Dr. Bruce D. J. Batt Fellowship in Waterfowl Conservation

Dr. Bruce Batt has retired as DU Chief Biologist after a long and productive career in waterfowl research and conservation. During his 41-­‐year career, Dr. Batt was involved in a greater diversity of issues and a broader number of landscapes important to North American waterfowl than any biologist of his generation. He made significant contributions to understanding waterfowl breeding biology, wintering ecology and wetland ecology, and he positively influenced an entire generation of waterfowl professionals.

During his two decades with DU, Dr. Batt: helped establish the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research; contributed to important work on mid-­‐continent ducks, Arctic geese and northern habitats; supervised DU’s initiatives in Latin America and Mexico; and helped lead DU’s conservation administration and communication efforts.

In recognition of his many accomplishments, particularly his passion for the role of sound science in guiding conservation, DU has established the Dr. Bruce D. J. Batt Fellowship in Waterfowl Conservation. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide financial assistance to deserving graduate students conducting waterfowl or wetland research in North America.

The competition is open to graduate students based at any North American university. It will be awarded based upon: the qualifications of the applicant; the scientific soundness of the student's research proposal; originality and creativity in study design; expected contributions of the study to wetland or waterfowl ecology; the importance of the proposed research to conservation; and achievability of the work.

One award of up to $5,000/year (Canadian funds) is available to provide personal or research support for the successful applicant. The award is renewable for up to two additional years for PhD students, once for students pursuing a M.Sc. degree, assuming annual approval of a satisfactory progress report and the need for continuing financial support.