The Center for Freshwater Studies at the University of Alabama and the Hydrogeoecology Group at the University of New Mexico announce the availability of 36 Ph.D. Fellowships in an exciting new program for students interested in pursuing interdisciplinary research in regions of contrasting climate. The fellowships and related activities are funded by the NSF-IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education Research Training) program in aquatic ecology, hydrology, and geochemistry. A major goal of this five-year program is to prepare students in freshwater sciences for broader career opportunities than are available from traditional graduate programs.

IGERT Fellows may enroll at either UA or UNM as the home institution, but Fellows will spend a semester-in-residence at the other institution to conduct research in the contrasting environment. Dissertations will have an ecological, hydrological or geochemical focus, with linkages to the other disciplines. A semester-in-residence with one of our agency partners, either the South Florida Water Management District (West Palm Beach) or the Bosque Improvement Group (Albuquerque), will involve Fellows with problem-solving activities in ecosystem restoration and management. Annual workshops will further encourage interactions among students and faculty from both universities and our agency partners.

STIPENDS: 12 month stipends of $15,000 for three years with all tuition and fees included. Six or seven awards will be made each year at each institution beginning in Fall 2000. IGERT fellows accepted into the program in Fall 2000 will receive new laptop computers. Funding will be available to cover expenses for meetings, annual workshops, and semesters-in-residence. Additional funding will be available through individual research grants and teaching assistantships.

For additional information about the program or regarding application procedures, contact Dr. Amy Ward (University of Alabama, 205-348-1796, award@biology.as.ua.edu) or Dr. Cliff Dahm (University of New Mexico, 505-277-2850, cdahm@sevilleta.unm.edu).