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Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network - Réseau Canadien de Conservation des Amphibiens et des Reptiles

Digital Frog International Inc. and CARCNET Scholarship

What is the Scholarship? | Scholarship Details | Application Details | Application Template | Scholarship Recipients

What is the DFI and CARCNET Scholarship?
Digital Frog International Inc. (DFI) , and The Canadian Amphibian And Reptile Conservation Network (CARCNET) offer a scholarship to support research and conservation of amphibians in Canada.

Digital Frog International Inc. and the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network would like to announce that a $500.00 annual scholarship to support research contributing to amphibian conservation in Canada is now available to students. This scholarship will be open to fulltime Canadian students, with preference to students of the University of Guelph. The scholarship is being offered by Digital Frog International Inc. to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. James P. Bogart, University of Guelph to the development of computer software by Digital Frog International Inc. This software can supplement or replace traditional methods of teaching and learning about frog dissection and anatomy, and wetland ecology.

The instructions for application for the scholarship are listed below. For more information about Digital Frog, visit: http://www.digitalfrog.com/.


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Scholarship Details

Name of scholarship:
The Digital Frog International, Inc. Scholarship for Amphibian Research.

Purpose of scholarship:
The purpose of the scholarship is to promote knowledge, understanding and conservation of amphibians in Canada. The team at DFI believes the scholarship is the best way to show thanks to Dr. James Bogart, University of Guelph for his encouragement, photographs and frog calls.

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Application Details

Criteria for application:
1. To apply you must be enrolled fulltime at a recognized Canadian University in a graduate program or be a fourth year undergraduate student conducting research. In cases of equal standing, priority will go to students attending the University of Guelph.

2. Students conducting research or contributing outstanding work to the conservation of amphibians on a volunteer basis will also considered. Applicants whose experience as a volunteer are asked to provide contact information for at least one reference who is familiar with their amphibian work.

3. If you are in a graduate program, cumulative average in degree prior to current program must be 75% (e.g. If you are in a Master's program your cumulative average for your Bachelor degree must be 75%; If you are in a Ph.D. program your cumulative average for your Master's course work must be 75%)

4. Applicants must submit a complete application form and one copy of an official academic transcript (jpg or pdf file) by electronic mail to the following address by NO LATER THAN 01 November.

[email protected]

5. The award recipient must agree to allow announcement of the scholarship and a picture of the recipient to be published on the Digital Frog International web site ( www.digitalfrog.com ) and in the newsletter of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network. The recipient will also be announced at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of CARCNET.

6. The scholarship recipient must also provide a brief description of the project to be published on the Digital Frog International web site and in the newsletter of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network.

7. Unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to apply again the following year. Scholarship winners are not eligible to reapply.

Review Process:

A committee of two board members of the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network (none of which will be faculty at the University of Guelph) and a representative of Digital Frog International will review each application and rank them.

A final decision will be made for the award by 01 December.

Announcement of awarding of scholarship:
On or following 01 December the award will be announced to the winner by email and by mail. A cheque will follow from DFI/CARCNET within six weeks of the announcement.

Application form for DFI scholarship:
An electronic file of the application form below must be completed and a copy of your official academic transcript (jpg or pdf file) must be submitted together by 1st November of each year.

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Application Template:
Name of Applicant:
Street Address:
Box:
City/Town:
Postal Code:
Email Address:
Phone:
Fax:

University where applicant is enrolled:
Are you applying as a graduate, undergraduate, or volunteer* (*please provide reference and contact information):
Current degree program:
Previous completed degrees or diplomas:

Brief biography of applicant:
(not longer than 0.5 pages, single spaced, ARIAL 10 PT FONT; if the biography is longer and/or printed in smaller font than is specified, the application will be returned for revision).
Please list reasons why amphibian biology and conservation were chosen for this degree program and future career goals.

Title of Amphibian Research Project or description of volunteer activities:

Graduate Project synopsis:
**Synopsis must not be longer than 1.5 pages, single spaced, ARIAL 10 PT FONT; if the synopsis is longer and/or printed in smaller font than is specified, the application will be returned for revision. Numbered citations can be listed on a separate page with references presented in the style of the Canadian Jounal of Zoology.***

In the research project synopsis, please list the following information under the following sub-headings:
Introduction to the scientific questions being studied.
Relevance of the research to conservation and/or education of the species or amphibians in general in Canada.
Species to be studied
If applicable, location of study sites
Hypotheses being tested
Study design and methods of testing hypotheses

Summary of undergraduate research or volunteer activities:
In plain language which is easily understood by the public, provide a summary of the project (maximum of 1000 words).

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Scholarship Recipients

2002 Scholarship Recipient: 
Heather Lynn, M.Sc Candidate
University of Guelph

Project Title: Improving the knowledge base of Jefferson salamander biology and distribution in Ontario.

Project synopsis: Jefferson's salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) was listed by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) as Threatened in November 2000. There are many challenges associated with a recovery effort for this species. The species was only discovered in Ontario in 1976 and so the population distribution is simply not known. Basic biology of Jefferson's salamander in the northern part of its range is lacking and studies of the species outside of the lab are quite limited. Because the salamanders are fossorial and adults can only be found above ground for very limited time periods, they are terribly hard animals to study. Species identification is also problematic due to its association with the morphologically similar hybrid unisexual complex and therefore, genetic analysis must be used for reliable identification.

The purpose of my work is to fill in some of the knowledge gaps so that a successful recovery plan for the species can be implemented. Most importantly, locality information for the species needs to be recent and accurate; historical sites are being revisited to monitor the status of the population and to collect accurate location data (GPS), the ephemeral ponds used as breeding sites are being documented and new Jefferson salamander sites are being searched for. Habitat data is being accumulated in the anticipation of developing a geographical modeling system to predict further Jefferson salamander sites. Easier and faster methods of species identification are also being developed.

The research being conducted is very important to the conservation of the species in that an appropriate recovery plan can be designed using the best available data. One unexpected outcome of this work has been the increased interest of the public's awareness of amphibian conservation. By making friendly landowner contact, the word is spreading about Jefferson's salamander and people are becoming enthusiastic supporters of the work being done.

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