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The Palmetto Bay-based Everglades Foundation recently announced that it will be awarding a total of $125,000 to recipients of 2020 ForEverglades Scholarships and Fellowships.
This year’s class includes seven graduate students at four research universities who are pursuing innovative scientific and economic research to advance restoration and protection of America’s Everglades.
“Since 2008, thanks to the generosity of our donors, $1.25 million has been awarded to 72 ForEverglades Scholars and Fellows who have gone on to brilliant careers of scientific discovery as professors and researchers in universities and government agencies,” said Eric Eikenberg, CEO of The Everglades Foundation. “This impactful program is preparing the next generation of science leaders who will continue to study and protect America’s vital ecosystems like the Everglades.”
A total of 41 ForEverglades alumni are from Florida International University (FIU). The partnership with FIU’s Institute of Environment provides matching funds for the scholarships in addition to a variety of graduate research opportunities emphasizing science that informs policy and management for protecting and restoring America’s Everglades.
“Our ForEverglades scholars conduct cutting-edge environmental research in the Everglades on topics ranging from water quality and sea-level rise to the economic valuation of ecosystem services resulting from freshwater restoration,” said Dr. Evelyn Gaiser, FIU Institute of Environment Barley Chair.
“By working directly with FIU faculty and scientists from The Everglades Foundation and agencies, and through interactions with policy makers, the outcomes of their research are making a difference in the science basis of restoration decisions and underscoring the urgency of restoring freshwater flows to the Everglades.”
This year’s ForEverglades Scholars and Fellows are:
Jennifer Bouchenot from the University of Central Florida will be awarded $12,500 for research on “From Egg to Adult: Modeling Methylmercury and Trace Element Accumulation in the Everglade Snail Kite;”
Ikechukwu Onwuka from Florida International University will be awarded $25,000 for research on “Minimizing Phosphorus Loads from Increased Freshwater Deliveries in the Everglades;”
Jonathan Rodemann from Florida International University will be awarded $15,000 for research on “Fine-scale Movement and Habitat Use of Recreational Sportfish in Relation to Seagrass Habitat Structure and Composition;”
Natasha Viadero from Florida International University will be awarded $10,000 for her research: “Between Dry Rock and a Salty Place: Can the Coastal Everglades Support a Freshwater Largemouth Bass Population in the Face of Sea Level Rise?”
Zhuoran Yu from the University of Alabama will be awarded $12,500 for research on “Determining the Biotic and Abiotic Drivers of Methane Emissions for Freshwater Marshes of the Florida Everglades,” and
Joy Shin from University of Florida, who will be awarded $25,000 for her research to “Investigate Internal Phosphorus Processes in Lake Okeechobee Using a 3D Hydrodynamic Model.”
The 2020 ForEverglades Patrick Lee Fellow is:
Chloé Vorseth from Florida International University who will be awarded $25,000 for her research titled “An Economic Valuation of Lake Okeechobee and the Northern Estuaries in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.”
These 12-month scholarships funds stipends, travel, or research-related expenses for full-time graduate students pursuing cutting-edge research related to restoring America’s Everglades. Applications for the 2021 ForEverglades Scholars and Fellows Program will open in Feb 2021.
For more information on the ForEverglades Scholars Program send email to scholarships@evergladesfoundation.org or visit www.evergladesfoundation.org/science.
