Nominations for 2026 RM-CESU Student Award Open

The RM-CESU Student Award program was established in 2007 to recognize outstanding accomplishments by students involved in Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (RM-CESU) projects.

 

Award

The student award will be presented at the annual RM-CESU Fall Meeting in November during which time the awardee will give a presentation on the project. Each award consists of a certificate and a letter of recognition from the RM-CESU Executive Committee

 

Eligibility

Any student of a RM-CESU university partner is eligible for the Student Award. The project work must have been completed while the student was enrolled at the RM-CESU school.

 

Criteria

Awards recognize outstanding contributions, “above and beyond” the standard expectations for a student project. The criteria used to select award recipients are broad and flexible, but generally fall into the following categories:

 

1) The student has delivered an outstanding service or product, such as an exceptionally well researched and well written report; and/or

2) The student’s work has had a direct and exceptional impact on federal agency resource management; or

3) The student’s work is of exceptional educational value to the federal agency and/or the general public.

 

Nomination Procedure

Nominations can come from either the university partner or the federal agency. However, both the university partner and the federal agency must endorse the nomination. A nomination consists of providing all the required information and sending it (in electronic format) directly to the RM-CESU Executive Coordinator by September 10, 2026.

 

Evaluation and Selection Process

All nominations are reviewed and evaluated by a subcommittee of the RM-CESU Executive Committee. The Subcommittee will forward their recommendations to the Executive Committee, which will select the final award winners. A travel allowance may be provided to the awardees by the RM-CESU Partners to help defray the costs of attending the RM-CESU Managers’ Meeting, at which the awards will be presented.

 

Additional Information

Lisa Gerloff, RM-CESU Executive Director

The University of Montana

lisa.gerloff@umontana.edu

The RM-CESU Student Award recognizes outstanding accomplishments by students involved in Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (RM-CESU) projects. Nominations may be submitted by any representative of the federal agency that sponsored the RM-CESU project, or by the student’s RM-CESU university. However, the nomination must be endorsed by both the federal agency and the university partner involved in the project. To be considered for a nomination, the following information should be provided (in electronic or hardcopy format):

 

1. a) Name of Nominee

b) Name of RM-CESU-Affiliated Institution

c) Mailing Address

d) Phone Number

e) Email Address

f) Degree Program

g) Rank (Fr., So., Jr., Sr. Masters, Ph.D.)

 

2. Title of RM-CESU project, and the time frame in which it was completed.

 

3. A brief description of student accomplishment – please describe in terms of the RM-CESU Student Award criteria in less than 500 words. The Student Awards recognize outstanding contributions “above and beyond” the standard expectations for a student project. The criteria used to select award recipients are broad and flexible, but generally fall into the following categories:

 

· The student has delivered an outstanding service or product, such as an exceptionally well researched and well written report; and/or

 

· The student’s work has had a direct and exceptional impact on federal agency resource management; and/or

 

· The student’s work is of exceptional educational value to the federal agency and/or general public.

 

If helpful, include supporting materials such as final reports, photographs or other pertinent documentation.

 

4. A written endorsement by the associated RM-CESU partner in the project. Specifically, if the nominator is representing a university institution, the nomination package must include the written endorsement of the nomination by the federal agency involved in the project. If the federal agency is nominating the student, the application must include a written endorsement by a representative of the student’s academic institution.

 

5. Name of Nominator

Name of RM-CESU-Affiliated Institution

Mailing Address

Phone Number

Email Address

 

Nominations are due by September 10, 2026, and should be sent (in electronic format) to:

 

Lisa Gerloff, RM-CESU Executive Director, The University of Montana; lisa.gerloff@umontana.edu