Mianus River Gorge Research Assistantship Grant for Graduate Students Application Deadline Extended to April 1st 2013
Program Description Each year, the Mianus River Gorge awards a Research Assistantship Program (RAP) grant to fund a graduate-level study that investigates environmental challenges in urban and suburban ecosystems. RAP students are awarded a grant of $5,000/yr for two (Master’s) or three (Doctoral) years. Applicant Eligibility • Applicant must be willing to mentor a high school student in our authentic research program, the Wildlife Technician Program (WTP). • Proposed research must directly contribute to a better understanding of urban and suburban ecosystems. We are particularly interested in applied research that will inform land management and conservation strategies for natural areas in urbanized areas. • Proposed projects can be multi-disciplinary and cover a range of topics, e.g., wildlife biology, human ecology, watershed or forest management, and ecosystem processes. • Candidates must be enrolled in a U.S. accredited college (Master’s or PhD program). • All proposed studies should include the Gorge or its watershed as one of the study sites although other sites may be used as well. Evaluation Criteria • Mentor potential – Does the project provide research opportunities to a high school student? • Research implications - How can the proposed research contribute to improved management, restoration, or conservation of natural resources in urban landscapes? • Project duration - Can the project provide meaningful results during the student’s tenure? • Funding - Can the research be completed with existing resources? • Innovative – Does the research utilize new methodologies, theories, or management strategies? Application Process Applications are reviewed in two stages. To attract a broad array of ideas, we ask candidates to describe their project in two to three pages. Those candidates whose application successfully meets the above evaluation criteria will be interviewed and asked to provide further details before a final decision is made. We encourage prospective applications to contact us if they have any questions about the grant program. Please apply at: http://www.mianus.org/what-we-do/research-and-education/graduate-level/rap-application/ For examples of previous RAP and WTP projects, see: http://www.mianus.org/what-we-do/research-and-education/ Feel free to contact [email protected] with questions. -- Chris Nagy Wildlife Biologist - Mianus River Gorge, Bedford, NY [email protected] 914.234.3455
