SES Scholarships & awards

Bill Morrall Memorial Conservation Scholarship (BS ENV, BS ESS, MS ESP, MS CSS, PhD ESES)

The Bill Morrall Conservation Scholarship was established in 1983 by the Arizona Wildlife Federation to honor the memory of Bill Morrall. Bill was actively involved in the work of the foundation and conservation issues important to Northern Arizona.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Undergraduate or graduate
• Must be continuing at NAU in the following year
• Enrolled in conservation-related studies
• U.S. citizen
• Note: This is a scholarship that will be paid directly to your Louie account to cover tuition and/or fees.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Environmental General Application

Lisa Marie Jones Memorial Scholarship (BS ENV, BS/BA ESS, MS ESP, MS CSS, PhD ESES)

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Junior or senior ENV or ESS major OR SES graduate student in an environmental field
• Must be continuing at NAU in the following year
• GPA of 2.5 or above
• Arizona residency
• Financial need
• Note: This is a scholarship that will be paid directly to your Louie account to cover tuition and fees.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Environmental General Application

Henry Hooper Student Fund (BS ENV, BS ESS, MS ESP, MS CSS, PhD ESES)

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Senior undergraduate or graduate
• Funds are to be used to support an environmental or sustainability issue or activity in research, education, or service
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research or project expenses. 

To apply you will need to upload:

• Environmental General Application
• Project Description: Describe the environmental/research project you aim to support with these funds, including a budget. Max 1 page pdf format (1.5 spaced), named as lastname_firstname_hooper.pdf.

Muehlberger Family Award (BS GLG, BS ENV, MS GLG, MS ESP, PhD ESES)

This fund was established by Mr. Eric Muehlberger who earned both his BS & MS degrees in Geology from Northern Arizona University.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Senior undergraduate or graduate
• Conducting research involving fieldwork in geology or environmental science
• Priority support for students conducting research related to water, surface processes, or geomorphology
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses. 

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: A description of how your research meets the criteria for this award. Max 0.5 page pdf format (1.5 spaced).

Rod Parnell Fund for Water Resources Research Support (BS GLG, BS ENV, BS ESS, MS GLG, MS ESP, PhD ESES)

Rod Parnell is Professor Emeritus of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University. His career has focused on applied research and education in seeking solutions for water quality, water resources and river restoration challenges in North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Research in physical or social sciences focusing on water resources, including basic or applied research in water resources or aqueous and sedimentary geochemistry
• Quality of the application materials
• Student’s potential impact in the field of water resources
• Support may include but is not limited to: research-related travel, laboratory supplies and expenses, field research supplies and expense, any other reasonable expenses related to research
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: A description of how your research meets the criteria for this award and how you will use the funds to support your research, including a budget. Max 0.5 page pdf format (1.5 spaced).

Tom and Rose Bedwell Award for Research in Earth Science/Earth Physics (any degree as long as conducting research in earth science/earth physics)

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Be conducting research in the Earth Sciences. This includes all physical, chemical, and environmental aspects of the solid Earth and its atmosphere. The research may be theoretical, experimental, applied, or literature synthesis.
• Plan to return to NAU as a full-time senior or graduate student in the Fall semester of the upcoming academic year
• Have a demonstrated need for funding to complete the proposed work
• Previous recipients of a Bedwell award are eligible to re-apply
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Bedwell Application: Address the following questions regarding how you intend to use this award to support your research: Address the following questions: 1) What is the research question(s) you seek to answer, what is the significance of this research, and what progress have you made so far? 2) What data will you collect, and how will your collected data address the question(s)? 3) What funds are you requesting to support this research, and how will they help you achieve your research objectives? You must provide a budget outlining the intended use of the requested funding. Categories may include: stipend, research-related travel, conference attendance, research equipment, laboratory supplies and expenses, field supplies and expenses, or any other reasonable expenses relevant to your project. Although award amounts may vary from year-to-year, typical awards range between $500-$2,000. Max 2 pages pdf format (1.5 spaced).

