The International Association of Wildland Fire Scholarship Program
2010 Call for Applications
In an effort to promote the advancement of fire science and support the graduate
training of individuals in the international fire community, in 2010 the IAWF
will again be awarding two graduate-level scholarships, each valued at $2,500USD
to IAWF members who are Master of Science (M.Sc.) or Ph.D. students studying
wildland fire or wildland fire-related topics.
The application period will open February 15, 2010 and close March 31, 2010. Award winners will be announced by the end of May 2010.
Scholarships will be awarded to the top MSc and top PhD applicants based on new student essay guidelines as revised for 2010 submissions. Please see the application information (below) for details.
Application information
The applicant must be a member of IAWF at the time of application and remain so at least during his/her award period. The applicant must be enrolled full-time in graduate school with, at the closing date of applications, at least 8 months remaining in their program if they are an MSc candidate or 12 months remaining if they are a PhD candidate.
The applicant must submit a 500-750 word essay that includes 3 components:
- a description of how they have or will overcome challenges and/or
barriers associated with their academic program and associated research.
These challenges and/or barriers may include, but are not limited to:
- location of the research (e.g., field site, laboratory, geographic region)
- subject area being studied (e.g., non-traditional or evolving research area)
- country/region of origin or other personal circumstances;
- a description of how the international fire community will benefit from
completion of their work; and
- a statement of the anticipated benefit the scholarship would bring to the student with particular emphasis on (but not limited to) how scholarship funds would be used to further their research goals and/or allow the dissemination of research to the fire management community (an example would be additional meetings, workshops or conferences attended)
(Note: essay formatting instructions are included at the end of this document.)
The applicant must arrange for a letter of support to be submitted on their behalf by their primary thesis supervisor. The letter of support must confirm: (1) the student is enrolled in an MSc or PhD program under their supervision; (2) the student has at least 8 months remaining in the program at the time of application; (3) the content of the student’s essay is accurate; and (4) the student has the ability to successfully complete the work.
Upon completing his/her degree, all award winners will submit to the Association a copy of the signature page approving the thesis or other similar academic requirement, and a copy of the abstract that appears in the body of the thesis. These materials will be transmitted by the student under a cover letter that states the IAWF is permitted to use the information in these materials in publications of their choosing. The purpose of this authorization/waiver is to allow the IAWF to highlight the success of this program and those of the students sponsored.
Award winners will acknowledge the financial support of the IAWF in all publications or manuscripts arising from work sponsored in part by this scholarship.
Students interested in applying for this scholarship should send their applications to the chair of the selection committee. Electronic submissions are preferred and should be sent by email as a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF attachment. Completed applications must be received no later than midnight on March 31, 2010.
Dr. Mike Wotton
Chair, IAWF Scholarship Program Selection Committee
Faculty of Forestry - University of Toronto
33 Willcocks Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B3
Email: mike.wotton@utoronto.ca
Essay formatting instructions
At the top of the first page of your student essay, please list the following information:
- Your complete name
- Your current degree program and university
- You academic supervisor’s name (the individual submitting a letter of support on your behalf)
- Your complete postal mailing address
- Your phone number and fax number
- Your email address
Following this information, begin the body of your essay. The text should be double-spaced on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Your completed student essay, including the body of the text and any references, figure or table captions, must not exceed 750 words. Submissions that exceed 750 words, determined from an electronic word count, will be disqualified.
Your name should appear at the top of each page and all pages must be numbered.
