The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship Request for 2008 Applications

One of Mary Fran's primary concerns was ensuring that representatives of all ages, professions and communities be represented at the workshop. Mary Fran recognised that many people and organisations who could greatly benefit from and contribute to workshop activities - including, in particular, local practitioners, students and international professionals - were among the least likely to be able to afford the meeting.

In 2003, members of the hazards community established the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship to fulfil Mary Fran's explicit request that qualified and talented individuals receive support to attend the workshop. The intent of the scholarship is to bring new and fresh perspectives - and otherwise unheard voices - to the workshop.

The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship provides financial support to recipients so that they can attend and participate in the workshop and further their research or community work and careers. This scholarship covers part or all of the costs of transportation, hotel accommodations, meals and workshop registration fees.

The scholarship is awarded annually to at least one potential workshop participant, who is then formally invited to the workshop. Each year, the recipient or recipients are recognised at the workshop and may be asked to serve as panel discussants, where they can highlight their research or practical experiences in the hazards and disasters field.

All hazards researchers, students and practitioners are eligible for the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship. However, preference is given to individuals with demonstrated financial need and those who have not previously attended the Annual Hazards Workshop.

Applicants must complete the Mary Fran Myers Scholarship 2008 Application Form, available from the Natural Hazards Centre's Website at: www.colorado.edu/hazards/awards/myers-scholarship.html.

An application form can also be requested by calling the Natural Hazards Centre at (303) 492-6818 or by e-mailing Lori Peek at lori.peek@colostate.edu

Four typed copies of the completed application should be mailed to:

Mary Fran Myers Scholarship c/o Lori Peek Natural Hazards Centre, University of Colorado, 482 UCB Boulder, CO 80309-0482

Applications must be received by Friday, April 4, 2008.

The Mary Fran Myers Scholarship was made possible by generous contributions from numerous individual donors as well as support from the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), and the Red River, North Dakota, High School Classroom Teachers Association.

Mary Fran Myers was co-director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Centre at the University of Colorado for 16 years until her untimely death in 2004. Reducing disaster losses, both nationally and internationally, was her life's work.

During her tenure as co-director, Mary Fran was instrumental in maintaining the Natural Hazards Centre's international reputation as a driving force in hazards research and mitigation. Her work helped to bring about a fundamental change in national and international perspectives regarding hazards and helped institute new, more far-sighted, and sustainable ways of dealing with extreme environmental events.

Mary Fran was much more than her job title. She provided leadership, guidance, grace and laughter, and established a standard of excellence that her colleagues both admired and strived to emulate. She was an innovator, a mentor and a creative spirit who touched many lives and whose legacy has had a lasting impact on the global hazards community.