The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has awarded fellowships to eight students at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment who show outstanding promise as future leaders in nonprofit or governmental conservation.
Established in 1997, the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship Program supports graduate students enrolled in master's programs at eight leading U.S. environmental schools. The fellowships provide tuition assistance and cultivate leadership skills through internships, professional and career development programs, and ongoing alumni networking activities.
The 2008-10 Michigan Doris Duke Conservation Fellows (listed with their field of study) are: Sidney Brown (Environmental Justice/dual degree with Ford School of Public Policy); Evan Childress (Aquatic Sciences: Research and Management); Catherine Game (Behavior, Education and Communication); Matt Griffis (Environmental Policy and Planning); Colin Hume (Conservation Biology); Russell Martin (Terrestrial Ecology); Nerissa Rujanavech (Conservation Biology and Environmental Policy and Planning); and Amy Samples (Conservation Biology).
The students will be recognized at a special reception and dinner Thursday, March 26.
As one of eight host programs under the Duke program, SNRE normally recommends five student candidates to be considered for fellowships. Because extra discretionary funding was available this year, SNRE recommended additional candidates to compete against applicants from other schools. All eight candidates advanced by SNRE this year - the original five and three additional candidates - were awarded fellowships.
Since its inception, the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship Program has supported more than 300 fellows. Several have been named Presidential Management Fellows, a highly competitive national honor; others are employed by such organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Nature Conservancy and the federal Office of Management and Budget. The program supports students enrolled at Yale, Duke and Cornell universities; Florida A&M University; Northern Arizona University and the universities of Michigan, Wisconsin and California at Santa Barbara. A national advisory committee oversees the invitation-only university competition.
About the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment:
The School of Natural Resources and Environment's overarching objective is to contribute to the protection of the Earth's resources and the achievement of a sustainable society. Through research, teaching, and outreach, faculty, staff and students are devoted to generating knowledge and developing policies, techniques and skills to help practitioners manage and conserve natural and environmental resources to meet the full range of human needs on a sustainable basis.
www.snre.umich.edu
About the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation:
The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child maltreatment, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties.
http://www.woodrow.org/fellowships/conservation/index.php
About the Ecosystem Management Initiative:
The mission of the Ecosystem Management Initiative is to promote sustainable natural resource management through ecosystem-based teaching, research and outreach through a series of interconnected strategies.
http://www.snre.umich.edu/ecomgt/index.htm
CONTACT:
Kevin Merrill
SNRE
C: 734.936.2447
merrillk@umich.edu