Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society

P.O. Box 142

Chester, New Jersey 07930

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT STIPEND

The Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society announces the availability of stipend funds designed to encourage and involve exceptional undergraduate students in the field of Aquatic Plant Management. Awards may be used to defray living expenses for summer internships with a group or organization whose main focus is Aquatic Plant Management.

AWARD:	Up to $5000 for support of an undergraduate internship to be conducted over a specified timeframe, based on the internship availability. Support of student’s faculty sponsor or advisor is required. Awards will be made to the student, to be administered by group or organization coordinating the internship (university, state agency, non-profit organization).
APPLICANT:	Applicants should be enrolled in a college or university in the Northeast Region in a field related to environmental science, biology, ecology, aquatic plant management, or related field.
TO APPLY:	Applicants should prepare a 2-3 page proposal including the following information: Name and contact information Title of Internship Learning Objectives/Expected Experiences Expected Use of Stipend Expected Total Hours of Internship The student should provide a cover letter in which general academic and career goals are discussed, as well as any experience they may have had through past schooling, work, or internships. Full copies of the student’s academic transcripts are required (though they may be an unofficial copy from the school). A letter of support from the student’s faculty advisor is also required.
FACULTY	Any faculty member who is actively engaged in Aquatic Plant Management or Aquatic Plant Ecology research is qualified to be a sponsor. The faculty sponsor should review the internship responsibilities, and provide a letter of support for the student.
HOW TO APPLY: ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:	The completed proposal, academic transcripts, cover letter and faculty letter of support should be forwarded to: NEAPMS Scholarship Committee, c/o Amy P. Smagula PO Box 142, Chester, New Jersey, 07930, or via e-mail at asmagula@des.state.nh.us There are no deadlines for application. Applications that are received by the Scholarship Committee will be held until the next scheduled BOD meeting for review. NEAPMS will review applications twice annually, once in the September, and once in January, and make awards based on candidate qualifications and funding availability. Stipend recipients will be expected to submit a 5-page summary of their work experiences for which the stipend was applied. Projects and work experiences should be outlined and then detailed.

Scoring Categories:

Project Approach (45%): Does the project have a clearly defined goal, with clear ideas of how the applicant plans to achieve that goal and what the end result should be? Is the proposed project feasible? Can it be conducted in the specified timeframe? Do the methods and protocols seem realistic and appropriate? The applicant should show a clear understanding of the issue, and the project should aim to address this issue. This information will be conveyed in the Project Narrative. The more organized and structured the project narrative, the more points earned.

Management Approach (15%): Can the applicant effectively manage the funds and tasks to achieve the proposed results? Projects should request a reasonable amount of money considering the project scope and goals, and build on other resources such as other grants or the support of other groups. Applicants should provide rationale for their budgets and how monies will be spent.

Benefit and Anticipated Usefulness to Field of Aquatic Plant Management (30%): Is the project likely to result in advances in the science of aquatic plant management?

Originality and Effectiveness (10%): Does the project exemplify a well thought out and creative approach? The more unique and effective the project, the more points awarded.