Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for Graduate Student Fieldwork & Internships to India and Commonwealth Africa The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (www.queenelizabethscholars.ca) aim to activate a dynamic community of young global leaders across the Commonwealth to create lasting impacts both at home and abroad through inter-‐cultural exchanges encompassing international education, discovery and inquiry, and professional experiences. Through this program, UBC Faculty of Forestry is pleased to invite applications from graduate students for fieldwork, internships, or as a visiting student to India or Commonwealth countries in Africa. Proposed activities should be focused on forests, ideally in cooperation with one of our international partners (see http://bit.ly/QEscholarship for information). Students must be currently registered in a graduate program at UBC and be Canadian citizens or permanent residents under the age of 35. The scholarship provides up to $4100 to support travel and living expenses; scholars must spend at least 3 months abroad. Successful candidates will join a network of Queen Elizabeth scholars at UBC and across Canada and the Commonwealth. They will be expected to share their experiences broadly both at their home and partner institutions, participate in network events, and mentor future participants. Opportunities for professional development will also be available. To apply, please send: 1) Cover letter outlining the proposed fieldwork, internship, or study abroad experience 2) Budget for proposed research or programme of study 3) CV 4) Academic transcripts (unofficial) 5) Letter of support from current graduate supervisor, outlining his/her support for the application and proposed work, as well as any matching funds that he/she will provide 6) Letter of support from partner organization outlining their support for the project (optional but strongly encouraged) Application guidelines can be found at: http://bit.ly/QEscholarship. Applications will be evaluated based on merit of the proposed work, how well it meets the QES programme goals, feasibility of the proposed budget, and support from supervisor and partner organization. Materials should be emailed to [email protected] Deadline: Monday, April 27, 2015
APPLICATION GUIDELINES **** Queen Elizabeth Scholarship (QES) for Graduate Student Fieldwork & Internships to India and Commonwealth Africa UBC Faculty of Forestry expects to award 2-‐3 Queen Elizabeth Scholarships in spring 2015 to support graduate student fieldwork, internships, or visiting studentships to India or Commonwealth countries in Africa. Proposed Activities Scholarships may be used to support costs of: • Fieldwork for graduate research • Internship with an organization • Study abroad as a visiting student at a foreign University Proposed activities must take place in India or Commonwealth countries in Africa and must address forest related themes. Scholarships will be awarded for a minimum of one semester (at least 3 months) of work, research, or study and a maximum of one year. All funds must be spent between April 1, 2015 and March 30, 2016. Partners We encourage (but do not require) that activities be carried out in cooperation with a partner organization that can help with logistics, safety, etc. abroad. Preference will be given to projects partnering with our QES partners: • Forest Research Institute of India • Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy • Kerala Agricultural University • Wildlife Institute of India • Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana • World Agroforestry Centre, Kenya • Stellenbosch University, South Africa Budget Awards may be up to $4100. Scholars (or supervisors) are expected to contribute at least $500 towards the cost of proposed activities. Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for Graduate Student Fieldwork & Internships Application Guidelines UBC Faculty of Forestry (Spring 2015) 1 Budgets should clearly outline proposed costs for research work or study abroad, including justification and identification of matching funds (if any) from other sources. Matching funds may be both in-‐kind and cash.All funds must be spent between April 1, 2015 and March 30, 2016. Eligibility • Students may pursue their graduate degree in any discipline • Scholars must be 35 years of age or under at time of application • Scholars must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents • Scholars must be enrolled in a graduate program at UBC at time of application • Scholars must be proficient in the language of instruction at the Commonwealth university • Scholars must participate in community engagement activities in Canada Requirements Upon Return Open their return, scholars will be expected to share their experiences and engage with the QES network, which may include the following activities: • Writing a short article about their experience for Forestry Branchlines (www.forestry.ubc.ca/publications/branchlines/) • Writing a short article for the QES blog • Participating in community engagement activities (e.g., departmental seminars, graduate research symposium) • Participating in UBC QES network activities • Mentoring future QES Scholars Application Materials Applicants should send the following materials to [email protected] by April 27, 2015: 1) Cover letter outlining the proposed fieldwork, internship, or study abroad experience, including motivation for the work (how it fits within your broader goals as a graduate student), and how the applicant envisions sharing their experiences both abroad and upon their return to UBC. 2) Budget for proposed research or programme of study. Budget should itemize and justify costs in broad categories, and should also identify matching funds (in-‐kind and cash). 3) CV 4) Academic transcripts (unofficial) 5) Letter of support from current or proposed supervisor, outlining their support for the application and proposed work, as well as any matching funds that they will provide 6) Letter of support from partner organization outlining their support. This is optional but it is highly recommended that all projects identify a partner abroad (this need not be from the list above). Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for Graduate Student Fieldwork & Internships Application Guidelines UBC Faculty of Forestry (Spring 2015) 2