The James J. Parsons Scholarship for Field Research in Geography provides support for Berkeley Geography majors with good academic standing who have undertaken or plan to undertake field research in geography. Research topics could range from studying social and geographical changes in the innercity to the physical geography of landslides or desert landscapes.

The scholarship competition will be held each Fall. Prospective recipients will be identified, screened and selected by the faculty of the Department of Geography. The amount of the award varies, but in recent years has been around $1,500.

This Year's Recipient:
2007: Jenny Cooper
The winner of the 2007-2008 James J. Parsons Scholarship for Field Research in Geography is Jenny Cooper. While living in Bamako, the capital of Mali, she designed and carried out an independent research project to investigate how environmental issues are addressed in primary education and to learn what the implications of those practices are. Among other things, she learned why it is especially important to include environmental issues in the education of impoverished peoples and that teaching about those issues in the local language is more effective.

Past Recipients:
2006: Rachel Hestrin
Rachel’s research on sewerage development in the East Bay has taken her from the Bancroft Library to local residents’ backyards. She notes that she’s “seen creeks, culverts, storm drains and the buildings that surround them, but sewerage is built to be obscure.” Archival sources are not always complete; thus interviews were a large and vital portion of her research.

2005: Christina Hawkins studied newly arrived immigrants to the Soviet Union and modern-day Russia.
2004: Aaron Arthur studied a core sample fom the La Preciosa laguna, Veracruz, Mexico, to provide a picture of ecological changes in the area.
2003: Tyler Phelps located and sampled tufa deposits laid down when Lahontan (lake) in Mexico was at its highest elevatioin, 14-12,000 years ago.
2002: Sudhir Vadaketh conducted his field work at Burning Man in Black Rock Playa, Nevada, and made a geographical analysis of this new-age pilgrimage.
2001: Kristine Silveira Kristine’s field research focused on the urbanization of the Central Valley and the consequential degradation of the environment and communities within it.

The David A. Rose Scholarship in Physical Geography was established in memory of David Andrew Rose who received his Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997. He graduated at the top of his class and received the prestigious Oberlander Award in Physical Geography. He was undergoing training in New Delhi for Tele Atlas when he died in a tragic accident in Agra, India.

This scholarship will be used to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students in the Department of Geography at UC Berkeley. Recipients will be selected from among the undergraduate students in the Department of Geography who are in good standing and demonstrate academic merit. Preference will be given to students whose course of study focuses on physical geography and/or cartography. Recipients will be selected by a Selection Committee comprised of the Chair of the Department of Geography and the Undergraduate Advisors. The award amount can vary but has been $1000 so far. The scholarship competition will take place in the Fall.

This Year's Recipient:
2007-2008: Kevin Kahn
The 2007 winner of the David A. Rose Scholarship in Physical Geography is Kevin Kahn. As a Geography major Kevin has been able to apply what he has learned about geomorphology, environmental science, field methods, and GIS during two summers interning with the Environmental Protection Agency. He is currently working as an undergraduate research assistant on a river restoration project under Professor Matt Kondolf. His senior honors thesis will deal with the risk of development and urbanization in the California Delta.

Past Recipients:
2006-2007: Mai Nguyen
Mai’s particular interest in physical geography is the dynamics of hurricanes and the El Niño phenomenon. She recently complemented her physical science perspective on hurricanes by working with the people affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

2005-2006: Jessica Rorem She was a top student in both Earth System Science and Cartography, but also studied human geography. Geography was a perfect major for her because as she said, “Where else could I have studied social science, physical science, and art in the same department?”

2004-2005: Andrew Friedman He has since gone on to pursue graduate studies in the Geography Department where he was awarded a Berkeley Fellowship. His focus is on tropical/high-latitude climate interactions.

The Haas Scholars Program

Are you interested in writing a Seniors Honors thesis based on an original research project? The Haas Scholars Program is an excellent way for Geography majors to get financial support for such an undertaking while they learn how to do research. Applicants need to have a 3.5 gpa and must qualify for financial aid. If you want to learn more, read the description below or go to their website: http://research.berkeley.edu/haas_scholars/.

