Courtney A. Tye Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship

We are pleased to announce that Amanda Bailey is the recipient of the annual scholarship for graduate studies, administered by the Florida Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Amanda is expected to graduate with her Master of Science from the University of Florida in December 2015. In 2014, she was a recipient of the Bat Conservation International Student Conservation Award for her work on Florida bonneted bats. Prior to coming to UF, Amanda gained valuable field experience at the University of Maine and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. She plans on using the scholarship funds to directly finance necessary equipment to further her field work on bats.

The FLTWS Graduate Student Scholarship was established in 2012 to recognize and financially assist graduate students pursuing a career in wildlife biology at a 4-year school in Florida. In 2014, the scholarship was renamed the Courtney A. Tye Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship in honor of a respected Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission employee and 2014 graduate student scholarship applicant who was tragically lost to the conservation community. The graduate student scholarship was increased from $2,000 to $3,000 annually in 2014. Applicants for the scholarship are judged on the basis of their career interest, research relevance, demonstrated leadership, professional potential and TWS involvement. The Florida Wildlife Federation and the National Wild Turkey Federation co-sponsors the scholarship. As this year’s recipient, Amanda Bailey will receive a check for $3,000 and present her research findings at the FLTWS 2015 Spring Conference held 31 March – 2 April in Jacksonville.