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OPPORTUNITIES: Call for Applications: Switzer Environmental Fellowship Program - Deadline for Applications: February 1
The Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation invites applications from highly talented graduate students in New England and California for Switzer Environmental Fellowships for the academic year 2008-2009. The award amount is $15,000. Twenty fellowships will be awarded to assist graduate students in a broad range of environmental science and related fields. Please note that nominations will not be required this year, but only completed and qualified applications will be considered.
Deadline for Applications: February 1, 2008
The Switzer Fellowship Program
For over twenty years, the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation has sponsored fellowships for environmental graduate students in New England and California. Each Fellowship award is $15,000 and represents an extraordinary opportunity for a few, select students. This year we will be selecting the twenty-second class of Switzer Fellows since the program was founded in 1986.
The Switzer Environmental Fellowship awards are extremely competitive. Twenty Fellowships are awarded each year to students who are enrolled in graduate programs at accredited institutions in the six New England states and California. Ten Fellowships are awarded in New England, and ten in California. We typically receive well over 100 applications for the ten Fellowships in each region. A full description of our program is found on our website.
The goal of the Switzer Foundation is to identify and nurture those individuals who have the ability and determination to make a significant and early impact on environmental quality. In addition to receiving financial assistance, Switzer Fellows become part of an alumni network (the Switzer Fellowship Network) of over 450 environmental professionals and past Fellows dedicated to environmental protection and improvement. The Switzer Fellowship Network is a highly respected resource locally, nationally and internationally for non-profit organizations, government agencies, and other entities. Bolstered by the Foundation’s long-term support, Switzer Fellows are using their expertise in natural and social sciences, business, law, and policy fields to sustain, restore, and steward our life support systems and create sustainable communities. In addition to the Fellowship award, Switzer Fellows gain access to other Switzer Foundation grant programs designed to advance their career development.
Candidate Profile
Candidates for the Fellowship should demonstrate leadership potential, be able to clearly communicate their objectives for applying their technical or professional expertise to environmental issues after graduation and convey a clarity and sense of purpose about their work. Candidates for the Switzer Fellowship are chosen not only for their excellence in academic and scientific work, but also on their true dedication to aggressively pursue practical solutions to environmental problems. The Fellowships are not restricted to a specific field, but a good foundation in basic sciences is considered a plus. Past Fellows have studied in a range of fields including environmental law, public policy, natural resources management, architecture, business and journalism as well as in more traditional sciences of chemistry, biology and engineering. More detailed information about the Switzer Foundation, the Environmental Fellowship Program, and the network of Switzer Fellows can be found at the Switzer website at www.switzernetwork.org.
The Switzer Foundation is interested in applications from both terminal Master’s degree students and doctoral students. Master’s students who are likely to continue in a doctoral program should not apply until the doctoral stage. To be eligible, PhD students must have completed at least two years of study as of May, 2008 or have passed their qualifying exams by May 1, 2008.
As always, we seek applications from a diverse cross section of graduate schools and programs and student backgrounds. This year we are expanding our effort in southern California, in recognition of the region’s significant environmental challenges and the need to strengthen environmental leadership there.
How to Apply
Complete application guidelines, instructions, and forms are available on the Switzer Foundation website: www.switzernetwork.org/fellowship-guidelines.html.
If you have any questions, please contact Foundation staff by phone at 207-338-5654 or by e-mail as follows:
Lissa Widoff, Executive Director, lissa@switzernetwork.org
Erin Lloyd, Program Officer, erin@switzernetwork.org
Don Brackett, Administrative Officer , don@switzernetwork.org
Source: The Switzer Foundation
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