Kachemak Bay Reserve, Alaska

NOAA Graduate Research Fellowships

Each year the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve solicits proposals, through the NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System, for the annual Graduate Research Fellowship program. Grants are available on a competitive basis to students admitted to or enrolled in a full-time masters or doctoral program at U.S. accredited colleges and universities. Fellowships may be funded for up to three years to support master or doctoral level research within Kachemak Bay.

The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve has identified issues of local concern that fall within the following general topics:

Forcing mechanisms: We are interested in the physical forcing mechanisms driving the spatial and temporal patterns of biological populations and communities.

Biodiversity: We are currently engaged in several monitoring projects to track changes in intertidal and subtidal biological communities. We are particularly interested in kelp bed and intertidal communities, including invertebrates, algae, fishes, and marine mammal populations and population interactions. Studies of community and population dynamics are encouraged.

Sediment transport dynamics: We are studying the sediment dynamics of the nearshore and how this relates to shoreline erosion and ecological processes.

Biogeochemical cycling: We are interested in the patterns of primary productivity and nutrient uptake rates in the bay.

Physical oceanography: We are interested in studying the spatial and temporal circulation patterns and mixing dynamics to improve our understanding of marine and estuarine hydrography in the bay.

Applicants are responsible for contacting the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve to determine if their proposed projects are relevant to the Reserve's site-specific research needs. Please contact: scott_pegau@fishgame.state.ak.us

The award amount is $20,000 per year that may be used for tuition and research related expenses. There is a 30% non-federal match requirement. The application deadline are generally by November 1. Please see the following web page for details on the application process: Graduate Research Fellowship