MSI Mini-Grant Program

Jerry Soro, a postdoc from John Caroll University, received MSI mini-grant funding to study diatoms (a type of stream algae) as an indicator of pollution in the Upper Animas river.

MSI seeks financial support to continue building this program.

Since 2005 MSI has offered mini-grant funding for students and recent graduates to conduct studies in the San Juan Mountain region of southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, USA. The goals of the program are to: 1) support the education and career development of students and recent graduates via research opportunities, and 2) provide needed data and information pertaining to important issues and problems in the San Juan Mountain region.

Eligibility Requirements

• Research may be in the physical, biological, or social sciences or be interdisciplinary.
• Each applicant must have a qualified advisor who agrees to provide project guidance.
• Applicant must be a student at an accredited college or university or have graduated from such an institution within the past two years (recent undergraduate or master's students) or five years (postdoctoral associates).
• Research must have a major component, including field work, focused on the San Juan Mountain region, Colorado-New Mexico, USA.
• Research must be related to at least one of the five themes that compose MSI's program.
  1. Land and Communities in Transition: Issues affecting San Juan communities in transition from resource extraction to tourism and recreation economies and cultures (land use change and resulting impacts; community planning; ecological, economic, social, and/or cultural conflicts and challenges).
  2. Climate Variability and Change: Studies of past, present, and future climate; effects of climate change on environment and/or society; study of how managers and decision-makers interact with climate science.
  3. Air Quality:  Studies of air quality and effect of pollutants on ecosystems and human health. Evaluation of air quality controls, management or policy.
  4. Ecosystems and Biodiversity:  Studies of ecological communities, spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity, environmental controls on biodiversity, links between biodiversity and ecosystem services, value of biodiversity to society.
  5. Water and Snow:  Controls on water quantity and quality, effects of drought on ecosystems and people, other ecological or societal issues associated with water quantity and quality.

Funding:  Up to $2,500 per proposal. Partial awards may be given.

Time span of projects:  One-year.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Friday, March 14, 2008

Application Instructions for 2008

Past mini-grant recipients

This photo shows Shane Stadling’s mini-grant project, an experiment to test the effects of different kinds of dust on winter snow pack. The dust is blown in from desert areas to the southwest of the San Juan Mountains. Shane is a student at Fort Lewis College and is conducting his experiment in the Senator Beck Basin, a study area managed by the Center for Snow & Avalanche Studies.