Grants given by the Geological Society of America encourage the study of earth science.
Established in 1888, the Geological Society of America (GSA) is a worldwide organization encouraging and supporting research in the earth sciences. Given to undergraduate and graduate students, grants cover academic expenses and reward excellence in the field. Most of the grants the Geological Society of America awards require membership in the society.
Graduate Student Research Grants
More than half of the applicants for the Geological Society of America's research grants received funding in 2010. Open to students doing master's and doctoral theses, the grants provide partial support for the pursuit of a degree. Applicants must be enrolled in a university in the United States, Mexico, Canada or Central America in an earth science program, and must be members of the society. Students who indicate an ethnicity other than white may receive a grant awarded by the Diversity in the Geosciences Committee.
Section Research Grants
Section research grants are open to graduate students attending universities in one of four divisions of the Geological Society. Applicants, who must be GSA members, submit a grant request to the national society. Section winners are then selected from those grantees. Each section anticipates the grantee's writing a paper and presenting the results of her studies at the annual meeting. The Southeastern Section also awards a postgraduate grant. Two sections, Rocky Mountain and Cordilleran, do not award grants.
Division Research Grants
Many of the GSA divisions award grants and prizes. Several, including the Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division and the Geology and Society division, give prizes for papers and posters. Graduate and undergraduate students working in any country qualify for the Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award given by the Planetary Geology division. Some grants, like the Roy J. Schleman Meeting Awards, encourage participation in society meetings and conferences. Others support research with cash grants. The Marie Marisawa Award, given by the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology division, supports women doing graduate research in those disciplines.
Corporate-Sponsored Grants
Subaru partners with the Geological Society to present a variety of grants, awards and other means of support. One minority student in each of the society's sections and one in a World Bank-designated low-income country receive a cash grant and sponsored attendance at the annual conference. Grants are meant to encourage minority students to consider a career in the geosciences. Subaru also sponsors the Outstanding Woman in Science Award and a Women in Geoscience Mentoring event.
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