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY as follows:

a)	All materials must be sent to Dr. Peter Edmunds at:

peter.edmunds at csun.edu

b)	The completed proposal (items 1 - 6 above) must be combined 
into a single document and sent as an attachment in either pdf or MS 
Word format.  Please enter the subject line of your message as your 
last name followed by "ISRS/OC Proposal" (e.g., "EDMUNDS-ISRS/OC 
Proposal")

c)	The letter of support must come directly from the major 
professor as an e-mail attachment in either pdf or MS Word format. 
Please enter the subject line of the message as the last name of the 
applicant followed by "ISRS/OC Support" (e.g., "EDMUNDS-ISRS/OC 
Support").

Applications will be considered complete only after all the 
supporting letter(s) has/have arrived.  You will receive a 
confirmation by e-mail when your application is complete. You should 
ensure that your sponsors are aware of the deadline, and can get 
their letters submitted in a timely manner.  Only completed 
electronic applications will be reviewed, and this will be 
accomplished by a panel with ISRS and Ocean Conservancy participants.

EVALUATION CRITERIA INCLUDE: scientific merit, feasibility, support 
letter from major professor, host country coordination, and relevancy 
to the Fellowship guidelines.

DEADLINE: 29 February 2004

Administration of the Fellowship

The International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) and the Ocean 
Conservancy (OC) support the Fellowship through professional and 
administrative contributions. The mission of the ISRS is to promote 
for the benefit of the public, the production and dissemination of 
scientific knowledge and understanding concerning coral reefs, both 
living and fossil. The OC is committed to protecting ocean 
environments and conserving the global abundance and diversity of 
marine life. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public 
education, OC promotes informed citizen participation to reverse the 
degradation of our oceans.

  (We hope to announce the results by 31 May 2004)