Brad McRae Fellowship for Innovation in Conservation of Biodiversity (MS ESP, PhD ESES, MS/PhD FOR, MS/PhD BIO)

In his NAU graduate thesis, Brad McRae (PhD, NAU School of Forestry, 2004) invented the circuit theory model of gene flow and animal movement. Circuit theory quickly became a dominant paradigm in conservation biology and other scientific disciplines. In the wake of Brad’s untimely death in July 2017, his family and colleagues established this award to help NAU graduate students develop their own innovative ideas. Amount: 1 to 3 fellowships of $2500 to $7500 each.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Minimum GPA of 3.5 in graduate program
• Degree of innovation in a project that will advance conservation of biodiversity or wilderness
• Preference will be given to traditionally underrepresented students (including racial or ethnic, socio-economic, and other dimensions of diversity)
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Joint McRae-Prather Application Packet: see here for details.

The John Prather Graduate Scholarship in Conservation Biology (MS ESP, PhD ESES, MS/PhD FOR, MS/PhD BIO)

John Prather, 1969-2006, was an ecologist with great intellect and love for nature.  His research focused on the ecology, behavior, and distribution of terrestrial vertebrates, with an emphasis on birds.  John was also a thoughtful and passionate participant in grassroots democracy and was an eloquent spokesman on issues related to human rights, peace, and justice. Amount: $1000.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Graduate students in good standing at NAU who are engaged in research related to the conservation of biological diversity.
• Quality of the application materials
• Student’s potential impact in the field of conservation biology.
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Joint McRae-Prather Application Packet: see here for details.

McCullough Award (MS GLG, PhD ESES)

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Geology graduate students conducting research on some aspect of the Colorado Plateau or Colorado River Basin.
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: A description of how your research meets the criteria for this award. Max 0.5 page pdf format (1.5 spaced).

Becker Family Award in Geology (MS GLG, PhD ESES)

The Ulf and Kelly Becker award funds a graduate / undergraduate team to do research that aids the graduate student’s thesis or dissertation work in geology.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Strength of the research team and dissemination plan
• Preference will be given to projects that involve mapping as a major component of the research
• Note: This is an award that will be issued as a check for you spend directly on your research expenses.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: Upload a max 1 page pdf format document (1.5 spaced) that includes the following:
  1. Names of all team members
  2. An approximate budget
  3. Role of the undergraduate student(s), including:

• • How the graduate student(s) will mentor the undergraduate student(s)
  • The field component of the research
  • How the undergraduate and graduate students research projects complement each other
  • How the undergraduate student’s research will be distinct from the graduate student’s research
  • How the undergraduate student’s research will be disseminated

Ronald Blakey Award (MS GLG, PhD ESES)

NAU Professor Emeritus Dr. Ron Blakey was honored in 2010 by the Geology faculty and alumni with the establishment of a new endowed NAU Foundation fund in his name.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Priority support for students conducting research broadly related to sedimentology, stratigraphy, and/or Earth history
• Note: This is a scholarship that will be paid directly to your Louie account to cover tuition and/or fees.

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: A description of how your research meets the criteria for this award. Max 0.5 page pdf format (1.5 spaced).

David Sanders Geology Research Assistantship Award (MS GLG)

Dave Sanders is a Geology MS alum with a successful career in energy, most recently with Pioneer Natural Resources. This award is intended to support graduate research in geology by providing funding for a one-semester RA.

Eligibility and selection criteria:

• Current 1st-year MS student in Geology
• Excellent record (grades and progress) in the program thus far
• No RA funding for the following year (priority will go to students with no external funding, although those with one semester may apply)

To apply you will need to upload:

• Earth Science General Application
• Award-Specific Description: Max 1 page pdf format document (1.5 spaced) that includes:
  1. A description of how you meet the criteria for this award
  2. A statement of how you will use the scholarship
  3. Other grants you have received (external or internal) and/or have applied for