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Trailblazing Undergraduate Research

Trailblazing Undergraduate Research

Award Description 

  • The Student Section seeks to acknowledge an undergraduate student’s innovative and scholarly research in the field of ecology. This award highlights undergraduate research that introduces a new original idea and/or uses novel  methods to address ecological problems that are of particular significance to the scientific community. 

Eligibility

  • You must be enrolled as an undergraduate student or recent graduate (within one academic year)
  • The project described must be undergraduate research

Application Questions

  • Demographic Information
  • Presentation info (title & abstract)
  • Involvement in research. (include previous work and current work)
  • Describe current research  
  • Impact/Importance of research 
  • Future aspiration in ecology research 

Selection Criteria

  • Applications will be reviewed by an awards committee consisting of students and appointed by the officers of the Student Section. The award honors students that conducted novel ecology research of particular significance to the scientific community. We select winners based on the novelty and relevance of the research. To prevent any biases (especially sub-conscious) all applicant names, addresses, and any other personal information will be removed prior to distribution to judges. The applications are evaluated on the following four criteria: 
    • Research’s contribution to the field: provides valuable, broadly applicable insights to the field of ecology.
    • Research’s originality: research is novel and engaging for all ecologists, regardless of subdiscipline.
    • Broader impact: The research has strong applications to real world environmental problems or issues.
    • Future Research: The applicant should address their future research plans and what they hope to accomplish throughout their career. 

Syntax and Overall Quality

The application must be clear and well written. It must be apparent that the applicant thought through each question and provided thorough, proof-read responses