2008 Application Guidelines:
Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants in Marine Environmental History and Historical Ecology

Application Deadline: May 5, 2008

Click here for a PDF version of the application guidelines.

Dr. Mia Tegner in a California kelp forest (Photo: Eric Hanauer)

Marine Environmental History and Historical Ecology
The Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) supports research in Marine Environmental History and Historical Marine Ecology through its Mia J. Tegner Memorial Research Grants Program. Initiated in 2001, this grant program funds research that documents historic conditions in the oceans prior to large-scale human impacts, thereby providing a context for current ecosystem conditions and helping inform management approaches.

Dr. Mia J. Tegner
This grant program was implemented as a tribute to the late Dr. Tegner, who was a marine biologist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.  Dr. Tegner studied the ecology of kelp forest communities and abalone populations, and was particularly interested in understanding how marine populations and ecosystems have changed as a result of human activities.  She was an author of the cover paper in the July 27, 2001 issue of the prestigious journal Science on "Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems" which showed that life in the sea was vastly more numerous until spreading human populations and improved fishing technologies devastated marine species and ecosystems.

Research Grants

Goal- To fund high quality studies examining past ecosystem conditions (i.e., historical baselines).  This work should be relevant to policy maker and conservationists in their efforts to conserve and restore marine biodiversity.

Scope- The program will focus on projects from both natural and social scientists that seek to uncover interactions between natural and human history in the marine and estuarine environments worldwide. The MCBI is particularly interested in studies that seek to describe systems prior to large-scale human impacts and industrialization. Research may draw on sources ranging from culturally and geographically derived data, to biological and physical data. Examples of possible information resources include fishery data, letters, journals, interviews, oral histories, historical documents, maps, photos, field surveys, etc. MCBI looks to support projects where our funding can be demonstrated to significantly contribute to a key phase or outcome of the project.

Programmatic Focus- MCBI seeks novel proposals that will study, document, and describe historical marine ecology throughout the world.  We particularly encourage projects that support our efforts in the following areas:

• The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the Hawaiian Monk Seal;
• US Marine Protected Areas and Marine Sanctuaries;
• The High Seas, which are those areas outside of nation’s jurisdictions;
• Impacts of fishing on marine populations and ecosystems.

Eligibility
MCBI invites individuals and collaborative teams from academic institutions and non-governmental organizations to apply.  Preference will be given to graduate students, post-graduate researchers, and early career scientists. Visit www.mcbi.org or email Dr. Larissa Sano, MCBI Senior Scientist.

Application Guidelines
The deadline for submission is 5-May 2008.  Grant decisions will be made by mid-July.  Grants can range up to a maximum of $10,000 (USD) for a period no longer than one year. We strongly encourage electronic submissions. To minimize processing time, applicants must limit proposals to 2 pages, plus supporting documents.

To Apply: lease include:

1. A concise project description, including a summary of methodology, justification for the proposed project, expected impacts, and the project's relevance to marine conservation (max 2 pgs).

2. Supporting documentation, which should include:

• 1 page budget (with justification and detail on additional sources of funding, if any)
• Estimated timeline
• Project collaborators and their affiliations
• Curriculum vita for the principal investigator
• Letter of support from primary academic advisor (if the applicant is a student or postdoctoral researcher)
• Contact information for at least one referee or reference

Applicants are responsible for submitting all proposal materials by the deadline via email (PDF documents preferred, but MS Word and Excel documents are acceptable).

Please submit applications to: Larissa Sano, MCBI Senior Scientist, Larissa@mcbi.org. 

Click here to review past recipients.

This year’s sponsor for the Mia J Tegner Awards program is the Oak Foundation.