Announcing the 2008 - 2009 Nick Winter Memorial Scholarship Fund Award Competition for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Deadline: May 30, 2008

The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and the ASFPM Foundation, will grant a $2,000 scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year to a full-time college junior or senior currently enrolled in an undergraduate program related to floodplain/ stormwater management, or a student enrolled in a graduate program in a field related to floodplain/ stormwater management.

Eligible applicants include current undergraduates in a four-year college program, applicants to a graduate program, or current graduate students. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited university or college in the United States and be a citizen of the United States. Eligible fields of discipline include civil or environmental engineering, planning, emergency management, environmental sciences or other disciplines with a demonstrable link to floodplain and stormwater
management.

Applicants must complete a 2008-2009 Scholarship Application Form. Selection preference will be given to those applicants who demonstrate a history of civic or volunteer service, as well as a financial need (i.e. full-time students responsible for their own tuition), in addition to meeting the basic qualifications. In order to be considered, the Scholarship Review Committee must receive four (4) signed copies of the 2008-2009 Scholarship Application Form and a separate reference letter prior to May 30, 2008.

Selection will be made prior to July 31, 2008. Scholarship funds will be paid directly to the recipient’s college or university.

Applications and reference letter must be mailed to:

Nick Winter Memorial Scholarship
Review Committee
c/o Green International Affiliates, Inc.
239 Littleton Road, Suite 3
Medford, MA 01886
Attn: Peter A. Richardson, P.E., CFM

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.