Students enrolling at the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences have a wide range of opportunities available to help support their studies.
The Panther Scholarship Portal is your hub for scholarship applications.
No more time spent filling out multiple applications that ask the same questions. Now you can fill out one general application and the Panther Scholarship Portal will do the rest, assuring that your application is reviewed for all scholarships and you will be contacted for those of which you are eligible. Scholarship applications open in October for the following academic year.
You’ll also find an external link to even more scholarships available outside of UWM.
The School of Freshwater Sciences participates in the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP), a multi-state tuition reciprocity program. Through the MSEP, students from Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota pay no more than 150% of the in-state resident tuition.
Other Financial Support
Additional External Scholarships for Atmospheric Science Majors
School of Freshwater Sciences Student Travel Awards
The School of Freshwater Sciences Student Travel Awards offer partial funding to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in Freshwater Sciences or Atmospheric Science to attend and/or present at academic and professional events, such as conferences, workshops, and meetings. Awards are provided as reimbursement of expenses after the travel has been completed.
Undergraduates must be junior standing or above, attending based on work related to thesis or other SFS-advised project, have a role in the conference, and submit a faculty advisor letter of support. Students must seek funding from the Office of Undergraduate Researchand from their faculty mentor prior to applying for SFS Student Travel Award.
Graduate students presenting at an event are required to seek travel support through the Graduate Student Travel Award process before applying for the SFS Student Travel Award.
The School of Freshwater Sciences received two $5,000 research awards from the Mick A. Naulin Foundation to use towards graduate student research on water and air quality and pollution issues. The School’s Academic Planning and Budget Committee (APBC) will review and award funding to projects each year.
Eligible Applicants
School of Freshwater graduate students working on research and internship projects related to water or air quality and pollution.
Funding is available for ongoing projects as a supplement to current research in addition to what they are already working towards.
Application Restrictions
Students who have received this award previously cannot reapply.
Funding is not available for new projects.
Eligible Expenses
Funding is only for research supplies, equipment, and travel and may not be given towards salary.
Application Requirements
Description of current project on water or air quality and pollution. (2 paragraphs max)
Description of additional research done related to project if given additional funds and how it relates to water or air quality and pollution. (2 paragraphs max.)
Brief estimate of proposed use of budget including total costs of supplies, equipment, and/or travel.
Deadlines
Applications are due by November 3.
Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by December 1.
Funding should be spent by August 31.
Outcome Report
Award recipients will be expected to participate in a two-minute video describing their project that we can send to the Naulin Foundation.
Submit a research report in the spring.
Compliance with policy
All award recipients must follow UWM and UW-System policies, including but not limited to those for travel and procurement.
Apply for the Mick A. Naulin Foundation Research Award (application is currently closed)
Freshwater “Ship Time” Research Award
The UWM Foundation SFS Ship Time Fund provides funding for fieldwork and/or field research activities for students, faculty and scientists at the School of Freshwater Sciences related to use of the research vessel or other small watercraft. Total funding available for the academic year and summer research. The School’s Academic Planning and Budget Committee (APBC) will review and award funding to projects.
Eligible Applicants
School of Freshwater graduate students, faculty, and staff who conduct research related to use of the research vessel or other small watercraft.
Examples of Eligible Expenses
Research Vessel fees
Additional research vessel service fees
Deadlines
2023-2024 Academic Year applications will be due November 3, 2023. Summer 2024 applications will be due April 12, 2024.
Funding decisions will be made in November and May. The fall deadline covers ship time during the academic year. The summer deadline covers summer and early fall.
Applicants will be notified of academic year funding decisions by December and summer funding decisions by May.
Expected Outcomes
With media staff, create a 3-5 minute video/vlog to use in promotional materials and/or the SFS website.
All data collected (along with methods description and metadata) will be required to be place in an acceptable public database within 6 months of the trip with access given to the Dean and IT manager, and in one year released to the general public through the database along with either a publication or submission of a description of the results of the analyzed data. Data will be shared on SFS sites.
Databases can include those approved by a given journal or public databases such as those run by NSF, NIH, and other agencies. They should have significant support that they are able to continue to perpetuity or have significant contingency plan if they are discontinued.
Compliance with Policy
All award recipients must follow UWM and UW-System policies, including but not limited to those for travel and procurement.
Application Requirements
Submit a funding proposal which includes:
Contact information including SFS affiliation and faculty advisor (if applicable).
Short abstract on fieldwork or field research activity. (1 page max)
Budget justification with expense description and amount for each item requested.
Graduate students in the School of Freshwater Sciences may qualify to receive financial support in the form of Fellowships and Research Assistantships through the Graduate School or individual faculty research funds. Learn more.