Scholarships
The Sea of Change Foundation was founded in 2015 by leaders in the scuba diving industry. The mission of the Foundation is to create positive change for the natural world we all love to enjoy and explore. The Foundation works to fulfill this mission by funding and developing international, community-based conservation projects and by providing academic internships and scholarships with partners such as Savanah State University, the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation.
Savannah State University, Department of Marine and Environmental Science
For the 2017-18 academic year, the Sea of Change Foundation funded scholarship and research in support of two research projects in the SSU Marine and Environmental Science Department. Funding covered not only research costs but also students’ tuition and stipend. This funding allowed students to focus on their important studies and research.
Women Divers Hall of Fame Scholarships
Yearly, the Foundation supports a WDHOF scholarship recognizing the contributions of women pioneers, leaders and innovators in the many fields of diving thus promoting careers and opportunities for women in the dive community. Each year since 2011 we have awarded a $2,000 scholarship to a qualified woman who is enrolled in an accredited GRADUATE academic or research program in the field of marine conservation. The scholarship is intended to assist with college tuition/fees or may be used to support independent research or an internship program at an accredited university.
2017 WDHOF Scholarship Recipient: Megan Grant
Congratulations to Megan Grant, WDHOF Scholarship Winner in Marine Conservation Marine Conservation
Megan is a lover of the sea and its inhabitants and has been passionate about marine conservation from an early age. Currently an Honours candidate at the University of Tasmania, Megan is comparing and contrasting the type, colour and mass of marine debris incorporated into Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) nests on ten islands located across their pantropical breeding range. This scholarship will support Megan in her travel to Rose Atoll, American Samoa – the tenth island included within her study. Megan hopes that her research will promote awareness of the severity of marine debris pollution around the world.
2015 WDHOF Scholarship Recipient: Jess Williams
Congratulations to Jess Williams, WDHOF Scholarship Winner in Marine Conservation Marine Conservation Biologist, PhD – James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all for contributing towards my postgraduate education by offering me the 2015 scholarship in Marine Conservation. I am a full-time externally based PhD candidate studying through the James Cook University, in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. However, unlike most PhD students, my candidature has been a little less conventional as I have been living and working in a small subtropical beach side town in Mozambique focusing on sea turtle conservation. Although Mozambique has a beautiful coastline, stunning diving, surfing and friendly people, being based here has certainly made my candidature difficult at times, given the geographic remoteness, cultural and language barriers. Most importantly, being based so far away, in a place where power, water and internet are not always available, means I haven’t had the opportunity for regular exposure to academic environment and face to face contact with my supervisors like most students. However, with your support I was able to attend and participate in the 35th International Sea Turtle Symposium (ISTS35) hosted in Dalaman, Turkey. The sea turtle symposium is the largest single gathering of sea turtle biologists, ecologists, vets, students, volunteers, policy makers and others all in one place on the planet. I am nearing completion of my project, which makes it even more important to attend an international conference to present research findings and discuss results, ideas and analysis with other students, academics and experts, an experience that was even more valuable to me, given the remoteness of my normal location.
