Students invited to apply for NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award

Students who want to expand their professional networks should apply for a 2012 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award.

Students who receive the awards give oral or poster presentations at the Annual Symposium of the U.S. Regional Association for the International Association for Landscape Ecology. The 2012 US-IALE Annual Symposium is April 8-12 in Newport, RI.

"Many promising students who are interested in research on landscape ecology may not be able to attend conferences and other professional events without financial assistance," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, who holds the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and is director of the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University. “This award program was set up to help them connect with leading researchers at a national event."

Approximately 20 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Awards (up to $700 each) are given each year to cover expenses associated with attending the symposium. Applications are judged based on the merits of the applicants' abstracts, financial needs, and professional backgrounds and goals. Former award recipients are not eligible to apply. Underrepresented students are especially encouraged to apply.

These special awards are made possible by the support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Michigan State University.

Before starting the application process, students should have the following items available:

• abstract (as it was submitted to US-IALE)
• resume/CV
• cover letter
• budget for the trip to Newport, RI

Each applicant should have discussed the application with her/his major adviser and received approval from the major adviser before applying.

Applications are due by Dec. 16, 2011. To apply visit the 2012 NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award online application form.

To learn about previous awardees, visit the NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award page.