This is not a typical scholarship program!  Rather, it is a support program that covers SOME of the costs toallow you attend the best Conservation GIS conferences in the worldthis summer and join in a very tight-knit community of friends inspecialized 2-week training courses around these conferences.  Localtravel and accommodations provided will be simple and plain so that wecan afford to include as many people as possible, and you may be askedto pay for some of these costs.  These support grants are PARTIAL inthat you contribute some of the costs yourself and you are expected todo a lot of work as a scholar.  These grants are competitive in thatyour application will be considered in comparison to others, evaluatingyour work, your activism with NGO's, your needs and your resources inrelation to the environmental and economic issues of your region. 
 
  SCGIS will be supporting two different groups of scholars in 2006,corresponding to 2 different conference/training dates and venues, with2 different emphases.  The 2 programs are not finalized so we will workwith each applicant as the programs are developed to make sure you areassigned to the one that best matches your needs and interests.
 
  The first group will attend the 9th Annual SCGIS Conference in SanJose, California, June 24-28 2006.  For the first time, this conferencewill be held in conjunction with the annual international conference ofthe Society for Conservation Biology (http://conbio.net/)June 24-29th, 2006, featuring a keynote address by Jack Dangermond ofESRI on June 28.   This training & conference program will be mostappropriate to GIS beginners or those who are interested in networkingwith conservation GIS practitioners and conservation biology scientists.
 
  The second group will attend the Environmental Systems ResearchInstitute (ESRI) International User Conference in San Diego,California, August 7-11 2006.  With over 13,000 people, this is thelargest GIS conference in the world with opportunities to learn fromand make presentations to thousands of GIS technical people and largeNGO's from around the world.  This training and conference program willbe most appropriate to GIS beginners and experts and those who areinterested in networking with conservation GIS practicioners and GISexperts, developers and users.
  
Application Deadline is Jan 31st, 2006.
  
For detailed information, guidelines and forms please go to:
 
      www.scgis.org     or    www.conservationgis.org

International Applicants outside of the USA/Canada may direct questions to:
  
  Roberta Pickert, SCGIS International Committee,
  pickert@strato.net or
  rpickert@archbold-station.org
 
  Residents of USA and Canada will apply to the seperate DomesticScholarship Program, (guidelines will be posted at the websites listedabove by the end of Dec, 2005.  Domestic program questions should go tothe SCGIS Domestic Schoalrship Program chair: mschmidts@esri.com)
 
  Charles Convis, SCGIS International Committee
  Prashant Hedao, SCGIS International Networks
  
  (SCGIS is an independent all-volunteer international societysupported by membership donations and grants from ESRI, the Gordon andBetty Moore Foundation, Garmin International, US Fish and WildlifeFoundation and the University of California James Reserve)