Ducks Unlimited is pleased to announce that this is the first year that they will be offering the David R. Luukkonen Waterfowl and Wetland Graduate Student Fellowship. Dave was a long-time partner and contributor to the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture. This award honors the contributions of the late Dr. Dave Luukkonen to waterfowl research and management and will support students doing research addressing Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture waterfowl, waterbird, wetland, and relevant social science evaluation priorities. In 2024, there will be two of these awards available, with the funding provided by the Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture. In future years, the fellowship will be sustained from an endowment generously created by Dave’s family, friends, and colleagues. If you haven’t yet contributed to the fellowship fund, but would like to, please see this PDF or you can contact John Coluccy (jcoluccy@ducks.org) for more information.
The fellowship program is a collaboration between DU staff in Canada and the United States. Applications are reviewed annually by DU scientists from across the continent and ranked according to a variety of criteria. Applications typically scoring highest have projects that are scientifically sound and clearly highlight potential contribution to both basic biology (e.g., developing/testing ecological theory or addressing fundamental uncertainties in wetland and waterfowl ecology) and waterfowl and/or wetland conservation.
Including the new Luukkonen fellowships, Ducks Unlimited will have 5 graduate fellowships available to new students in 2024. For more details about how to apply, visit http://iwwr.ducks.ca/fellowships/. The application deadline is November 24, 2023.