UTM students who need financial help to conduct summer research involving Reelfoot Lake have until 5 p.m. Thursday, April 18, to apply for grant funding.
Dr. Michael A. Gibson, UTM professor of Geology, said students from all disciplines – not just the natural sciences – are encouraged to apply for the grants.
He added that the grant committee wants to support and encourage undergraduate research or other appropriate scholarly work involving the lake, which is located in Northwest Tennessee near Tiptonville.
“While the grant funds are primarily from the sciences, any discipline may be represented for research,” Gibson said, citing the example of one student who used the grant to conduct a study of attitudes about Reelfoot Lake.
The grants are awarded from the Smith, Henson, Sliger Undergraduate Research on Reelfoot Lake Fund. Grants may be awarded for up to $6,000, which covers a minimum stipend of $2,000 and also may be used to cover travel, expendable supplies and use of the Reelfoot Lake Environmental Field Station, based in
Additional funds may be available through the dean’s office in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, which operates the field station.
Applicants must be juniors or seniors, and they must be able to enroll in two credit hours of undergraduate research in their respective disciplines.
At the end of the research cycle, Gibson said, those awarded grants must prepare written reports of their research and present their findings at a discipline-appropriate venue, such as an academic conference.
According to the UTM website, Reelfoot Lake is the state’s largest natural lake. It formed as a result of powerful earthquakes in December 1811 and January 1812, when water from the nearby Mississippi River flooded a portion of the shifting land.
The field station regularly offers summer classes, and its facilities include housing for up to 22 people, two laboratories and basic lab and field equipment.
The field station also is a short drive from the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Reelfoot Lake State Park and the Mississippi River.
For more information about the grant application process, the type of research that qualifies, or to get an application, contact Gibson at mgibson@utm.edu.
For more information on the field station, contact its director, Dr. Tom Blanchard, UTM professor of Biological Sciences, at tblanch@utm.edu, or go online to http://www.utm.edu/departments/reelfoot/.
Students have until April 18 to apply for research grants related to Reelfoot Lake, pictured above. | Pacer File Photo
