Schmink Dissertation Award

In recognition of the service of Dr. Marianne Schmink as Director of the TCD Program and her outstanding contribution to graduate education, the Center for Latin American Studies and the TCD Program are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the Marianne Schmink Award.

Read about the previous Marianne Schmink Dissertation Awardees here.

Eligibility

  • Students graduating from any UF Department who have earned a certificate in Tropical Conservation and Development.
  • Students who were or will be awarded their degree between Summer 2024 and Spring 2025.

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Selection Process and Criteria

A multidisciplinary committee made up of  TCD Faculty and TCD alumni will review all applications. Criteria for selection of the award recipient include dissertation research that:

  • Promotes TCD’s mission to bridge theory and practice to advance biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource use, and human well-being in the tropics
  • Makes an important contribution in their discipline

The committee will also consider the extent to which the dissertation and student’s experience that promotes:

  • Learning across disciplines;
  • Cross-national, integrative, comparative problem-centered research;
  • Strengthening and expansion of learning and action networks.

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Application Materials

Please send all application materials via email to TCD Program. Electronically submission required; documents should be sent in ONE single pdf with documents following the order listed below:

  • An electronic copy of the final dissertation.
  • A 1-2 page statement summarizing the dissertation and describing how it advanced the mission of the TCD Program.
  • A curriculum vitae and up to three reprints, if available.
  • A letter of support from the chair of the dissertation committee, to be submitted directly to TCD Program

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Application Deadline: June 9, 2025

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The award recipient will be announced in late Fall or early spring and will:

  • Receive a $250 honorarium and a commemorative glass paper weight
  • Present a seminar in the Latin American Studies Colloquium or TCD Tropilunch
  • Have their name engraved on the Schmink Award plaque located in the TCD Director’s office in Grinter Hall.

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Marianne Schmink Dissertation Awardees