The Rangeland Ecology section will offer one or more awards each year to support the travel of outstanding graduate and advanced undergraduate students to the ESA annual meeting. We particularly encourage applications from SEEDS chapter members. Awards are $400 and the number of awards given per year depends upon available resources. The award is open to currently-enrolled students within or outside the U.S. The student must be the presenting author on an oral paper or poster that has been accepted for presentation at the annual meeting. The paper/poster should be applicable to the past, present, and/or future of rangeland systems and could address rangelands from a number of perspectives, including exploration of relationships between organisms, biogeochemical cycles, and people. Rangeland is a broad category of land use including areas classified as grasslands, savannas, wetlands, shrublands, and woodlands. Rangelands 1) are managed as natural ecosystems to balance provision of diverse ecosystem services, 2) are often used historically and/or currently for livestock production, and 3) are tightly coupled human natural ecosystems, often involving diverse interests in land conditions. The subjects of rangeland ecological studies are broad and include, for example, carbon sequestration, wildlife populations, invasive species, or attitudes of landowners.
Applications are due by May 31, 2016 (via email) and should include: • A sheet containing the applicant’s name, professional address, email and phone number, paper/poster title joined to a copy of the accepted abstract, including the paper/poster number and date/session/time of presentation. • A recommendation letter from the student’s advisor. A second letter from another member of the student’s committee, a work supervisor, or mentor can be included if desired. • A cover letter (no longer than 1 page) written by the student that describes the scientific and applied significance of the presented work for rangeland ecology and the student’s interest in attending the ESA meeting. Applications should be sent to Section Chair, Peter Adler (peter.ad...@usu.edu) with the subject line “Travel Award." Applications will be evaluated by a volunteer group of section members and notification will be given by July 1, 2016. Awardees are expected to attend the Rangeland Ecology Section business meeting at the Annual Meeting.
