“Through field research in the out-of-doors, students can get sparked and excited about science in ways that don’t always happen in the laboratory or classroom setting.” -Christopher W. Swarth
Are you an undergraduate student conducting research, or interested in conducting research, at the UC Merced NRS? We are pleased and honored to announce the premier application for The Swarth Fogel NRS Undergraduate Research Scholarship, which supports undergraduate research projects at any of our four NRS or affiliated sites (nrs.ucmerced.edu). The application is now open (apply here: https://ucmerced.academicworks.com/opportunities/1980). The deadline to apply is October 8, 2021, 11:59PM (PST). If you have any questions about this scholarship, please contact NRS Faculty Director Jessica Blois, jblois@ucmerced.edu.
“I think that when students are at [this] stage of their career, [giving] them any experience in a research setting… it really enforces what they want to do with respect to science. You [open] up their eyes and let them see what they could do and what their potential is.” -Marilyn L. Fogel
This new scholarship is made possible through the generosity of two trailblazers who helped establish and grow UC Merced and are now making their already formidable footprint even more significant. This July, Christopher W. Swarth, former Reserve Director of the Merced Vernal Pool and Grassland Reserve and Project Scientist for the Natural Reserve System (NRS), and Marilyn L. Fogel, former Professor and Chair of the Life and Environmental Sciences Department in the School of Natural Sciences, now Professor of Geo-Ecology and Director of the Environmental Dynamics and Geo-Ecology Institute (EDGE) at UC Riverside, established the first-ever endowed scholarship for the UC Merced Natural Reserve System.
Specifically in support of undergraduate student research, Swarth and Fogel established the scholarship because they recognize the long-lasting value and transformative power that field research can have on undergraduate students’ academic and professional careers. It is their desire to assist undergraduate students at UC Merced to become involved in field research, especially those students who have historically been excluded. It is their hope to increase the breadth, depth, and scope of scientific discovery and research through support of the talented and driven undergraduate students conducting field research at the newest and most diverse University of California campus.
Additional information about the vision of Swarth and Fogel, the scholarship they have established, and ways you can contribute to help it grow will be coming in the near future. In the meantime, if you are interested in contributing additional funds to support undergraduate student research at the UC Merced NRS, please click here: https://engage.ucmerced.edu/swarth-fogel-scholarship-endowment
