[Coral-List] Funding available for 6 ISRS/OC 2008 fellowships

Robert van Woesik rvw at fit.edu
Thu Apr 24 11:33:47 EDT 2008


Dear coral-list,

 

The International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) and Ocean Conservancy (OC)
is pleased to announce that we have sufficient funding to support six US
$15,000 graduate fellowships for 2008. Proposal guidelines are found on the
ISRS website (http://www.fit.edu/isrs/) in pdf and below. The deadline for
proposal submissions is May 23, 2008. 

 

The 2008 winners will be announced at the 11th ICRS in Ft. Lauderdale (July
7-11, 2008).

 

Rob van Woesik  

 

 

http://www.fit.edu/isrs/

 

 

DEADLINE - May 23 2008 - for funds up to US$15,000 per award are available
to support up to six Ph.D. students in the general area of coral reef
ecosystem research. 

 

 


1) Background and Fellowship Goals 


In 2008 unfavorable conditions are ubiquitous on reefs globally. Multiple
stresses have contributed to long-term reef decline in many locations and
continue to threaten their vitality. Accelerated climate change related
stresses further threaten their long-term viability.  Scientists and reef
managers are increasingly working together to develop sound management
strategies that are based on rigorous science. Scientific questions are
being addressed on reef disturbances and reef resilience, climate change and
adaptation, reef connectivity, marine protected areas, fishery impacts, and
effective management practices, to name a few. Many coral reefs are in poor
condition, yet we do not fully understand the threats that are undermining
the integrity of coral reefs or their interactions. What processes and
mechanisms are causing differential mortality and how are some species still
able to survive and indeed be successful in times of stress. Studies are
needed that will combine management with process level information. Research
supported by the ISRS/OC Fellowship should increase our understanding of
processes on coral reefs that are relevant to management at local, regional,
or global scales.  

 

Conditions 

Within the proposal, and as a condition of each ISRS/OC Fellowship,
recipients will be required to articulate how they will report back to the
ISRS/OC on their research progress, outline their findings, acknowledge the
support, and publicize the outcomes. 

 


 


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 five page proposal as a pdf document, 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's 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. We are looking for a
clearly stated rationale, research objectives, a clear question that is
driving the research, and the relevance of the study within the context of
the literature.   

 

2.         Methods: The methods section includes hypotheses, methods, and
experimental design - including details on field or laboratory techniques
and how data will be analyzed.

 

3.         Relevance & implications of research: This section will briefly
outline expected outcomes, how the work is relevant to host country
management and science issues and the implications of the research within a
broader context. 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 five
page limit:

 

4.         Detailed Budget: The budget must not exceed $15,000.  Evidence of
cost sharing is desirable 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 another 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. Robert van Woesik at:
rvw at fit.edu

 

b)         The completed proposal (items 1 - 6 above) must be combined into
a single document and sent as an attachment in pdf format.  Please enter the
subject line and your pdf file as in the following example: Smith
proposal_ISRS_OC.pdf

 

c)         The letter of support must come directly from the major professor
as an e-mail attachment (pdf format). Please enter the subject line and pdf
as: Smith support ISTS_OC.pdf

 

Applications will be considered complete only after all the supporting
letter(s) has/have arrived.  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 an ISRS panel. 

 

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

 

DEADLINE - May 23 2008

 

 

Administration of the Fellowship

 

The International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) and 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. Ocean
Conservancy promotes healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems and opposes
practices that threaten ocean life and human life. Through research,
education, and science-based advocacy, Ocean Conservancy informs, inspires,
and empowers people to speak and act on behalf of the oceans. 

 

 

 

Robert van Woesik, Ph.D

Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Florida Institute of Technology

Melbourne, Florida 32901

USA

 

Email:  <mailto:rvw at fit.edu> rvw at fit.edu

Phone: (+1) 321 674 7475

Fax: (+1) 674 7238

Website: http://my.fit.edu/~rvw/

 

 




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