Each year, BCI awards scholarships to help students at universities around the world conduct conservation-relevant research. The goal of this program is to support exceptionally talented students in research initiatives that will contribute the new knowledge that is essential to conserving bats and the ecosystems they serve worldwide.

The maximum one-year award per student is now $5,000. It is hoped that these funds will open opportunities for matching grants from other conservation organizations, government agencies and private foundations, and that BCI's support will grow in years to come.

Applications must be completed online. The deadline for receipt of applications for 2009 BCI Scholarships is December 15, 2008.

Special Scholarships

With support from the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, BCI is offering graduate students an opportunity to double the amount of an approved BCI Student Research Scholarship, up to a maximum of $10,000. To qualify, the research must focus on designated subjects of special concern.

The 2009 Special Scholarships are restricted to research on bats pollination of either durian or Old World mangroves. The durian is the most commercially valued fruit in much of Southeast Asia and nearby Pacific Islands, but farmers often mistakenly assume that bats reduce (rather than enhance) durian production. Coastal mangroves are ecologically essential but are disappearing at alarming rates. Studies documenting bat roles as durian and mangrove pollinators are urgently needed.

To be considered for this special program, click the yes box at the first question on the application form: Do you qualify for a Special Scholarship?

We congratulate the winners of the 2008 BCI Student Research Scholarships and gratefully recognize the generous donors whose support made them possible:

U.S. Forest Service International Programs

Eric Moise Bakwo Fils (University of Yaounde)
Contribution to the knowledge of fruit bats of Southern Cameroon rainforest: implication for seed dispersal and forest conservation (Cameroon)

Cesar Bracamonte (Universidad Nacional de Salta)
Assembly and organization of bat community in montane forests in the Yungas in Argentina (Argentina)

Michael Buchalski (Western Michigan University)
The effects of habitat degradation on the metapopulation demographics of a neotropical bat species (Costa Rica)

Natalia Carrillo Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo
Pollination ecology of Ipomoea ampullacea in the tropical dry forest of Chamela-Cuixmala (Mexico)

Kevin Fraser (University of New Brunswick)
Detecting altitudinal migration in Neotropical bats using stable hydrogen isotopes: Implications for reserve design (Nicaragua)

Radek Lucan (University of South Bohemia)
Habitat requirements, roosting ecology and population dynamics of the Nymphs bat (Myotis alcathoe), the least-known European bat species (Czech Republic)

Nicole Michel (Tulane University)
Insectivorous bat vs. bird control of arthropods in intact vs. fragmented tropical rainforest: potential for functional compensation? (Costa Rica and Nicaragua)

Carrie Seltzer (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Effects of fragmentation on seed dispersal by frugivorous bats in an Afrotropical rainforest (Tanzania)

Amanda Wendt (University of Connecticut)
The role of tent-roosting Phyllostomid bats in seed dispersal and tree community assembly processes in wet tropical secondary forests, Northeastern Costa Rica (Costa Rica)

T.W. Ammerman

Luke Dodd (University of Kentucky)
Application of molecular techniques for detection of prey of insectivorous bats (Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia, USA)

Clare Stawski (University of New England)
The effect of climate change on thermal physiology and torpor in long-eared bats (Australia)

Tommy Angell

Liam McGuire (University of Western Ontario)
Physiological ecology of bat migration (Canada)

The Brown Foundation

Erin Fraser (University of Western Ontario)
Long-range movements in bats: ecological applications of stable hydrogen isotope analysis (Canada)

Verne & Marion Read

Marianne Moore (Boston University)
The effects of mercury contamination on immune function in two temperate bat species: Eptesicus fuscus and Myotis lucifugus (Massachusetts and New Hampshire, USA)

Paul Webala (Murdoch University)
Bat community structure and habitat use across disturbance regimes in jarrah forests, Southwestern Australia (Australia)

BCI Members & Donors

Sofia Angelo (Antioch University New England)
Summer roost selection requirements of the cave bat (Myotis velifer) in Texas (Texas, USA)

Elizabeth Braun (Boston University)
Foraging behavior and diversity of bats in a pecan agroecosystem in Texas: Are Brazilian free-tailed bats providing an important pest control service? (Texas, USA)

Emma Stone (University of Bristol)
Impact of artificial lighting on the foraging and commuting behaviour of bats in the UK, with a focus on Lesser horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros) implications for conservation management (United Kingdom)

Asaf Tsoar (The Hebrew University Of Jerusalem)
Linking disperser behavior to dispersal function in a spatiotemporal context: Seed dispersal by the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in a Mediterranean ecosystem (Israel)