"I am extremely grateful to receive a Biodiversity Institute Graduate Student Enhancement Grant to conduct vital research that aims to promote a more…"
Research
Research Science is at the Foundation of the Biodiversity Institute's Mission.
The Biodiversity Institute enhances and supports research across the University community and beyond through an array of research grants, faculty, museum, and facility collaborations and statewide partnerships.
The Biodiversity Institute grant programs are funded and managed by the Institute to support basic and applied research, and projects that communicate the scope and value of biodiversity research happening at the University of Wyoming to the public.
Research & Outreach Grants
Successful conservation of biological diversity requires both basic and applied research to better inform current and future policy decisions. Because graduate students are a major engine of biodiversity research at UW, the Biodiversity Institute (BI) provides grants to enhance or expand ongoing graduate student research in any field related to biodiversity.
Successful conservation of biological diversity requires the support of an informed and actively engaged public. Public support for biodiversity and its conservation may be increased by providing compelling and relevant evidence of the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem services and human well-being. Maximum amount of the award is $20,000 for one year. We anticipate funding several proposals.
Native American students who are doing biodiversity research relevant to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho will be prioritized for this funding. Applicants must demonstrate that they have a relationship and approval to do the research with either tribe.
Publications
The Wyoming Biodiversity Institute maintains the long term goal of creating a series of publications that contribute to the rigorous documentation and understanding of Biodiversity in the state of Wyoming. Through the Wyoming Natural History Publication Series, the Institute offers financial support to authors projects whose work contributes to this venture.
Natural Science Collections
The Biodiversity Institute has taken a leadership role in promoting the scientific value of UW’s natural science collections to the public, to the research community, and to state decision-makers, by bringing together collections across campus to form the University of Wyoming Natural Science Collections Partnership. The mission of the partnership is to ensure growth, development, and care of the many natural science collections so that they can continue their missions to discover, document, curate, and communicate knowledge of the history of the Earth and its biota, and to make that knowledge accessible to stakeholders, including all citizens of Wyoming, regardless of location. The members of the partnership are the Rocky Mountain Herbarium (Dept. of Botany), Museum of Vertebrates (Dept. of Zoology and Physiology), Geological Museum (Dept. of Geology and Geophysics), Williams Conservatory (Dept. of Botany), Insect Museum (Dept. of Ecosystem Science and Management), Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, UW Libraries, and the BI.
Research Highlights
"Merkle, B.G., B. Barber, and M. Carling. 2020. Drawn to Natural History: Enhancing Field Courses with Drawing and Field Journal Instruction. Natural…"
"I am so grateful to be receiving the Biodiversity Institute Graduate Student Enhancement Grant. The aid from this grant will support my research on…"
"After COVID-19 related delays, this generous grant represents a fresh start to my doctoral research on the effect of urbanization on raccoons. I will be…"