Overview
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) research fellowship is designed to support research activities for graduate students conducting work in the Ogeechee River Basin as part of their degree program. The $25,000 fellowship will be awarded to a single student each year. Funds will be dedicated to the cost of tuition, a stipend, research consumables, supplies, or other operating expenses. Indirect costs associated with university overhead are not included or allowed beyond the set amount ($25,000).
Eligibility
Any student enrolled in a graduate program and who is conducting research in the Ogeechee River Basin as part of their degree program. The student must be enrolled for the entire duration of the calendar year of the award (e.g., January to December). Priority will be given to students at academic institutions in the state of Georgia, but students at institutions in other states are also eligible to apply.
Requirements/Deliverables
The awarded fellow will be expected to collaborate with the ORK education/outreach coordinator and communications/administrative director to develop 3-4 blog posts (i.e., approximately every 3 months) with photos from the field or at the river, for posting on the ORK website. The fellow will also be invited to participate in regular ORK activities ranging from paddle trips, workshops, and other social events during the year of the Fellowship. In addition, the fellow will be required to provide a 1-2 page final progress report updating the ORK on project progress due at the end of the fellowship year.
The fellow is also expected to credit ORK publicly as one of their supporters in any materials or products developed in which sources of support are listed. The fellow will allow ORK to refer to their work and accomplishments during the Fellowship period as being partially supported by the ORK, when we describe the organization’s work on the website, social media, annual reports, and elsewhere.
Application
To apply, the candidate must submit a 2-page essay outlining the work to be conducted in the Ogeechee River Basin, including timeline for completion, expected accomplishments during the year of the fellowship, potential sources where the work will be disseminated during or after the fellowship year, and expected timeline for degree completion. In addition, the essay should include a brief description of the expected outcomes of the work beyond the contributions to the field of study (e.g., broader implications of the work related to societal or other gains).
Submission
Applications should be submitted to directly info@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org with the subject “Fellowship Application.” Deadline for submission is October 15, 2022, 5 PM EST. Applicants should also coordinate for 1 letter of reference, preferably from the academic advisor or faculty overseeing the project to be submitted separately to the same email address. Although a detailed budget is not required, a simple breakdown of how the award amount will be allocated should be included in the application. For example, Tuition ($7,000); Stipend = $15,000 ($1,250/month); Materials/Supplies or Other operating expenses ($3,000); Total ($25,000). Funds cannot be used to cover indirect costs or other institutional facilities and administrative costs.