SCHOLARSHIPS Continued from p. 11
William J. Siok Graduate Scholarship Program
Purpose
To assist graduate students with college education costs and to promote student participation in the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG). One scholarship will be awarded to a declared graduate student in an accredited geoscience program with an empha- sis in environmental geoscience and/or hydrogeology. Details for applying for this scholarship are provided below.
Scholarship Awards
Scholarship award is in the amount of $1,000.00 to an eligible graduate student attending a college or university in the U.S. Scholarships are intended to be used to support tuition, room and board, and/or research.
Eligibility Requirements
Any graduate student who is major- ing in the geosciences in the U.S. can apply. Also, the student must be either a student member of AIPG or must have applied for student membership at the time the application for the scholarship is submitted.
The student who is awarded the scholarship agrees, by accepting the
scholarship, to prepare a 600 to 800 word article for publication in The Professional Geologist. The subject of the article must be related to a timely professional issue.
Application Process
1. Submit a cover letter introduc- ing yourself and tell us what you have done outside of the class room such as research projects, officer in club, or outside activities within the community. Address your career goals in near term and longer term.
2. Submit a one page (approximately 750 words) essay on a topic the AIPG Education Committee will decide on annually. The 2020 scholarship essay topic is:
Focus on a single theme of your choice, and explain how the pro- fession of geology, over the coming decade, should best contribute to addressing a problem for the well- being of the public. In your essay explain (1) Why your theme choice is significant and (2) How profes- sionals educated in geology are essential to contributing success- fully to addressing the problem. Try to be as specific as possible in addressing Item #2.
3. Submit a copy of your transcript (unofficial) and documentation
that you are a current student. Requisite standards to apply are a minimum GPA of 2.8 (on a 4 point scale) and a minimum of 12 semester credits of geology/ geoscience courses with a 3.0 GPA in these courses completed at time of application. Those credits can come from previous grad or undergrad studies.
4. Submit a letter of recommendation from a geology/geoscience profes- sor that provides an emphasis on your performance and activities in the classroom, in the department, and your character in how you work and help other students.
The application packet can be sub- mitted online (preferred) or emailed to
aipg@aipg.org. Questions regarding the application process can be directed to (303) 412-6205 or e-mail: aipg@aipg. org.
In addition to the scholarships offered by National, seven Sections (Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Northeast, Pennsylvania, and Texas) offer additional scholarships to AIPG students residing or going to school in their Section. The scholarships offered range from one to eight, and from $500 to $5,000. Details on the individual schol- arships are summarized in the table on page 43.
Essay Writing Tips from the AIPG Education Committee Ron Wallace, CPG-08153 - AIPG Education Committee Chair
Each spring AIPG awards a number of undergraduate and graduate scholarships. An essay is one part of the application for the scholarships. As one of the members on the Education Committee that reviews the essays, I thought I’d give a little guidance on the essay and the entire process. The applications are due in February, so start getting your application pack- age ready early because you need to include a copy of your academic record and a letter of recommendation from one of your professors. The cover letter is for the committee to be able to learn something about you and what you have done in the university setting. It can include information such as research projects, laboratory work, or teaching labs and outside interest. We want to know what awards you’ve received, leadership positions you have held, or other organizations in which you are an active member. Also, what near term goals you have and what you think you will be doing after your academic education has been completed.
The Education Committee considers the essay to be the most important part of the entire application. I recommend you think about it for some time and then write down some key points that you want to cover. The essay is intended to be quite different from the cover letter, so don’t repeat information from the cover letter in the essay. The subject of the essay for the undergraduates is “Why I Want to be a Geologist”. Most students write either that they were interested in geology from
www.aipg.org
a young age or they had a geology class and a lightbulb went off and they were hooked. Your individual story is important and the committee wants to hear how you became interested in geology. Talk about your process either from a very young age or maybe later in college when you made the decision to major in geology or earth science. Now that you realize that you want a degree in geology the second part of the essay is why you want to be a geologist and what is the drive behind it. This is the point where you can discuss areas of geology in which you are interested in working, whether there is some cause that drives you, or problem you want to be involved in solving.
The graduate essay is designed for you to focus on a single issue that is important to the public and how the knowledge of geology can help solve that problem. Your essay may be on a subject that you know is important but it may be in an area you do not plan to pursue professionally. You may want to research the subject you choose for background data and different aspects of geology that can help solve the problem. Because the essay is approximately one page, you need to be concise in your discussion.
The Education Committee wishes student applicants the very best while they are fulfilling their education and hope you have a rewarding professional career in geology.
Jan.Feb.Mar 2021 • TPG 39
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