Student Grants

PERS offers a variety of Student grants and awards. Supporting student research and encouraging their success has long been a focus of our group, please find below the various ways that PERS supports our student members.

Students presenting at the Annual Meeting are eligible to receive awards if they are named best presentation in their category or honorable mention. The number of categories varies based on student participation but the Best presentation in each category receives a cash award of $50, and a 1 year membership in CERF. Honorable mention winners in each category receive a 1 year membership in CERF.

The ‘Quammon Fund’ was established at PERS in memory of Dr. Millicent Quammon,  in 1990 at the request of her colleagues and was used to fund all of the annual PERS student travel awards. Recently with others expressing an interest in donating in memory of others we renamed the fund to Student Travel Fund and the individual awards will be presented in memory of the chosen person.  Anyone can give a donation in memory/ in honor of an individual and at the time it is awarded the recipient will receive their award in the name of that person.

Student presenters at the Annual PERS Meeting are encouraged to apply for travel assistance to defray some of their expenses of attending.
Student Travel Grant Form

One of our student awards has been given a very special name: the best overall graduate student presentation award was established in 2002 as the ‘Heinle Award’, in memory of Dr. Don Heinle, an estuarine ecologist who was always so supportive of students. Probably anyone who went to PERS meetings in the past remembers Don listening intently to the student presentations and asking questions with good and supportive interest.
The Heinle Award is up to $500 in support for the winning student to travel to a subsequent CERF national meeting.

The Student Research Fund was originally founded in memory of Pete Eldridge to support student research in the estuarine sciences.  Recently with others expressing an interest in donating in memory of others we renamed the fund to student research fund and the individual awards will be presented in memory of the chosen person.  Anyone can give a donation in memory/ in honor of an individual and at the time it is awarded the recipient will be receive their award in the name of that person.

Grants are for $500.00 – 1,000 awarded annually with one or more being awarded each year.

Student in either an MS or PhD program
Current PERS member
Attend a university in the PERS region
Pursue a course of study involving estuaries or nearshore systems in the Pacific Northwest.

Please submit the following materials:
> A cover letter
> A completed Grant Application –  PERS Assistantship RFP – pdf

Please email your completed packet to our secretary: Adrienne Stutes at pers.cerf@outlook.com, she will distribute a copy to each of the review committee members.
Deadline for submission is 60 days after the RFP is announced, the current RFP will be open to January 1st.