The Wilderness Society is pleased to announce the “Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship” in honor of Gloria Barron. The program is available to qualify graduate students who are enrolled in an accredited graduate institution in North America. The Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship encourages the individuals who have the potential to make a significant positive difference in wilderness protection in the United States. The scholarship amount varies from year to year. They have awarded $10,000 to graduate students to support their research and preparation of a paper on an aspect of wilderness.
The Wilderness Society has been the leading organization protecting the nation’s shared public lands since 1935.The Society’s mission is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. The Wilderness Society has led the effort to permanently protect nearly 110 million acres of wilderness in 44 states.
Eligibility:
Applicants for the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship must:
- Be enrolled in an accredited graduate institution in North America
- Have strong academic qualifications
- Have academic and/or career goals focused on making a significant positive difference in the long-term protection of wilderness in the United States. Graduate students in natural resources management, law or policy programs are strongly encouraged to apply
How to Apply:
To be applying for the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship, the applicant may submit online application through the given link: https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit2/?id=15534781&t=1
Supporting Documents:
All students applying for the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship must submit the following materials for an application to be considered complete:
- A two-page double-spaced cover letter
- A 3-5 page double-spaced proposal
- A current resume or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
- Scanned undergraduate and graduate transcripts (official or unofficial)
Research Topics:
The applicant may choose to discuss a subject relevant to current programs of The Wilderness Society. It may apply to a particular landscape or it may address issues broadly. The following themes are suggested research topics:
- Restoration of the health and function of wilderness: For example: what is “good” ecological restoration? What is the proper scale and at what point can a system be considered restored?
- Reserve design in the context of ecosystem management: Research into the role of reserves in the conservation of ecosystem integrity and/or the effect of climate change scenarios on reserve design would fall under this heading.
- Management impacts on wildland ecosystems: A question like how do roads affect ecosystem function and what roles should roadless areas play in protecting ecosystem integrity, what are the ecological and social impacts of grazing in wildland ecosystems, and what can be done to protect wildland ecosystems from biological invasion are examples.
- Valuing wildlands: Topics include how wildland protection contributes to rural economic health and the design of policies and programs to help rural communities leverage the economic value of protecting wildland ecosystems.
- Connecting people to wildlands: The contributions of wilderness to public health and well-being, particularly for residents of metropolitan areas, are possible topics under this heading.
- Impacts of climate change: Potential research questions include: what are the terrestrial and aquatic impacts of climate change on wilderness areas and wilderness resources, what is the relationship between wildland fire, carbon emissions/sequestration, and climate change, what are the economic effects of climate change on wildland ecosystem services such as water quality and quantity, and what are the implications of climate change for wilderness management? The research paper should address an aspect of the establishment, protection or management of wilderness.
Submitting Details:
The applicant may submit any supporting documents (reference applicant’s name in the subject line) to: barron_scholarship-at-tws.org
Financial Aid and Award Money:
- The scholarship amount varies from year to year. Historically, they’ve awarded $10,000 to graduate students to support their research and preparation of a paper on an aspect of wilderness.
- The scholarship is paid in two installments, the first in August and the second in February. The recipient may be liable for income tax on the scholarship. Consult with your tax advisor on the proper treatment of the award.
- Additional funding will be provided to pay travel expenses for the recipient to work with staff members of The Wilderness Society on this project.
- The Society wishes to encourage the publication of this work in an academic journal or other appropriate medium and has additional funds to help cover expenses of publishing and publicizing the final paper.
Application Deadline:
Application deadline is April 14, 2017.
Link for more Information:
http://wilderness.org/article/gloria-barron-wilderness-society-scholarship
Contact Information:
For other information, contact: Barb Young, Regional Associate at barbara_young-at-tws.org
