Description of the Achterman Scholarship

(Photo courtesy ODOT/Gary Weber)

The Water Resources Graduate Program, the OSU Institute for Water and Watersheds and Institute for Natural Resources, Deschutes River Conservancy, and Ecosystem Economics LLC, invite applications for the Gail Louise Achterman Scholarship. The scholarship will provide a one-time stipend to a student enrolled in or accepted to the Water Resources Graduate Program, to help support that student for up to three months on either an internship opportunity with the Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) or independent water-related research conducted in residence in the Deschutes River Basin. Preference will be given to students whose research topic involves legal, policy and/or economic aspects of water management, particularly as it relates to the reallocation of water for environmental purposes.

The final stipend amount and number of years the fellowship will be offered will be dependent on donations received; however, we anticipate providing one scholarship of at least $2000, and up to a maximum of $5000 each year for at least three years.

Applications will be due at the end of the first week of April each year (deadline has been extended for 2014 - Applications are due by April 15) and will consist of the following items combined into in a single pdf file with the filename [applicant last name_GLA-Scholarship_year]. For example, an applicant in 2013 named Maria Garcia would submit a file named Garcia_GLA-Scholarship_2013.pdf which would include the following items:

  1. copy of student transcript
  2. student resume
  3. a brief proposal (2 pages or less) outlining the research project or internship the student plans to undertake with the support of the scholarship funds.
  4. a letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor

Applications should be submitted as email attachments to [email protected] by 5 p.m., April 15.  Announcement of the Scholarship recipient will be made in the first week of May.

Criteria to be used in selecting the recipient of the Gail Achterman Scholarship will include:

  1. evidence of academic excellence
  2. quality of the proposal
  3. degree to which the proposed project or research aligns with the example set by Gail Achterman in her life of service to the State of Oregon and Oregon State University as noted in the Senate Concurrent Resolution 207 sponsored by Senator Jackie Dingfelder in 2012, specifically: “… building relationships between stakeholders, increasing the transparency and efficiency of the decision-making … advocating for environmental stewardship while promoting the streamlining of environmental permitting, and … creating an atmosphere of innovation and cooperation with her energy and optimism.”

Scholarship Recipients

  • 2016 Hannah Satein
  • 2015 Ingria Jones
  • 2014 Anna Pakenham Stevenson
  • 2013 Owen McMurtrey

Gail Louise Achterman Scholarship