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This is the SCGIS Global Scholarship Program 2014 application form with instructions.
Please read the instructions carefully before filling out and submitting your application.
The form has changed this year, and we do not accept application forms from previous years!
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*=== INTRODUCTION
The Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS - http://www.scgis.org) Global Scholarship Program is not a typical scholarship program. Rather, it is a support program that covers SOME of the costs to allow you attend 2 of the best Conservation GIS conferences in the world, Esri and SCGIS, and join in a very tight-knit community of comrades in specialized 2-week training courses before these conferences. Local travel and accommodations will be simple and plain so that we can afford to include as many people as possible, and you may be asked to pay for some of these costs. These support grants are PARTIAL in that you contribute some of the costs yourself, and you will be expected to do a lot of work as a scholar. These grants are competitive in that your application will be considered in comparison to others, evaluating your work, your activism with NGO's and the conservation GIS community in your region, your needs, and your resources in relation to the environmental and economic issues of your region or country. If our resources permit, these grants will also include software, books, and refurbished hardware, depending on your needs. Specific amounts of funding available for this year’s program haven’t been clarified yet, therefore the number of people that we will be able to award this time is not determined yet, but we expect that there will be a strong competition between the applications regardless of the program size decisions, so please study these guidelines and work hard to make sure your chances of selection are good.
In 2014, we are offering GIS training in Davis, California, tentatively on June 18 through July 9. The training will focus on the Esri suite of GIS software. The course modules will cover material ranging from introductory to some advanced GIS analysis in conservation applications, will explore both desktop and online GIS technologies, and will be taught by professional GIS instructors. Besides course modules, the instructors will work with each scholar individually on their specific GIS projects (please see details below in the instructions).
After the training, the group of SCGIS scholarship awardees will attend two GIS conferences: the 17th SCGIS Annual Conference, held on July 10–13 in Monterey, California, and the 34th Esri International User Conference held on July 14–18 in San Diego, California.
The Esri UC is the largest GIS event in the world. It brings together around 15,000 attendees from all over the world, providing an opportunity for GIS practitioners of all levels and backgrounds to meet, network, and learn about the most recent developments in the GIS technology. The Environmental track plays an important role at the conference, attracting conservation GIS professionals and raising awareness about GIS in conservation among the general conference audience. The SCGIS Annual Conference is attended by approximately 100–200 conservation GIS activists, providing a convenient venue for the attendees to meet and have focused discussions on GIS application in the field of conservation.
(SCGIS is an independent all-volunteer international society supported by membership donations and grants from Esri, Juniper GIS, University of California Davis, and other foundations, partners, and vendors)
*=== REQUIREMENTS
Scholarship application requirements are as follows:
1) Applicants must be affiliated with a NON-PROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION or a UNIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROJECT in their region or country, and involved in the SCGIS CHAPTER OR CONSERVATION GIS COMMUNITY in their region.
2) SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS:
a) COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM (see below).
b) AN ABSTRACT OF YOUR PROPOSED PRESENTATION should be included in a special section of the application (see below).
c) AN EXAMPLE OF YOUR CONSERVATION GIS OR MAPPING WORK which may include map screenshots, database structure description, or other mapping or GIS related works that YOU created.
3) CLOSING DATE for SCGIS scholarship applications is March 2, 2014. Applications ONLY VIA E-MAIL must be received by the above date.
*=== ELIGIBILITY
Grants are made on a competitive basis to individuals working with GIS in conservation science and action, and strongly involved with their local conservation GIS community. Preference goes to those who are working for or associated with a non-profit or non-government organization, whose GIS research serves as basis for direct conservation action, who can show some ability to find local funding for their work, and who show an ability to teach about conservation GIS to other non-profit organizations in their region or country.
If you were awarded a SCGIS scholarship in the past, but for some reason were unable to attend the program, you have to apply again this year if you want a scholarship. We currently don’t roll over earlier awards to the following year. Your prior effort and acceptance will be taken into consideration, however your new application will be in competition with an entirely new group so you may receive a different score this time.
The SCGIS scholarship program alumni of 2013 are not eligible to apply this year, the alumni of any prior year are eligible to apply.
*=== YOUR OBLIGATIONS IF SELECTED AS A SCHOLAR
Scholarship awardees will be required to do all of the following:
a) Attend the scheduled training classes, and come prepared to work on their specific GIS project during the training. You will need to bring your GIS data and any other raw data you need to incorporate in your project (please also see training details in the form instructions below). You will be expected to create an online map at ArcGIS.com based on your work (the class will teach you how).
b) Present a talk and a map poster at the SCGIS conference describing their conservation efforts and projects within their organization.
c) Be available to volunteer to help with the SCGIS conference and the Environment Showcase at the Esri User Conference. The volunteer help may include helping setup/teardown of the Showcase, running SCGIS membership booth. We expect recipients to volunteer for approximately 4 hours over the course of the conference. Some work may take place during sessions, but adjustments can be made to ensure that volunteers attend the sessions that are most important to them. Details for volunteers will be provided shortly before the conference.
d) Be available for other scholarship support activities in the evenings and weekends. During the entire program give priority to the SCGIS events and activities over any other events nearby that are of your personal interest.
e) Complete and submit 2 reports:
1. Scholar's report is an informal account of your experiences as a scholar and is due towards the end of your travels.
2. Scholarship Final report is a formal account of your work back home and is due a few months after you return home. It describes how you have applied the training, software and other items of your grant, with example maps and photos, and specific suggestions and criticisms for improving the program. Specific requirements and due dates are finalized later.
f) Read and respond quickly to many emails related to the program organization. There will be about 20 emails from us with important announcements that you are required to read and respond to. Failure to do so in a prompt manner can result in the disruption or even loss of portions of your grant.
