The Mary
Fran Myers Scholarship
Request for 2008 Applications
Deadline:
April 4, 2008
Mary
Fran Myers was co-director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications
Information Center at the University of Colorado for 16 years until
her untimely death in 2004. Reducing disaster losses, both nationally
and internationally, was her life’s work.
During
her tenure as co-director, Mary Fran was instrumental in maintaining
the Natural Hazards Center’s international reputation as a
driving force in hazards research and mitigation. Her work helped
to bring about a fundamental change in national and international
perspectives regarding hazards and helped institute new, more farsighted,
and sustainable ways of dealing with extreme environmental events.
Mary
Fran was much more than her job title. She provided leadership,
guidance, grace, and laughter, and established a standard of excellence
that her colleagues both admired and strived to emulate. She was
an innovator, a mentor, and a creative spirit who touched many lives
and whose legacy has had a lasting impact on the global hazards
community.
The
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship
Each
summer, the Natural Hazards Center hosts an invitational Hazards
Research and Applications Workshop in Colorado. The workshop brings
together more than 400 members of the hazards community who are
working to alleviate the pain and loss inflicted by disasters.
One
of Mary Fran’s primary concerns was ensuring that representatives
of all ages, professions, and communities be represented at the
workshop. Mary Fran recognized that many people and organizations
who could greatly benefit from and contribute to workshop activities—including,
in particular, local practitioners, students, and international
professionals—were among the least likely to be able to afford
the meeting.
In
2003, members of the hazards community established the Mary Fran
Myers Scholarship to fulfill Mary Fran’s explicit request
that qualified and talented individuals receive support to attend
the workshop. The intent of the scholarship is to bring new and
fresh perspectives—and otherwise unheard voices—to the
workshop.
The
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship provides financial support to recipients
so that they can attend and participate in the workshop and further
their research or community work and careers. This scholarship covers
part or all of the costs of transportation, hotel accommodations,
meals, and workshop registration fees.
The
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship is awarded annually to at least one
potential workshop participant, who is then formally invited to
the workshop. Each year, the recipient or recipients are recognized
at the workshop and may be asked to serve as panel discussants,
where they can highlight their research or practical experiences
in the hazards and disasters field.
Eligibility and Application Procedure
All
hazards researchers, students, and practitioners are eligible for
the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship. However, preference is given to
individuals with demonstrated financial need and those who have
not previously attended the Annual Hazards Workshop.
Applicants
must complete the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship 2008 Application Form,
available from the Natural Hazards Center’s Web site at:
www.colorado.edu/hazards/awards/myers-scholarship.html
An
application form can also be requested by calling the Natural Hazards
Center at (303) 492-6818 or by e-mailing Lori Peek at lori.peek@colostate.edu
Four
typed copies of the completed application should be mailed to:
Mary
Fran Myers Scholarship
c/o Lori Peek
Natural Hazards Center
University of Colorado
482 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0482
Application
Deadline
Applications
must be received by Friday, April 4, 2008.
Special
Thanks
The
Mary Fran Myers Scholarship was made possible by generous contributions
from numerous individual donors as well as support from the Association
of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), the Extension Disaster Education
Network (EDEN), the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), and the
Red River, North Dakota, High School Classroom Teachers Association.
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