Opportunities

2008 Student Research Funding

Request for proposals

Submission deadline: April 1, 2008

The Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences is soliciting graduate and undergraduate student research proposals that will advance the Rice Center mission and contribute to an understanding of large river systems and their riparian landscapes. Research grants up to $1,000 may be used to purchase supplies and equipment, defray related travel expenses, and possibly to provide student stipends. Typical awards will range between $300 and $500. Research topics may include ecology, environmental science, environmental health and environmental education. Eligible research activities are not restricted to the Rice Center property, but may extend to the tidal James River, its tributaries, and associated riparian and upland landscapes in the vicinity of the Rice Center. Projects that involve nearby public lands owned by Rice Center partners, such as the USFWS and VDGIF, are also encouraged.

Located on the James River, one of the countries’s most ecologically and culturally significant rivers, the 343-acre Rice Center offers significant opportunities for Life Sciences researchers and students. The James River is the longest and, arguably, the most significant river in the southeast. Draining more than 15 percent of the Chesapeake Bay’s 64,000 square-mile watershed, it is the second largest tributary to the Bay. The Rice Center is located below the fall line at the tidally influenced lower reach of the river in the Coastal Plain ecoregion. The coastal and aquatic landscapes surrounding the Rice Center incorporate diversities of climate, physiography, plants, animals, and human influence.

Requirements

Applications must be received no later than April 1, 2008, and should include a cover letter, a brief proposal that includes project title, introduction, objectives or hypothesis, methods or approach, expected results or benefits, schedule of activities and a detailed budget. In addition, applicants must include a letter of support from a faculty adviser and unofficial transcripts, and must be enrolled in a VCU degree program at the time of submission. Award decisions will be made no later than May 1, 2008. Questions may be directed to Cathy Viverette at cbvivere@vcu.edu.

Submit applications

Please submit three paper copies of the full application and one electronic copy (Microsoft Word format) of the proposal to:

Cathy Viverette

VCU Center for Environmental Studies

Trani Life Sciences

1000 West Cary Street

P.O. Box 843050

Richmond, Virginia 23284-3050

Phone: (804) 828-7202

E-mail: cbvivere@vcu.edu