The Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship is available to qualified graduate students. It is created in honor of Gloria Barron, dedicated educator and tireless advocate for wilderness protection, and administered by The Wilderness Society, a leading conservation organization based in Washington, D.C. We award a $10,000 scholarship to a graduate student for the coming academic year to support research and preparation of a paper on an aspect of wilderness. We strongly encourage proposals relating to climate change, as well as other topics regarding wilderness conservation.

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 Wilderness 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.

The scholarship seeks to encourage individuals who have the potential to make a significant positive difference in the long term protection of wilderness in North America. In the past, individuals like Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson have made that kind of lasting difference. They possessed all the skills needed to excel in their respective professions, but they also possessed something more: the courage and the vision to think afresh about how and why to protect our wild lands and the ability to communicate those ideas effectively to others.

Application Procedures and Guidelines

1. Eligibility Requirements for Scholarship Applications
Graduate students meeting the eligibility requirements noted below may apply directly to The Wilderness Society. If you are an applicant, please make sure you meet all of the scholarship eligibility requirements and follow the application procedures below.

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 North America. Graduate students in natural resources management, law or policy programs are strongly encouraged to apply.

2. Application Procedure
All students applying for the Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship must submit the following materials for an application to be considered complete:

a. A two-page double-spaced cover letter. The letter must offer insights into the personal motivations of the applicant as well as how wilderness has influenced your life. If, in the course of this essay, you could give us some understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, this would also be helpful.
b. A 3-5 page double-spaced proposal. The proposal must include a description of the proposed work and a timeline for completion of a paper within 24 months. The 5-page proposal limit does not include your list of references/citations. See Research Topics for guidelines.
c. A current résumé or curriculum vitae.
d. Two letters of recommendation describing the applicant`s ability to meet the objectives of the scholarship and proposed work.
e. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (official or unofficial).

All application materials must be submitted to Barron_scholarship@tws.org no later than 5:00 pm Eastern, March 31. Faxes or mail applications are not acceptable.

3. Research Topics
The research paper should address an aspect of the establishment, protection, or management of wilderness. 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. 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? Important: Research proposals related to climate change are strongly encouraged.

4. Scholarship Requirements
Scholarship Payments: The scholarship is paid in two installments, the first in August for $7,000 and the second in February for the remaining $3,000. The recipient may be liable for income tax on the scholarship. Please 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.

Progress and Final Reports
The recipients are required to submit a paper describing the findings of their research project within 24 months of receiving the award. In order to receive the second payment, the recipient must send a letter summarizing the status of his/her project and the expected completion date in January or February.

5. Other information
For more information, please contact Christine Soliva.

When and Where to Apply
Application Deadline:
March 31, 2010 at 5:00 pm Eastern

Fellowship Payment Dates:
August
February

Contact for further information:
Christine Soliva, Research Project Coordinator
No phone calls please.

Applications must be emailed to:
Christine Soliva
Research Project Coordinator
Ecology and Economics Research Department
The Wilderness Society
Barron_scholarship[at]tws.org

Fax or mail applications are not accepted.

• GESA Postgraduate Medical Research Scholarship, Australia
• The Michigan Society of Fellows 2010, University of Michigan, USA
• Harvard Postdoctoral Position in Science, Technology and Society, Harvard University, USA
• Travel Grant for Starting Scholars from Overseas, Japan Sociological Society
• Masters Bursaries, Society for Music Analysis, UK
• PhD Studentships in Behaviour, Choices and Markets, University of Aberdeen, UK
• PhD Studentship, Alzheimers Society, University of Edinburgh, UK
• Postgraduate Scholarships, Open Society Foundations / University of Nottingham, UK
• University of Twente Scholarship for Master, Netherlands
• Master Studentship in Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany

Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the above information is current and correct. However, applicants should contact the appropriate administering body before making an application, as details do change frequently.