Funding, News and Announcements

The rare Charitable Research Reserve has partnered with Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation, Ages Foundation Fund to financially assist students in pursuit of higher education as they tackle important environmental issues. The Research Fellowship & Bursaries will allow students to study in a relatively undisturbed, yet highly accessible site in Waterloo Region.  The monetary awards will help ensure successful candidates have the necessary resources to conduct and report on their research at rare.  It will also allow the student to give an oral presentation at a conference in their discipline.

Four recipients will be selected through the application process and awards will be given out in the following amounts: one (1) $4,000 award, one (1) $2,000 award, and two (2) $1,000 awards. 

Eligibility:

• Canadian or International graduate student who will conduct field research on the rare Charitable Research Reserve property between May 2017 and April 2018.
• Research is environment focused, and takes a landscape-scale approach to this year’s theme:

CONSERVING, RESTORING, & ENHANCING NATURAL AREAS IN A DEVELOPED WORLD

At rare, we have 24 different habitat types. Habitat diversity – the variety of places where life exists – makes species diversity possible because each kind of habitat is home to a number of species, many of which are dependent upon a particular kind of habitat. In an increasingly developed world, many natural habitats are at risk of getting destroyed, or have been destroyed already. Should a habitat disappear, many species that live in that habitat disappear as well. A habitat seldom disappears entirely or all at once but rather it is “nibbled” away until only small fragments remain. At rare we are committed to the conservation and restoration at a landscape level. The long-term protection of habitat at rare allows to conduct long-term scientific research to build an understanding of how ecological systems function within the natural landscapes of southern Ontario. Understanding how these natural systems function will provide both a knowledge base and validation for our land management efforts. Research opportunities exist to further the understanding of community development and ecosystem restoration practices needed to manage natural systems on the front line of human disturbance.

Applications Details:

1. Applications can be submitted until 5:00 pm on Monday, April 24^th, 2017
2. Students will be required to provide a final report to rare one year after receiving the scholarship.
3. The successful applicant will be notified by May 15^th, 2017.  A sum of $3,500 will be awarded shortly thereafter while the remaining $500 will be awarded in May 2018, upon successful completion of the requirements of the scholarship (including the final report and conference presentation).
4. The recipient will retain all intellectual property rights.
5. The research will be required to go through the normal rare Research Application approval process.

Submission Details:

Download and complete the Ages Research Fellowship & Bursaries Application Form, and provide the requested information including:

•  your name, telephone number and email address, the name of your supervisor, department and university where the research will be completed;
• current university transcripts from all institutions you attend or attended as an undergraduate or postgraduate student;
• names, telephone numbers and email addresses for two references who can best assess your academic credentials.
•  an outline of the proposed research including:
  • the problem the research is addressing;
  • your hypothesis;
  • your sampling design, field equipment and statistical tests that will be employed;
  • The importance of your work in Waterloo Region
  • the length of time fieldwork will be conducted at rare;
  • the areas at rare where you will be sampling (give specific habitats and/or precise locations if possible);
  • details on how the results will be made available to academics and the general public.

Submit application to:

Program Scientist – Research Priorities, Partnerships & Monitoring
rare Charitable Research Reserve
1679 Blair Road
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada  N3H 4R8.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their research with rare staff in advance of applying. If you have any further questions or you would like a tour of the reserve please contact us by phone at (519) 650-9336 x 111. On-site accommodations are available for researchers. 

Note to Applicants

Completion of a rare research application is required for all individuals interested in conducting research or monitoring on property owned by the rare Charitable Research Reserve. Please submit your research proposal to the Program Scientist at least four weeks in advance of the anticipated start date to allow sufficient time for review by our advisory teams.

Completion of a research proposal is a requirement for all scientific research and monitoring initiatives involving fieldwork. Scientific research involves the formulation of hypotheses, the construction of a sampling design, the collection and analysis of data, the drawing of conclusions and associated recommendations and the publication of the information in peer-reviewed literature. Environmental monitoring involves the collection of data on biological populations or environmental phenomena to assess trends through time. All specimens, artifacts and information collected remain the property of the rareCharitable Research Reserve.

If approved, please notify the Program Scientist of approximate start dates for all research or monitoring and the areas of the property in which they will be conducted.

Please provide the Program Scientist with copies of all peer-reviewed literature, publications, theses and reports stemming from research or monitoring on rare property.

Please send your completed Application (by email, mail, or fax) to:

Jenna Quinn, Program Scientist – Research Priorities, Partnerships & Monitoring
rare Charitable Research Reserve
1679 Blair Road
Cambridge, ON, Canada N3H 4R8
fax: 519-650-5923
phone: 519-650-9336 x 111