Student Funds Available for Research and Outreach

The CPR has received funding for a new Penn State student award for entomological projects for 2025 - The Maria Sibylla Merian Research and Outreach Program Award. These awards will be offered annually for the next two years with potential for continued funding.

The Maria Sibylla Merian Research and Outreach Program provides five annual grant awards for undergraduate and graduate students in support of projects aimed at improving our understanding of insect biodiversity and/or supporting health of insects and their communities, with emphasis placed on conservation value and engagement with the public. Eligible projects include research projects and/or projects in outreach and the arts. Example topics include biodiversity monitoring; systematics and natural history; impacts and remediation of stressors; habitat design, restoration, and management; science policy; and educational outreach. Students interested in pollinator-related projects should apply instead to the 2025 Apes Valentes Award Program, which has the same below criteria. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for this grant award.

Projects should be conducted from May - August, 2025, with potential extension into the fall. Applications should include a three-page project description, a one-page letter of support from a faculty mentor that will oversee the project and funds, and a one-page budget with itemized expenses. Applicants must include at least one proposed outreach activity related to their project. Proposed budgets may be up to $5500. The budget can include costs for undergraduate wages (recommended $16/hr), travel, and materials and supplies, but cannot include graduate student stipend. Interested students should submit their applications to Susan Bass (sgb13@psu.edu) by March 7, 2025.

Applicants will be notified of decisions by April 1. For more information, please contact program coordinators Heather Hines (hmh19@psu.edu) and Christina Grozinger (cmg25@psu.edu).

Proposal Specifics: The project description should include background, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and cited literature. It should also include a broader impacts section that explains how society will benefit from this project, importance of the work for supporting insect biodiversity and conservation, and describes the proposed outreach activity. It is recommended that the student work closely with their mentor to develop the project, but the project should represent a student-generated effort. Thus, the student must be involved in all aspects of the proposal writing, project development, implementation, and data interpretation. Recipients of the award must submit a brief report on the project outcomes in December. Funds must be spent by December 31.

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a German entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator. Merian was a pioneer and led an unconventional and independent life unlike most women of her era. She traveled to Surinam to work for two years and published volumes of her own work throughout her career. Her significant contributions to the field of entomology include observing and documenting the metamorphosis of the butterfly and her detailed illustrations of the life cycles of insects from egg to larva to pupa to adult. Through merging the arts and sciences, she has long inspired broad audiences about insects and their biology.