2018 ASA Graduate Field Research Scholarship Program The Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon is pleased to announce a new opportunity for graduate students wishing to conduct field research in the Peruvian Amazon.
About the Scholarship The Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon (ASA) is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 charity dedicated to the conservation of Amazonian biodiversity. Our main field site is Finca Las Piedras, a biological and agricultural research station located in Madre de Dios, in the southeastern Peruvian Amazon. Two scholarships will be available starting April 2018 for graduate students interested in conducting research spanning one of our focal areas: 1) biological research and monitoring, or 2) sustainable tropical agriculture. Priority will be given to those projects that generate information that informs applied biodiversity or wildlife conservation, or sustainable agriculture and economic development in the region; those with projects that will generate basic knowledge (e.g., abundance, distribution, taxonomy, natural history, etc.) about poorly known groups are also encouraged to apply. About Finca Las Piedras Finca Las Piedras is a 54 hectare property located 2km from the Interoceanic Highway in Madre de Dios, Peru. The property itself is composed mainly of upland, terra firme rainforest; palm swamps (Mauritia flexuosa), active and abandoned agricultural fields, and regenerating forests are also within easy reach. The site is located at the edge of the agricultural frontier; it is bordered to the west by a forest-agriculture matrix and to the east by extensive protected forests designated as Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) concessions that stretch, unbroken, for many kilometers. Scholarship Details Scholarship Duration: <6 months Scholarship Dates: April-December 15, 2018 Application Deadline: March 9, 2018 What’s Covered by the Scholarship * Full room and board at Finca Las Piedras (lodging and 3 meals per day) * Access to the field site’s forest trail network & experimental agricultural plots * Reasonable assistance by the ASA team of Resident Naturalists (not full-time field assistants) What’s Not Covered * Transportation to and from the field site (including local transport, domestic & international airfare, taxes, fees, travel insurance, etc.) * Field research equipment * Full time field assistance * Research permit fees (including submission assistance and translating services by ASA) Requirements * Enrolled (or will be) in a graduate program at an accredited college or university * Health and/or travel insurance during the entire duration of the grant period * Final research report (for a lay audience; not peer-reviewed publication) submitted to the ASA before departure from field site * Copy of peer-reviewed research article(s) submitted within 1 month of publication How to Apply To apply for the scholarship, please submit the following documentation: * Maximum 2-page research proposal including introduction, methods, expected results, and discussion of the relevance of the proposed research to basic knowledge or applied conservation in the Peruvian Amazon. The proposal should detail the study duration and any biological specimens to be collected. * A current CV, including contact information for two references that can speak to your ability to conduct field research in the tropics. Please send the above materials as a single PDF file to i...@sustainableamazon.org<mailto:i...@sustainableamazon.org> by the application deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed. More information about the ASA & Finca Las Piedras: http://www.sustainableamazon.org
