Fellowships

"Training in Sustainable Sciences Through an Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Rural Sociology" Fellowship 

Global warming, biotechnology, obesity and famine, loss of farmland, water shortages, organic and local food systems, the loss of rare animal species, fair trade coffee, deforestation, geopolitical struggles over oil and gas supplies, and desertification – these are some of the major issues of our time. They raise important questions about how we should organize the relationships between people, society and the natural resources and environments upon which they depend. The Training in Sustainable Sciences Through an Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Rural Sociology (IGPRS), a new fellowship opportunity addresses these and many other topical issues. The program will cultivate a new and diverse generation of scholars committed to and capable of a broad understanding of the four primary dimensions of food and agricultural systems:  social responsibility, environmental compatibility, economic viability, and production efficiency.  The goal of the master’s degree fellowship is to train skilled, engaged, committed scholars who will make use of and contribute to the food and agricultural system by engaging in basic and applied interdisciplinary research and policy making and analysis. It is targeted at two primary audiences: those wishing to pursue a career in food, agricultural, and environmental sciences; and those wishing to do further academic study and research on these topics. 
 
The fellowship opportunity is distinctive in several ways:
-    First, it builds on the concept of the ecological paradigm, which considers the whole spectrum of approaches to food, agricultural, and environmental systems – consisting of social responsibility, environmental compatibility, economic viability, and production efficiency. 
-    Secondly, the IGPRS makes the connections between the dimensions of the paradigm and social spheres where innovation, adoption and policy-making appear - such as production, distribution and consumption.
-    Finally, the program is highly interdisciplinary and will expose students to ideas and practices developed in a range of subject areas rather than one alone.
 
The Social Responsibility Initiative (SRI) invites recent undergraduate degree holders in the fields of sociology, agriculture, economics, biological and environmental sciences and other related fields to apply for a two-year master’s degree fellowship in Rural Sociology focused on the interdisciplinary nature of food, agricultural, and environmental issues. 
 
The IGPRS fellowships cover tuition, stipend ($18,000 per year), and benefits for the duration of a 2-year master’s program in Rural Sociology. Academic standards must be met to maintain eligibility.  Two fellowships are available for studies beginning Fall 2008. The Application deadline is January 1, 2008.
 
Fellowships are restricted to U.S. citizens or nationals of the United States. Candidates must have completed their bachelor’s degree by the time of appointment. For application materials go to the Ohio State University Graduate School admissions website at http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/.   As part of the application process, you will be asked to send your transcripts, three letters of reference, and a statement of interest in this fellowship opportunity directly to the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee Chair (208 Ag. Admin. Building, 2120 Fyffe Rd., Columbus OH 43210-1067).
 
Additional information is available about the SRI and the Rural Sociology Graduate Program by visiting: http: // www.sri.osu.edu and http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~hcrd/rural_sociology/index.php
 
For more information about admission to the Rural Sociology Graduate Program, contact: 
Professor Linda Lobao, Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee Chair (lobao.1@osu.edu).
 
For additional information about the IGPRS fellowships, contact:  Molly Bean Smith, Research Associate, Social Responsibility Initiative (bean.21@osu.edu).

Social Science Fellowship with The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

For detailed information and applications, refer to the NERRS website at www.nerrs.noaa.gov.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM), Estuarine Reserves Division, in collaboration with NOAA's Coast Services Center (CSC) and the Sectoral Applications Research Program (SARP) of teh Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Climate Program Office, are offering fellowships for masters and doctoral students to conduct social science research within the Natioanl Estuarine Research Reserve Ssytem. NERR social science research funds will be provided to support research projects that will provide information needed by reserve management and coastal management decision-makers, and improve public awareness and understanding of estuarine ecosystems and estuarine management issues (15CFRS 921.50).

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System will focus on the following areas of research for this opportunity. Proposed research projects submitted in response to this announcement should address social, cultural, economic, or policy aspects related to one of the following topics:

1. Community resilience (e.g., individual and community vulnerability; resistance, response, and adaptabilitiy to continuous or episodic natural and anthropogenic stressors; risk perception).

2. Ecological restoration (e.g., human behaviors; advocacy and volunteerism; responses to social and ecological change; personal and societal value orientations).

3. Ecosystem-based management (e.g., collaborative decision-making; motivations or preferences for resource uses or managenet practices; ways in which people affect or are affected by natural resource mmanagement decisions; cultural history).

4. Landscape or seascape change (e.g. current or potential effects on or threats to the traits, patterns, or structure of a specific geographic area of the terrestrial or aquatic environment, including its biological, physical, and anthropogenic attributes; population and demographic change; coastal urbanization and habitat fragmentation).

5. Climate variability and change (e.g. sea level rise; extreme weather events; seasonal or interannual climate fluctuations; effects on water resources, living marine resources, agricultural productivity, delivery of ecosystem services, or public health and safety).

For detailed descriptions of the reserves and a copy of this funding opportunity, refer to the NERRS website at www.nerrs.noaa.gov

The U.S. Community Forestry Research Fellowship Program

The U.S. Community Forestry Research Fellowship Program provides fellowships to graduate students to support their field work in communities in the United States. The awards are up to $15,000 for dissertation fellows, up to $7,000 for masters fellows, and $2,000 for pre-dissertation fellows.

The program accepts proposals dealing with the broad array of issues and resources in community forestry, including, but not limited to, collaborative processes and conflict resolution, social networks, political ecology of forest communities, urban forestry issues, watershed restoration, park creation and management, forest labor issues, non-timber forest product production (floral greens, basket-making materials, wild mushrooms, maple syrup, etc.), and revitalization of local life-ways and cultures. Questions concerning issues of social justice and equity are especially welcome.

Eligibility: Students at any institution of higher learning may apply for a fellowship. The applicant must be enrolled in a degree-granting program in the social sciences, economics, environmental science, forestry, agriculture, or natural resource management, policy and planning at their home institution. Applicants must be engaged in research that deals directly with or is explicitly relevant to U.S. forest communities. Field work must be participatory; Fellows must work actively with members of the community in which they are conducting research to engage them in the research process.

Deadline: Applications must be received by February 1, 2007.

For more details about the program and information on how to apply, please see our website: http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/community_forestry/.

For more information, contact:

Kelly Perce
Program Assistant
Community Forestry Research Fellowships
College of Natural Resources
UC Berkeley
101 Giannini Hall, #3100
Berkeley, CA 94720-3100
PH: 510.642.6109
FAX: 510.642.4612
perce@nature.berkeley.edu
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/community_forestry

Grants

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