The American Alpine Institute just received the following email from Denali National Park:

The National Park Service and the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) are seeking applicants for two research fellowships that are available to individuals wishing to conduct research in Denali National Park and Preserve and other arctic and subarctic Alaska national parks.  The Discover Denali Research Fellowship is for research in or near Denali, and the Murie Science and Learning Center Fellowship is for research taking place in Denali or other arctic or subarctic Alaska national parks. For the first time,  applications for 2011 fellowships will be considered for funding requests up to $7500-$8000, to be used over one or two years.

The Discover Denali and the MSLC Fellowship Programs are designed to assist undergraduate and graduate students, but may be appropriate for college and university faculty, state and federal agency scientists, and private-sector researchers. Proposals for research that will help managers make decisions about critical resource issues are particularly encouraged. If an applicant wants to be considered for both funding sources, only one application is needed. More than one fellow is expected to be selected for each program.

The deadline for both fellowship applications is March 1, 2011 and a decision is expected to be made by March 15, or soon thereafter. The fieldwork of fellowship recipients must be arranged before September 1, 2011.

This is the sixth year that the Discover Denali Research Fellowship has been available for Denali researchers; it is the fourth year that the Murie Science and Learning Center research funds will be available to researcher-applicants whose studies help managers in all of the parks that are partners with the MSLC:  Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Denali National Park and Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Yukon – Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Any previous fellow may reapply, but is not assured of additional funding.

An information guide about either of the fellowships, which includes specifics on how to apply and other information helpful to the application process, may be downloaded from www.nps.gov/dena/naturescience/discodena.htm. For more information contact Denali’s Research Administrator Lucy Tyrrell at (907) 683-6352 or lucy_tyrrell@nps.gov.

The Discover Denali Fellowships are made possible through proceeds from Discover Denali, an MSLC program developed in partnership between the Denali Education Center and the National Park Service. The Discover Denali program educates Royal Celebrity Tours participants about Denali’s natural and human history. The Denali Education Center is an NPS park partner that inspires personal connections to Denali by educating people of all ages and abilities.

The Murie Science and Learning Center Research Fellowships are made possible through the partnership between Alaska Geographic and the National Park Service. The Murie Science and Learning Center provides research, discovery, and learning opportunities within arctic and subarctic National Parks to promote appreciation and caring for our natural and cultural heritage.  As part of its mission to connect people with their public lands, Alaska Geographic provides staffing and funding toward MSLC operations.