CBC - Scholarships

College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley

Center for Biological Control

The Robert van den Bosch Scholarship in Biological Control

The Robert van den Bosch Scholarship honors the legacy of Professor Robert van den Bosch (1922-1978). Van, as he was called by most who knew him, was born in Martinez, California on 31 March 1922. He died on 19 November 1978. Van joined the faculty the the University of California, Riverside, in 1951 and was a member of the faculty on the Berkeley campus from 1963 to the time of his death.

Van was a researcher, a teacher, and an administrator in the Division of Biological Control and the Department of Entomological Sciences at Berkeley. He was a lifelong leader and spokesman for the discipline of biological control. He searched tirelessly for natural enemies of agricultural pests, an effort that resulted in the importation and establishment of 17 natural enemy species.

Van understood the complexity and fragility of ecosystems, and clearly perceived the undesirable ecological, economic and social impacts of certain agricultural pest control practices. Thus, he became a forceful proponent of multidisciplinary, integrative methods. His strongly held convictions are brought together in his last book, The Pesticide Conspiracy. For an insightful interview with Dr. van den Bosch, visit this article in Mother Earth, July/August 1979.

Scholarship Awardees 2006 - 2009

Robert van den Bosch Scholarship:

Graduate Student Research
in Biological Control

Robert van den Bosch Scholarship:

Travel Awards

We are pleased to announce that the Robert van den Bosch Scholarship in support of graduate student research (GSR) will be awarded for the FY 2013/2014 season

Award: Scholarships will range from $5,000 to $15,000, based on a competitive rank of accepted proposals. The award may be used for graduate student salary, tuition and fees, laboratory help, supplies (no permanent equipment) or travel to specifically address a research objective (e.g. collecting, field work, training in an off-campus laboratory).

Due date: April 15, 2013

Category: Proposals will be reviewed in two categories.

Biological control: research that addresses the biology, ecology or application (release or conservation) of indigenous or introduced natural enemies for the suppression of pest densities.

Systematics: research on the taxonomic relationships (classical or molecular) of natural enemies that support the application of biological control.

Awarded period: An account will be established with the major professor and funds will be transferred for a start date of July 1, 2013 and an end date of December 31, 2014.

Eligibility: Doctoral candidates at UC-Berkeley, UC-Davis, and UC-Riverside are welcome to apply. Applicants must be advanced to candidacy by the beginning of the award date – July 1, 2011. Past awardees who wish to apply for this year’s program should include a Progress Report and indicate how funds from previous awards have been utilized. Students can receive the Scholarship for up to three years, although past funding does not guarantee future funding.

Application: Send complete proposals as an MS Word, RTF, or PDF document (PDFs encouraged) to Dr. Kent Daane via email at kdaane@ucanr.edu, with the subject heading “van den Bosch Scholarship.” The proposal should include the following sections:

Body of proposal (not to exceed 6 pages, double spaced, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins)

Title and contact information (name, University address, email, major professor)
Category (biological control or systematics)
Abstract (200 word maximum)
Objectives (one clear, concise sentence per objective).
Justification (background and expected significance of the research)
Procedures
A statement of the expected significance of the dissertation research

Attachments

Budget (maximum of $15,000 per proposal
Curriculum Vitae (maximum of 2 pages)

References

Letter of reference from your major professor
Letter of reference from a faculty member familiar with your work

Letters should be emailed separately by your reviewers to kdaane@ucanr.edu, with the subject heading “van den Bosch letter for (your name)”

The Robert van den Bosch Scholarship program is now offering awards to support travel by graduate students to professional meetings (statewide, national or international) at which they will present a paper or poster on the subject of biological control

Award: Budgets for travel to a meeting should be $500.00 to $1,500.00 maximum.

Due date: Applications will be accepted anytime at least 1 month prior to the meeting date (this change in policy allows for trips that may not be easily planned 6 months in advance).

Eligibility: A maximum of two applications per year per student, or $1,500 per year per student. Candidacy is not a requirement, so all graduate students (M.S. and Ph.D.) at UC-Berkeley, UC-Riverside and UC-Davis are encouraged to apply.

Presentation

Your contact information (name, University address, email, major professor)
Meeting abstract (include title, authors, and all affiliations)

Meeting

Name of conference
Date and location

Budget ($500 to $1,500)

Registration fees
Travel
lodging

Attachments

Copy of the meeting announcement

Review Process: The Robert van den Bosch Scholarship and Travel Awards are directed by Dr. Nicholas J. Mills and Dr. Kent M. Daane, co-directors for the Center for Biological Control, UC Berkeley. Scholarship proposals are reviewed by a panel of 5-7 University of California faculty (from Berkeley, Riverside and Davis), with expertise in biological control, ecology or systematics. Reviewers are asked to rank each proposal, taking into consideration the RFP guidelines, research significance to the field of biological control, experimental quality, and the applicant’s professional development (CV, letters of reference). Travel Awards are reviewed by Drs. Mills and Daane, with funds awarded to applications fulfilling the described requirements. Each fiscal year travel funds will be allocated on a first come basis until fully used.