• Enhance and expand ongoing biodiversity research by graduate students;
• Be clearly articulated and compelling by appropriately framing biodiversity research questions or hypotheses and include a brief, accessible description of methods;
• Provide a mechanism to 1) communicate the findings in a way that connects the research across the state of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region, and especially communities beyond Laramie, as well as to local residents if the research is performed in another region, and 2) evaluate effectiveness of the communication.

1. Biodiversity Institute Graduate Student Excellence Fellowship.
   $30,000 maximum; one will be given. The BI Excellence Fund supports UW graduate students whose research meets the criteria mentioned above, without geographic restrictions.

2. Biodiversity Institute Graduate Student Excellence Grant.
   $5000 maximum, several will be given. See description above.

3. Richard Baldes Native American Excellence Fund in Biodiversity Conservation Fellowship.
   $35,000 maximum; only one award will be given. This fund’s namesake is a former project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Wind River Indian Reservation, who spent his career fighting for both hunting regulations to conserve game herds, and water laws to protect fisheries. Native American students who are doing biodiversity research relevant to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho will be prioritized for this funding. Applicants must demonstrate that they have a relationship and approval to do the research with either tribe.

4. The Richard Baldes Native American Excellence Fund in Biodiversity Conservation Grant.
   $5000 maximum; multiple awards will be given. See description of the grant above.

5. Don and Judy Legerski UW Teton Graduate Scholars in Biodiversity Fellowship.
   $2000 maximum; two will be awarded. Applicants for this award must conduct research addressing biodiversity conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and be associated with the mission of the UW NPS Research Station (UWNPS.org/about us) through promoting understanding of Wyoming’s wonders and their connection to the world.

6. The Hardy Family Forest Disturbance Community Science Excellence Fund.
   $2000 maximum; one will be awarded. Applicants for this award must be engaging community scientists in any aspect of forest recovery from disturbance.

7. Wyoming Ecosystems K-12 Education Fund.
   $2000 maximum supplement; one will be awarded. The successful applicant will work with K-12 educators and an education graduate student to develop lesson plans that connect Wyoming ecosystems with science standards.

Application Deadline: Applications must be received by 5:00 pm MST April 25. Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged by email. Decisions will be made and communicated by May 27, with funds available June 1.

Interested students should plan to attend one of the two informational sessions. Science communication requirements of the RFP will be explained, followed by a question and answer session. Proposals that do not meet the science communication requirements will not be considered for funding. The informational meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, 4 pm and Tuesday April 5, 10 am, both via Zoom. Email biodiversity@uwyo.edu for the link. Required science communication training for awardees is scheduled for September 7 & 8, 6 – 8 pm.

The proposal must follow the format provided below

• Submit as a single pdf file to biodiversity@uwyo.edu.
• Proposals are limited to four pages of text including the budget justification and must use
• the format described below.
• A letter of recommendation from the student’s graduate advisor indicating that a) the
• student is in good standing, and b) the faculty member is willing and able to provide guidance as well as any resources required to fulfill the project. Proposals will not be evaluated on the total value of the available resources but rather how the requested support from the proposal enhances the graduate student research. The letter must come directly from the advisor and should be submitted to biodiversity@uwyo.edu. This letter does not count toward the proposal page limit.

Proposal format:

• Proposal title
• Graduate student name, affiliation, email address, and phone number
• Name and email address of applicant’s graduate advisor
• Requested amount, start and end dates
• Which grant opportunity(s) are to be considered.
• Objective of the project
• Background and rationale
• Questions or hypotheses
• Methods, timeline and deliverables
• Plan for communicating biodiversity research: Briefly indicate a plan for how the research outcomes will be communicated in a way that connects the research to the concerns and interests of the public, especially in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region even if the research occurs outside of this geographic area. The plan should include components that can be deployed virtually. The plan should also include a mechanism to evaluate effectiveness of the communication.
• Itemized budget, including any leveraged support. Budget may include any of the following singly or in combination: 1) summer, fall, or spring stipends at the current rate of the home department, 2) supplies and travel to conduct research up to $5,000, 2) travel to support conference participation (i.e., not just attendance) up to $1,500, 3) publication costs up to $2,000, and 4) tuition remission up to the cost of a full academic year. A separate itemized budget is required for each grant opportunity being applied for.
• Images that convey the project are encouraged and should be included in the four pages of the proposal. External links are allowed for portfolios of work.
• References should be appropriately cited. The reference section is not included in the page limits.