Current Geography major Haas Scholars:
2006-2007:
Joshua Belton and Agata Surma
“Development, Livestock, and Society: Cultural Practices and Agricultural Intervention in Upper East Ghana” Sponsor: Professor Nathan Sayre, Geography

Miriam Solis (Geography Major)
“Women Sem Terra: Participation and Socio-Spatial Transformations” Sponsor: Professor Richard Walker, Geography

Recent Geography Major Haas Scholars:
2005-2006:
Mary Gardner
“The Commodification of Place: Tourism in Montego Bay, Jamaica” Sponsor: Professor Richard Walker, Geography

Joen Madonna
“Hidden in Plain View: Cannabis Clubs, Visibility, and Power in the Urban Landscapes of the Bay Area and Amsterdam" Sponsor: Professor Paul Groth, Geography

What is the Haas Scholars Program at UC Berkeley?
Established in 1997 through the generous gift of Robert and Colleen Haas, the Haas Scholars Program creates opportunities for academically talented, financial-aid-eligible undergraduates IN ALL MAJORS to engage in a sustained research, field-study or creative project in the summer before and during their senior (i.e., final) year at UC Berkeley.

Each year, twenty Haas Scholars--selected from all disciplines and departments across the university--are awarded the funding necessary to pursue their independent projects and participate jointly in a program designed to support their intellectual development. Haas Scholars receive the following benefits:

* a $3,800 summer stipend that allows students to work full time on their projects during the summer before their senior year, plus a $200 stipend upon completion of all obligations to the program;
* up to $3,600 in academic year stipend to reduce the necessity for work or further loan indebtedness during the senior year;
* up to $5,000 in funding for major and minor expenses associated with a research, field-study or creative project launched in the summer before the senior year;
* the opportunity to develop a close mentoring relationship with a faculty sponsor;
* membership in a close-knit intellectual community of fellow Haas Scholars and their mentors;
* participation in a series of coordinated intellectual enrichment events and activities in the summer preceding and during the senior year;
* assistance and advising regarding application to graduate and professional school, as well as other advanced study and research opportunities in their fields;
* the opportunity to present and publish the results of the research, field-study or creative project.

Who is Eligible to Apply?
The Haas Scholars Program for 2007-2008 will be open to undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, who meet the following criteria:

* are expecting to graduate in Fall 2007 or Spring/Summer 2008
* have maintained a Berkeley GPA of 3.5 or above
* are eligible to receive need-based federal financial aid

Students who are selected to be Haas Scholars are expected to work full-time on their projects during Summer 2007 (no courses or employment allowed except by explicit permission of program staff) and to participate fully in the activities of the program, including the Summer Research Retreat (May 29-June 2, 2007), a weekly Friday (12-2) colloquium during the Fall 2007 semester, and the Haas Research Conference, tentatively set for late April or early May, 2008.

Mentors of Haas Scholars are required to be ladder faculty members (this usually means that their official title is Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor). Exemptions to the rule may be granted in some circumstances by the Program Office. Please contact the Program Coordinator if you would like to request an exemption for a faculty member that you would like to have as your mentor.

Haas Scholars are selected each Spring on a competitive basis from among the pool of qualified applicants. An interdisciplinary Faculty Advisory Board awards funding to twenty outstanding students on the basis of their academic potential and the merit and originality of their proposed research, field-study or creative project.

When is the Application Deadline?
The application deadline for the 2007/2008 Haas Scholars Program will be 3:00 pm on Monday, March 3, 2007. You must turn in your application for financial aid on or preferably before March 2, 2007.

Now is the time to begin planning your 2007/08 application. A good proposal requires multiple rounds of feedback and revision as well as ample supporting documentation, all of which take time. You are strongly encouraged to seek information and individual advising as soon as possible from the Program Coordinator, Leah Carroll:
e-mail: haas_scholars@learning.berkeley.edu
phone: (510) 643-5374
office: 301C Campbell Hall

How Can I Get More Information?
Consult the online Schedule of Workshops,
or contact the Program Coordinator, Leah Carroll (contact info just above)

How Can I Get the Application?
The 2007-2008 application itself will not be on-line until closer to the deadline. However, you may get a hard copy of the 2006-2007 on-line application, as well as a sample proposal, from the program coordinator. You are also encouraged to meet with the program coordinator for advising and verification of your and your mentor's eligibility before beginning the application.