Foundation Scholarships

Balding, Terry Award

Junior, senior or graduate students are eligible to receive this award. Students should have at least a 3.2 GPA in biology. Candidates must be recommended by a field-oriented biologist from UW-Eau Claire. The person recommending the student must consider: moral character and love of the outdoors manifested pre-collegiate. There must be evidence of extensive/intensive bird watching, insect collecting, plant collecting, hunting/fishing, or herptile collecting with captive specimens, etc. These activities must have been from an inquisitive standpoint, but not because they were a required project for school, 4H, girl/boy scout, etc. If the childhood experiences cannot be mentioned, then this substitute may be used: 1) Must take Biology 330 (Ecology) and Biol 356 (Natural History of the Vertebrates) or Biol 345 (Invertebrate Zoology. 2) Must take a plant taxonomy course such as Biol 331 (Dendrology) or Biol 325 (Taxonomy of the Vascular Plants) 3) Must have at least one of the following: Biol 311, Entomology; Biol 329,Conservation Biology; Biol 340,Ornithology; Biol 365, Animal Behavior; Biol 369, Herpetology; Biol 379, Ichthyology; Biol 410, Mammalogy. If only Biol 365 or Biol 345 is taken to satisfy #1 above, then the other could be used here. Biol 379, Conservation B. The student should intend to become a naturalist or work at a nature-related career. Financial need may only be used when two candidates are otherwise tied and need must be verified by the Financial Aid office. A former scholarship winner may receive the award a second time if no other qualified candidates are recommended.

Applications materials can be found online at the Department of Biology website: www.uwec.edu/biology/mainpage/Scholarships.htm

The Biology Scholarship Committee will make selection based upon the criteria above. The Biology Scholarship Committee has faculty representation from the major sub- disciplines of biology. Applications will be evaluated both in terms of their academic merit and their compatibility with award eligibility criteria.

An award letter will be sent to the recipient by the Chair of the Department of Biology in May. The Chair will also complete and submit a “Scholarship Award Form” to the Financial Aid Office. The annual recipient will be honored at the biology department scholarship reception held in the spring.