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Digital Frog International Inc. and CARCNET
Scholarship
What is
the Scholarship? | Scholarship
Details | Application
Details | Application
Template | Scholarship
Recipients
What is the DFI and
CARCNET Scholarship?
Digital Frog International Inc.
(DFI) , and The Canadian Amphibian And Reptile Conservation Network
(CARCNET) offer a scholarship to support research and conservation
of amphibians in Canada.
Digital Frog International Inc. and the Canadian Amphibian and
Reptile Conservation Network would like to announce that a $500.00
annual scholarship to support research contributing to amphibian
conservation in Canada is now available to students. This
scholarship will be open to fulltime Canadian students, with
preference to students of the University of Guelph. The scholarship
is being offered by Digital Frog International Inc. to acknowledge
the contribution of Dr. James P. Bogart, University of Guelph to the
development of computer software by Digital Frog International Inc.
This software can supplement or replace traditional methods of
teaching and learning about frog dissection and anatomy, and wetland
ecology.
The instructions for application for the scholarship are listed
below. For more information about Digital Frog, visit: http://www.digitalfrog.com/.
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Scholarship
Details
Name of scholarship:
The Digital Frog
International, Inc. Scholarship for Amphibian Research.
Purpose of scholarship:
The purpose of the
scholarship is to promote knowledge, understanding and conservation
of amphibians in Canada. The team at DFI believes the scholarship is
the best way to show thanks to Dr. James Bogart, University of
Guelph for his encouragement, photographs and frog calls.
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Application
Details
Criteria for application:
1. To apply you must
be enrolled fulltime at a recognized Canadian University in a
graduate program or be a fourth year undergraduate student
conducting research. In cases of equal standing, priority will go to
students attending the University of Guelph.
2. Students
conducting research or contributing outstanding work to the
conservation of amphibians on a volunteer basis will also
considered. Applicants whose experience as a volunteer are asked to
provide contact information for at least one reference who is
familiar with their amphibian work.
3. If you are in a
graduate program, cumulative average in degree prior to current
program must be 75% (e.g. If you are in a Master's program your
cumulative average for your Bachelor degree must be 75%; If you are
in a Ph.D. program your cumulative average for your Master's course
work must be 75%)
4. Applicants must submit a complete
application form and one copy of an official academic transcript
(jpg or pdf file) by electronic mail to the following address by NO
LATER THAN 01 November.
[email protected] 5.
The award recipient must agree to allow announcement of the
scholarship and a picture of the recipient to be published on the
Digital Frog International web site ( www.digitalfrog.com ) and in
the newsletter of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Network. The recipient will also be announced at the Annual
General Meeting (AGM) of CARCNET.
6. The scholarship
recipient must also provide a brief description of the project to be
published on the Digital Frog International web site and in the
newsletter of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Network.
7. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to apply
again the following year. Scholarship winners are not eligible to
reapply.
Review Process:
A committee of two
board members of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation
Network (none of which will be faculty at the University of Guelph)
and a representative of Digital Frog International will review each
application and rank them.
A final decision will be made for
the award by 01 December.
Announcement of awarding of
scholarship:
On or following 01 December the award will be
announced to the winner by email and by mail. A cheque will follow
from DFI/CARCNET within six weeks of the announcement.
Application form for DFI scholarship:
An
electronic file of the application form below must be completed and
a copy of your official academic transcript (jpg or pdf file) must
be submitted together by 1st November of each year.
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Application
Template:
Name of Applicant:
Street Address:
Box:
City/Town:
Postal Code:
Email Address:
Phone:
Fax:
University where applicant is enrolled:
Are you applying as a
graduate, undergraduate, or volunteer* (*please provide reference
and contact information):
Current degree program:
Previous
completed degrees or diplomas:
Brief biography of applicant:
(not longer than 0.5 pages,
single spaced, ARIAL 10 PT FONT; if the biography is longer and/or
printed in smaller font than is specified, the application will be
returned for revision).
Please list reasons why amphibian
biology and conservation were chosen for this degree program and
future career goals.
Title of Amphibian Research Project or description of volunteer
activities:
Graduate Project synopsis:
**Synopsis must not be longer than
1.5 pages, single spaced, ARIAL 10 PT FONT; if the synopsis is
longer and/or printed in smaller font than is specified, the
application will be returned for revision. Numbered citations can be
listed on a separate page with references presented in the style of
the Canadian Jounal of Zoology.***
In the research project synopsis, please list the following
information under the following sub-headings:
Introduction to
the scientific questions being studied.
Relevance of the
research to conservation and/or education of the species or
amphibians in general in Canada.
Species to be studied
If
applicable, location of study sites
Hypotheses being tested
Study design and methods of testing hypotheses
Summary of undergraduate research or volunteer activities:
In
plain language which is easily understood by the public, provide a
summary of the project (maximum of 1000 words).
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Scholarship
Recipients
2002 Scholarship Recipient:
Heather
Lynn, M.Sc Candidate
University of Guelph
Project
Title: Improving the knowledge base of Jefferson salamander
biology and distribution in Ontario.
Project synopsis: Jefferson's salamander (Ambystoma
jeffersonianum) was listed by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada) as Threatened in November 2000. There
are many challenges associated with a recovery effort for this
species. The species was only discovered in Ontario in 1976 and so
the population distribution is simply not known. Basic biology of
Jefferson's salamander in the northern part of its range is lacking
and studies of the species outside of the lab are quite limited.
Because the salamanders are fossorial and adults can only be found
above ground for very limited time periods, they are terribly hard
animals to study. Species identification is also problematic due to
its association with the morphologically similar hybrid unisexual
complex and therefore, genetic analysis must be used for reliable
identification.
The purpose of my work is to fill in some of the knowledge gaps
so that a successful recovery plan for the species can be
implemented. Most importantly, locality information for the species
needs to be recent and accurate; historical sites are being
revisited to monitor the status of the population and to collect
accurate location data (GPS), the ephemeral ponds used as breeding
sites are being documented and new Jefferson salamander sites are
being searched for. Habitat data is being accumulated in the
anticipation of developing a geographical modeling system to predict
further Jefferson salamander sites. Easier and faster methods of
species identification are also being developed.
The research being conducted is very important to the
conservation of the species in that an appropriate recovery plan can
be designed using the best available data. One unexpected outcome of
this work has been the increased interest of the public's awareness
of amphibian conservation. By making friendly landowner contact, the
word is spreading about Jefferson's salamander and people are
becoming enthusiastic supporters of the work being done.
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