*=== SCGIS OBLIGATIONS TO YOU IF SELECTED AS A SCHOLAR
You will receive a combination of fee waivers, travel expenses and in-kind grants that can be worth over $10,000. The specific components of this grant are:
a) Tuition fees for GIS training (retail value $505 per person per day) are FULLY waived.
b) Attendance fees for the Esri User Conference ($1,595) and for SCGIS Annual Conference ($150) are FULLY covered.
c) Travel expenses are PARTIALLY covered, depending on your grant level, beginning when you leave to attend the program and ending when you return home from the program, including the following categories of costs: Lodging, Food, Air and Ground Transport. Each applicant's grant allocation will be different and many factors will go into determining the grant for each scholar.
d) Travel preparation expenses are NOT covered, including fees or travel expenses you must pay locally to obtain Visas or pick up air tickets.
e) Software and Textbooks grant: As a scholar you will be encouraged to apply for a customized grant of software and textbooks through a separate, customized application process based on the Esri Conservation Program guidelines at http://www.conservationgis.org/grant . You will receive details about this if you are selected.
*=== GENERAL APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Please review above the list of materials that are expected from you. Of course, properly and thoughtfully submitted application form is the essential part of the list, but the other parts are also important! Applications submitted without the other required materials may be rejected, or will stand a much lower chance of award.
Before filling out the application form, please read the section-by-section instructions below, and think carefully about the overall structure of your application.
Although the SCGIS Scholarship Program is not a typical scholarship program, some general guidelines found at http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/preparing_application.htm can help you in writing your application to SCGIS. The web site above is designed primarily to help apply for college scholarships, so not everything on that page is applicable to SCGIS Scholarship Program, however, there are a few useful hints that will be helpful. This web link is not affiliated with SCGIS, and is provided as a resource that you can use under your own guidance.
Please DO NOT ERASE ANY OF THE QUESTIONS FROM THE APPLICATION FORM. If you believe a question is not applicable to you, just leave the answer area blank.
You will see that many sections are labeled in the instructions as ‘very important’, and it’s true – we really need detailed and thoughtful answers to most questions we are asking. The competition for SCGIS scholarships is very tight, and if you limit your answers to short general phrases this will reduce your chances of winning a scholarship award.
Please write your application in the English language. Although some of our review committee members speak other languages, we’ll be able to judge your application more fairly if it is written in English. Remember, if you are awarded a scholarship you will join a group of people from all corners of the world, and in such situations English is usually the common language. Also, the training and conferences are all conducted in English, but technical GIS English is less demanding and few of your colleagues will be fluent, so your English skills do not have to be brilliant and shiny. Your excellence in English is not our criteria, we only require reasonable level of proficiency that allows to communicate with your conservation GIS colleagues, so please do not feel intimidated if your English is not perfect.
As indicated above, part of the application process is your ability to pay some of the costs. It is important for the applicants to make a very strong effort to supply as much of their own funding for travel as possible. Preference will be given to those who make a sincere effort to obtain some of their own funding. Accordingly, the applicant must supply information about additional funding they have been able to or hope to secure. If you cannot pay anything, you will need to provide strong evidence about the financial circumstances of yourself, your organization, your country. Each year we do make some grants to scholars who are unable to contribute anything, but the majority of the grants we make go to applicants who are able to contribute an amount that is appropriate and sustainable given their financial circumstances.
When you commit in your application to contribute an amount it is a serious commitment, and if you are selected as a scholar we expect you to honor that commitment to pay. If you cannot, and you have not been in regular communication with us about your circumstances, then parts of your grant will be withdrawn.
If you have to use abbreviations in your application, such as names of organizations or projects, please clearly decipher these abbreviations before using them. Also, if you are referring to any local landmarks (a mountain name, a region name, a park name etc.), please provide a brief explanation of what these landmarks are and why they are significant. Remember, your application will be reviewed by experts working in many different parts of the world, and an abbreviation or a landmark name that are a routine part of your daily work may not sound so familiar to a person living on the other side of the globe!
If you need more explanations or help in understanding the form, please contact the local SCGIS Chapter or conservation GIS community leaders.
*=== SECTION-BY-SECTION INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING FORM
We designed these instructions with the intention to help you better understand specifics of our program and to guide you how to present yourself and your work the best way possible. Please take advantage of this – read and follow the instructions carefully.