by Jenifer Parsons, Chair, Scholarship Committee
In 2020, the Washington Lakes Protection Association (WALPA) will once again offer three student scholarships:
- The Nancy Weller Memorial Scholarship for a Ph.D. graduate student (for $1,250).
- The Dave Lamb Memorial Scholarship for an M.Sc. graduate student (for $1,000).
- The WALPA scholarship to for an undergraduate student (for $500).
All three scholarships will also provide funds to cover registration and two nights’ accommodation for each recipient at WALPA’s annual conference.
Student scholarships will be awarded to further our understanding of the limnology, hydrology, ecology, management and/or restoration of lakes and watersheds in Washington or Idaho. Applicants must be part- or full-time undergraduate or graduate students at an accredited college or university in Washington or Idaho. Recipients shall use scholarship funds to cover expenses directly related to their research. Students are expected to attend the annual conference to present their research findings and interact with WALPA membership.
All scholarship applications will be reviewed by the Scholarship Committee, made up of individuals involved with lakes from academia, industry and government. Committee members who have a personal or institutional affiliation with an applicant will not judge that applicant. Student scholarship winners will be selected based on the quality of their research topic, its significance to lake science as described above, and its relevance to the applicant’s interests and career goals. Applicants must also follow the directions below.
Student applicants must provide the following three items:
- A two-page statement of personal and research interests. The statement must explain why the proposed research is important to the field of limnology and/or watershed management, include the applicant’s career goals, and explain the intended use of scholarship funds.
- A resume of one or two pages.
- Recent transcripts of all college/university course work (official copies not required).
A recommendation from someone in the applicant’s field of study is encouraged, but not required.
All applicants should send materials in a single Adobe Acrobat PDF file clearly identified by the applicant’s last name to Jenifer Parsons, chair of the Scholarship Committee, at jenp461@ecy.wa.gov. Reference letters should be sent as PDF files directly to the committee chair from the person providing the reference. Applications are due by 17:00 PDT on May 15, 2020. The Scholarship Committee will contact applicants in early June to let them know their application’s status. See https://www.walpa.org/scholarships_awards/ for more information on student scholarships.
