Honorary Awards at the Rosenstiel School

Koczy Fellowship

REVISED KOCZY PRIZE. Revised 8/24/2011 (Nominations due in GSO November 1, 2012)

The new model for supporting RSMAS PhD students includes two years full stipend and tuition support from RSMAS with the remaining support coming from their advisor. We are excited about having the new model. As a consequence of the increased costs of this new support model, some RSMAS fellowships have been eliminated. However, since we want to continue to honor Dr. Fritz Koczy, we have changed the nature of this award from a fellowship to a prize more directly benefiting the students.

What is now RSMAS, started out as a Marine Biological Laboratory under the direction of our first dean Dr. F.G. Walton Smith. In the 1960s and early 1970s the vision, energy, and connections of Dr. Fritz Koczy were key to establishing the physical sciences at RSMAS. This prize of $5,000.00, in honor of the late Dr. Fritz Koczy, is intended to provide support for a doctoral candidate in their final year. The funds can be used by students to participate in “activities related to finishing up their PhD (e.g., professional meetings related to their research — including meetings outside of the United States, software purchase, etc)”. To be eligible, a student must have been admitted to PhD candidacy. A student is permitted to apply for the Koczy Prize only once in their academic career. Final selection of the recipient, based on academic and scientific excellence, is made by the RSMAS Graduate Academic Committee. The recipient is expected to present a school-wide seminar on their research interest.

One nomination is requested from each division, and should include the following information from the candidate: (1) statement on content and significance of dissertation research; (2) teaching/research positions held; (3) professional activities; (4) vita; (5) publicationsThe advisor must nominate the student with a brief nomination letter included with the nomination package. The brief letter should be a standard letter of reference attesting to the student’s independence, significance and scope of their work, contribution to other fields/projects etc.

F.G. Walton Smith Prize

(Nominations due in June)

This prize, created by the Office of the Dean of Faculties of the University in honor of Dean Emeritus F. G. Walton Smith is awarded to the RSMAS doctoral student displaying the most original piece of research in marine and atmospheric science. It consists of a $3,000.00 check and  a plaque. The candidate must have successfully defended the dissertation AND turned in the final dissertation by the end of the spring term. The candidate may also be a student who has recently defended the dissertation and left the RSMAS campus. In such a case, travel arrangements will be made to bring the recipient to the campus for the presentation of the award. The recipient of the prize will be chosen by the RSMAS Academic Committee, and is expected to present a schoolwide seminar on his/her research interest. One nomination is requested from each division. Pertinent supporting materials should include: (1) copy of the dissertation; (2) recommendation letter from the student’s committee; (3) vita; and (4) in addition, the nominee’s chair shall submit a list of three individuals from outside the School who would be capable of commenting on the quality of the dissertation research (cannot be a member of the student’s committee). The RSMAS Academic Committee will solicit one external review from this list.

Dean’s Prize

(Nominations due in GSO November 1, 2012)

This prize is awarded annually in recognition of a student’s achievement at the masters level for the outstanding thesis in marine and atmospheric science. The prize consists of $1,500 and an appropriate certificate. The candidates for this award must have completed all course requirements and the thesis project, and have successfully defended the thesis by the time of the award in late August. The candidate may also be a student who has defended the thesis within the last year and has since left RSMAS. In this latter case, travel arrangements will be made to bring the recipient to the campus for the presentation of the award. The recipient will present a School-wide seminar on his/her thesis research. Each of the five divisions at RSMAS will be requested to select one candidate for this prize for submission to the RSMAS Academic Committee. This Committee (or a group designated by it consisting of one member from each division) will be responsible for selection of the winner from the divisional nominees. Award of this prize in a given year is not obligatory nor is selection of a candidate by a division. Pertinent supporting materials include: (1) copy of the thesis; (2)recommendation letter from the student's advisor; (3) vita.

