Shortly after the 1993 death of D. Woods Thomas, former Dean of International Programs in Agriculture, his friends, relatives, and colleagues established an endowment fund in his memory.  Because of his lifelong commitment to international agricultural development, the donors have directed that income from the endowment to support College of Agriculture graduate students who will be doing research or studying in a developing country as part of their University program.  The endowment has grown to a size sufficient to generate a stream of income to support modest annual support.  The office of International Programs in Agriculture will select recipients according to the criteria listed below.  Applications using the prescribed format found below are due by 5:00 PM, Monday, February 7, 2011.  Hard copies should be sent to Dr. Jess Lowenberg-DeBoer, International Programs in Agriculture, Room 26 AGAD; electronic submissions should be sent to Lonni Kucik (lkucik@purdue.edu).

Criteria

This award is available to graduate students in any recognized post-baccalaureate program in any discipline or department in the College of Agriculture at Purdue University.  The intent of the award is to help increase the capacity of young American scientists to contribute to international agricultural development.  Therefore, only U.S. citizens are eligible for this award.  Funds may be used to support research, study, or other scholarly activities in a developing country anywhere in the world, including travel expenses. The maximum individual award will be $1000, and recipients are asked to use their award within 12 months of receiving the funds.

Application Procedure

Applicants should submit a letter of application (maximum of 3 pages) for consideration for this award.  The letter of application should include:
·  a description of your proposed international research, study or scholarly activity;

• information on when and how you will use the award (include a detailed budget and indicate other support funds);

• a discussion of how your planned international activity will contribute to your
      graduate studies; and

• a statement of your career goals relative to international engagement.

In addition, include a letter of support (on a separate sheet of paper) from your major professor or departmental graduate program director.

Evaluation

Applications will be reviewed by an ad hoc committee of faculty appointed by the Associate Dean and Director of IPIA.  Evaluation will be based on adherence to stated eligibility criteria, the strength of the applicant’s commitment to an international career, and the perceived contribution of the proposed international activity to the applicant’s academic program.  The award recipient and dollar amount will be announced by the end of March 2011.