The Washington State Lake Protection Association
2010 Scholarship Announcement
The Washington State Lake Protection Association (WALPA) announces scholarships to support undergraduate and graduate students in their pursuit of degrees specializing in the fields of Environmental Science. WALPA is a non-profit organization formed in 1986 by a group of volunteers concerned for the future of Washington Lakes. WALPA has grown to include lakeside residents, lake associations, recreationists, scientists, educators, legislators, and local and state agencies. Through WALPA, separate entities with diverse interests speak with a united voice. WALPA members financially support the WALPA Scholarship.
WALPA will award one $1000 scholarship and one $750 scholarship in May, 2011. The $1000 scholarship is an honorary scholarship dedicated to the remembrance of Nancy Weller. Nancy Weller worked for Washington State Department of Ecology for 13 years, eight of which were in the Eastern Regional Office. Nancy was very dedicated and interested in working with people on lakes, aquatic plants and improving the environment.
Scholarship funds may be used by recipients to cover the costs associated with education and/or research expenses. Eligible applicants must be enrolled as a part or full time, undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited college or university and be completing course work or research related to biology, hydrology, ecology and management or restoration of lakes and watersheds in Washington or Idaho. Anyone qualified is encouraged to apply. However, a preference may be given to those not awarded the WALPA scholarship in the past. The guidelines for applying are described below. Both scholarship recipients will additionally receive a one-year membership in WALPA and a waiver of registration fees for the 2011 or 2012 conference. Scholarship recipients will also be invited to give a presentation on their research at the annual conference. A committee consisting of a mix of academic, industry, and agency representatives will judge applications. Judging will not be done by individuals with a personal or institutional affiliation with the applicant. Winning applications will be chosen based on the quality of research topic, its significance to the fields of Environmental Science, particularly limnology and hydrology, and relevance to the applicant’s interests and career goals. Application Procedure / Packet/File:
Applicants must provide a statement of interests, including: research interests and explain why their research is of importance to the field of limnology and/or watershed management, career goals, and intended use of scholarship funds (one-page limit); a one-page resume; and recent transcripts of all college/university course work. A recommendation from someone in the applicant’s field of study is encouraged, but not required.
All application materials from the applicant should be sent to the WALPA Scholarship Program Committee by April 29, 2011. Send material in a single PDF file clearly identified by the applicant’s last name. Reference letters can be emailed directly by the reference to the committee chair. The scholarship recipients will be contacted by the Scholarship Program Committee in May 2011, and announced at the 2011 WALPA conference.
Please send the completed application file to: Frank M. Wilhelm (fwilhelm@uidaho.edu)
(Please use your name to identify your application in the filename – e.g., FwilhelmWALPA2011.pdf)