2025 DENNIS L. KRUSAC AND JACQUELINE J. BELWOOD STUDENT
RESEARCH AWARD
HISTORY AND MISSION
Click To Download PDF Of Announcement
Click To Download PDF Of Checklist
The Krusac-Belwood Award was created in 2023 with an endowment fund established by Jacqueline J.
Belwood and Dennis L. Krusac through the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN). Its goal is to
provide a single annual award of $2,000 to an upper-level undergraduate or master’s level student
to support field-based ecological research on bats in the southeastern United States. At the time
of application, the recipient must be a member of SBDN. A student’s nationality will not be
considered in the review process, but the student must be enrolled full- time at an accredited
college or university in the United States.
RESEARCH THAT CAN BE FUNDED
The Krusac-Belwood Award was developed to help fund field-based research on community, population,
or behavioral ecology, acoustics, or the conservation and management of southeastern bats and their
habitats. If both field and laboratory studies are proposed, applicants must describe how lab
studies will augment/enhance field studies. Lab studies per se will not be funded nor will studies
on bat genetics or systematics. Projects on white-nose syndrome and the effects of wind turbines on
bats will not be considered because these topics are already well-funded elsewhere.
The proposed research must be conducted in one or more of SBDN’s member states: Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
HOW FUNDS CAN BE USED
The research award can support the purchase of supplies and equipment related to field research,
local travel costs to research sites, and housing in the field. The award will not cover indirect
costs (institutional overhead), travel to meetings, tuition, stipends, salaries, or living expenses
away from field sites.
SBDN BUDGET REQUEST, ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES, & ALREADY-AVAILABLE SUPPORT
The applicant should indicate the total estimated budget for the proposed project along with the
amount requested from SBDN; if no additional funding is required, this must be indicated. If
applicable, additional funding sources for the project, and the respective dollar amounts requested
from each, respectively, must be indicated. Other support necessary for the project
— and already in possession or available to the applicant or applicant’s advisor — should be
listed. If no additional equipment, supplies, or logistical support are required, this must be
stated.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNER
The winner of the award, as well as unsuccessful applicants, will be notified electronically by 13
February 2025. The winner will also be announced at SBDN’s annual meeting (12-14 February 2025 at
the Hilton Lexington/Downtown, Lexington, Kentucky). Funds will be presented to the award winner at
the SBDN meeting or made available electronically directly following the
meeting if the winner is not in attendance.
REPORT
When the project has been completed, the grant recipient will be required to submit a summary of
their research for publication in SBDN’s newsletter Nightwing News. Instructions for this will be
provided. The recipient will also be required to submit a 5- to 10-minute video of themself
presenting their research to be archived on the SBDN website.
The award’s recipient will be encouraged to attend an SBDN annual meeting to present an oral paper
on their research. Pre-paid registration fees and two nights’ lodging at the conference venue will
be provided to facilitate their attendance at the meeting at which they present.
Receipt of the Krusac-Belwood Award should be acknowledged in any publication or presentation that
results from the funded research.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS (Click Here For Checklist)
This is a competitive award based on merit, not financial need. Proposals will be evaluated on the
qualifications of the applicant as well as quality of the science, originality, suitability of the
proposed methods, budget, and the likelihood the proposed research will contribute to our
understanding of bat ecology or management, and the promotion of bat conservation. In any grant
cycle, the review committee reserves the right to not make an award if no proposal meets the
review/evaluation criteria.
The completed application should be submitted electronically as a single document in PDF format to
the Student Research Award Committee Chair (holly.ober@oregonstate.edu) by 11:59 pm Eastern
Standard Time (EST) on 15 December 2024. Applicants will receive a confirmation- of-receipt email.
THE APPLICATION
A completed application consists of the following items:
1. Proposal Abstract (on a separate page)
A 200-word summary of the proposed project should include a descriptive title, applicant’s name and
affiliation, need for the study, methods, project execution, and application/significance of
potential results.
2. Project Narrative (3-page maximum)
Applicants should submit a research proposal (12-point Arial font; 1-inch top, bottom, and side
margins; single-column format). This narrative must include a descriptive title, an introduction
that provides background, the scientific context and broad need for the project, a clear
description of the proposed research and objectives (including questions/hypotheses to be
addressed), materials and methods (including proposed field sites and field schedule), potential
significance and application of results, and a project timeline. If applicable, preliminary results
from a pilot project should also be included here.
Graphs, tables (10-point font permissible), and figures can be included but must be part of the
3-page narrative.
3. References Cited (1-2 separate pages)When references are cited, complete citations are required and should be listed on a separate
sheet. These should include the names of all authors, the article and journal titles, book title,
volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. If the document is available electronically,
its website address should be included.
4. SBDN Budget Request, Additional Potential Funding Sources, and Already- available Support (1-2
separate pages)
Indicate the entire budget for the project and provide the following information in three separate
sections.
• SBDN BUDGET REQUEST: Each budget item requested (e.g., equipment, supplies, travel, housing,
etc.) should be listed separately along with a brief justification of its need.
• ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES: If the SBDN award does not cover the full cost of a
project, additional potential funding sources and their respective dollar amounts and status (e.g.,
“not yet identified,” “under review,” “already secured,” “rejected,” etc.) should be listed.
• ALREADY-AVAILABLE SUPPORT: If applicable, other equipment or forms of support required for the
project — and already in possession of or available to the applicant or applicant’s advisor —
should be listed. If no supplemental support is required, this should be indicated.
5. Curriculum Vitae (2-page maximum)
A curriculum vitae should include the applicant’s name, contact information (email and phone),
current affiliation and status, research advisor (and email and phone), past education, past or
current research projects or experiences, past or current research support, and a list of
publications (if any), and oral or poster presentations (if any) at scientific meetings.
6. Letters of Recommendation
The applicant should arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent electronically in PDF
format to the SBDN Awards Committee by the application deadline. Each letter should be on
institutional letterhead, include the author’s email address and phone number, and be sent by the
author. Recommendation letters should NOT be sent by the applicant.
One letter should be from the applicant’s graduate (or undergraduate) advisor and verify that they
have read the application, acknowledge the research, and will supervise it. This letter should also
verify that the applicant is a full-time student in good standing at their accredited host
institution and specify why the student is particularly well-suited to carry out the project
outlined in the application. The supervisor should also confirm that they have seen and approved
the SBDN Budget Request, Additional Potential Funding Sources, and Already-available Support
section of the proposal and that the project will not be allowed to proceed unless all support for
it is in place. This includes procurement of all appropriate permits, permissions, rabies
vaccination (if appropriate), and IACUC/animal care compliance from the applicant’s host
institution (if required), all of which are the responsibility of the applicant or the applicant’s
advisor.
The second letter should be from someone familiar with the applicant and their ability to carry out
the project. The letter’s author should detail their relationship and familiarity with the
applicant.
This award program is in its infancy. Its current proposal guidelines are as communicated here, on
the SBDN website in September 2024, for an award to be announced on 13 February 2025. We reserve
the right to change components of the guidelines in future grant cycles as the
program evolves.
