Marine Ph.D. Student Wins NOAA Award

Duke graduate student Julia Burrows and six others selected as national recipients of the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarships, representing graduate-level scholars in marine biology, coastal resource management and maritime archeology.

The scholarships were established at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in memory of Foster, a leader in marine resource conservation who was a top senior executive in the marine field. Foster was a former NOAA assistant administrator for oceanic sciences and coastal zone management and director of NOAA's National Ocean Service.

"This program is an exceptional opportunity for training and developing the next generation of NOAA scientists and researchers, and is particularly important as we face today's challenges," said Louisa Koch, director of NOAA's office of education.

Burrows is a Ph.D. student at the Duke University Marine Lab. She has a B.S. in zoology from the University of Florida and a master's degree in marine science from the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

Each scholarship recipient will receive an annual stipend of $30,000, up to $12,000 annually as an education allowance, and is eligible for up to $10,000 to support a four to six week research collaboration at a NOAA facility. Doctoral students are eligible to continue the scholarship program for four years and master's level students for two years.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.