The Frank J. Millero Prize

(STUDENTS SELF NOMINATE)
(Nominations sent electronically via email to GSO by November 1, 2012)

This prize originally created in 2006 by the Office of the Dean in honor of long-serving Rosenstiel Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor Frank J. Millero, is awarded annually to a Rosenstiel School Ph.D. student whose single or first-authored peer-reviewed publication is original and significant enough to merit special recognition as an outstanding publication in the field of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The prize consists of a check in the amount of $2,500 and a plaque. Self-nominations can be submitted by any Ph.D. student who is in full-time residence at the time of nomination. The nominated publication must reflect research conducted at the Rosenstiel School. The nomination package should consist of a copy of the publication (either a reprint or pdf file) and a short statement from the student author that explains (1) how the paper relates to the Ph.D. research they have conducted at Rosenstiel, (2) the student’s role in the research if the paper has multiple authors, and (3) the significance of the contribution in general terms. If the paper has not yet been published, proof that the paper has been officially accepted and is in press is required. An individual publication can only be nominated once for consideration. The Rosenstiel School Academic Committee will make the final selection.

The Mary Roche Fellowship

(Nominations due in GSO November 1, 2012)

This fellowship, in honor of the late Mary Roche, is intended to enable outstanding graduate students to pursue their at-sea research and prepare them to become the scientists of tomorrow. Mary was a graduate student in Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, earning her masters degree in 1999 and working on her Ph.D. at the time of her death in 2001. Mary’s love of the sea and the time spent on its wondrous waters, was more than a job or part of an educational program, it was a passion. From the Antarctic to waters close to home, she studied, traveled, and explored the ocean’s inner workings. Her family, through an endowment fellowship fund, has given a lasting reminder of her commitment to the Rosenstiel School and the sea. To be eligible, the student’s research must entail some time at sea. The award is expected to be approximately $10,000 each year, contingent upon the funds available from the endowment. The fellowship may be used to cover educational/research-related expenses including stipend, tuition, travel, and books. It will be awarded to one student each year and a student will only be allowed to receive this fellowship once in his/her academic career. The final selection of the fellow, based on academic and scientific excellence, is made by the RSMAS Academic Committee. The recipient will receive the award recognition at the annual School-Wide Awards Ceremony in November. One nomination is requested from each division and should include the following information of the candidate: (1) CV, (2) recommendation from students’ advisor, and (3) a report on the candidate’s ship experience and relevant research. At the end of the fellowship, the recipient will be expected to provide a one-page summary of his/her research work and time spent at sea. At the time of the award, the recipient should send a thank-you letter to the family of Mary Roche.

ADDITIONAL FELLOWSHIPS:

(To apply for any of these fellowships please submit April 1, 2013:)

The fellowships listed in the table below are available to support your activities within the restrictions listed in the 3rd column. We anticipate being able to offer these opportunities annually. Note that these internal funding sources are in addition to the Graduate Student Research Funds and other awards normally given in the fall each year. The exception is the Mary Roche Fellowship (table below) which will now be awarded every spring rather than fall. As a new thing nominations for the Mary Roche fellowship can be submitted directly to GSO and more than one nomination per division is allowed.

To apply for any of these fellowships please submit the following to Veronica Tejeda (vtejeda@rsmas.miami.edu) by April 1st (we will be sending reminders):

1)      A two page CV including a list of peer-reviewed publications (if any)

2)      A one page description of the research activity and budget to be supported by the requested funds. This description must address how the research aligns with the restriction for the fellowship in question.

3)      A one page letter of support from your advisor

Evaluation: Students in good standing (current on all milestone requirements) will be given priority.

In addition to the research description and the letter of support from the advisor, student publications weighed according to time in the program will be considered.

Other Fellowships and Scholarships

The Rosenstiel School has several types of other fellowships and scholarship that may vary from year to year depending on funding. These include the RSMAS Alumni Fellowship, the Captain Harry Vernon scholarship, the YCMBT Circle of Friends Memorial scholarship, the Captain Bob Lewis Scholarship Fund, the Donald P. deSylva Memorial Award, the Edwin S. Iversen Student Award for Aquaculture, the Arthur Myrberg Scholarship Fund and the Richard Skop Memorial Fund.