David F Ludwig Travel Scholarship

The AEHS Foundation is pleased to offer the David F. Ludwig Memorial Student Travel Award. This scholarship was established to recognize students pursuing research in Ecology and Ecological Sciences. Dr. Ludwig’s passion for science, travel, education, and exploration are the inspiration for this award, and the AEHS Foundation is pleased to do our part to carry on his legacy. This award will be made annually at the beginning of the fall academic semester for travel costs associated with research in the field of ecology, including travel costs to present the results of ecology-related research, or conference attendance to present research or for professional development. Preference will be given to those conducting/presenting research.

Up to $1000 per student will be awarded. Winner(s) will be notified by September 1st. A formal announcement of the winner(s) will be made at the AEHS Foundation Annual International Conference on Soils, Sediments, Water, & Energy in October.

The Foundation is currently accepting contributions for this scholarship. Please make checks payable to “AEHS Foundation/David Ludwig Scholarship Fund” and mail to AEHS Foundation, 150 Fearing Street, Suite 21, Amherst, MA 01002.

One hundred percent of your donation will go directly into the scholarship fund. All related expenses, such as administration and overhead, are paid for by the AEHS Foundation.

QUALIFICATIONS: Both undergraduate and graduate students of accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. are eligible for this award for travel costs associated with research in the field of ecology, or conference attendance to present the results of ecology-related research. Activities from August 1, 2023 - August 30, 2024 will be considered for the award.

HOW TO APPLY:

1. Letter of Application: Applicant should provide a letter clearly identifying their research topic, inspiration for said research, and what he/she hope it will contribute to the field of ecology.

2. Letter of Recommendation: A letter from the student’s advisor on the college/university letterhead. Letter of recommendation may be submitted together with the application materials or emailed directly to laura@aehsfoundation.org from the individual who is providing the reference.

3. Statement of Conference Registration, Research, and/or Travel Costs: Itemized estimates of cost (for example, plane ticket, conference registration, materials, etc.). Please include when the research, event, and/or travel will take place (exact dates if possible though approximate will be accepted). Winners must provide receipts later to receive reimbursement.

Please note that all correspondence with applicants is done via email so AEHS Foundation must have the applicant's email address.

All materials may be sent to laura@aehsfoundation.org or mailed to AEHS Foundation, Attn: Laura, 150 Fearing Street, Suite 21, Amherst, MA 01002.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 1, 2023

AWARD DATE: September 1, 2023

AWARD ADMINISTRATION: Travel and/or conference costs will be reimbursed directly to the student after receipts are received.

AMOUNT: up to $1,000 per student

PAST WINNERS

2022

$1000 Winner

Jacquelyn Galvez, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Ph.D. Integrative Biology

Click Here to See Her Video

$500 Winner

Alexi Ebersole, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA

B.S. Biology

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2021

$1000 Winner

Yingtong Wu, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO

Ph.D. Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

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2020
$1000 Winner
Hannah Clipp, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Ph.D. Forest Resource Science
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$500 Winner
Karen Gaines, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Ph.D. Ecology
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2019

$1000 Winner

Claire Nemes, University of Maryland, Cambridge, MD

Ph.D. Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences

Research: Impacts of free-roaming domestic cats on Neotropical birds during the non-breeding season

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$1000 Winner

Josephine Hubbard, University of California, Davis, CA

Ph.D. Animal Behavior

Research: How urban monkeys are adapting to human dominated environments

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$715 Winner

Jonathan Dickey, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Research: How microbiome community structure and membership in the rhizosphere drive variation of plant phenology and reproductive traits

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2018

$1,000 Winner

Joseph Kelly, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY

Ph.D. Ecology & Evolution

Research: How microbiomes contribute to ecological distincitiveness of sponge species that otherwise lack obvious ecological differences

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$500 Winner

Kirsi Oldenburg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

B.S.P.H. Environmental Health Sciences

Research: The effects of degredation resistant micro-plastics on the heterotrophic capacity of coral when exposed

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2017

$1,000 Winner

Angela Chuang, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN

Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Research: The role of Philolema sp. (wasp) in controlling C. citricola spiders via egg parasitism in their native habitat in Spain, and comparing defensive behavioral responses by egg-guarding female spiders between the invasive and native ranges
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$1,000 Winner

Anusha Shankar, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY

Ph.D. Ecology & Evolution

Research: What strategies small endotherms such as hummingbirds use to manage their daily energy budget, with particular focus on hypothermic state (torpor)
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$500 Winner

Noel Hamideh, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

B.S. Natural Resources

Research: What microhabitats are available to three different species of lizards near perennial and ephemeral streams in the Chiricahua Mountains, and how microhabitat use differs or is similar between the three species of lizards
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Dr. David F. Ludwig was a systems ecologist, herpetologist, and naturalist. Dave had particular interest in marine/estuarine ecosystems, invertebrate biology, urban ecology, and risk/impact assessment. He saw ecosystems from tropical forests to Mediterranean deserts, from blue water oceans to swamps to alpine tundras. He turned over rocks from Philadelphia industrial yards to remote fly-in New Mexico highlands. A native of New Jersey, he obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Georgia, an M.A. in Marine Ecology from the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, College of William and Mary, and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rutgers University. As an employee of Arcadis for the past 15 years; and Exponent, EA Science & Engineering, and the State of New Jersey before that; Dave traveled throughout the world addressing a wide range of environmental projects and issues. He taught online and university courses and published numerous scientific articles and books on subjects as diverse as the toxicology of true vipers, the historical ecology of urban ecosystems, innovative environmental assessment methods, and sustainability. For the Association of Environmental Health Sciences (AEHS) Foundation, he served as the Director of Education and Training, sat on the Editorial Board for the Foundation’s journals, and was honored with our Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. Sadly, he lost a hard fought battle with cancer in 2015, and we lost a true friend and colleague. Dave’s passion for science, travel, education, and exploration are the inspiration for this award, and the AEHS Foundation is proud to be a part of carrying on his legacy.