STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP OVERVIEW - GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE

Student Scholarship Program

The GEC Student Scholarship Program provides college students the unique opportunity to showcase their research on timely environmental issues and network with a wide range of environmental professionals from throughout the Southeast and beyond.

Finalists are invited to attend the Georgia Environmental Conference (August 20-22, 2025 | Jekyll Island) to present their research via a research presentation session, as well as one-on-one with attendees throughout the conference. Finalists are granted full conference registration and lodging will be provided in Jekyll Island during the conference. Finalists are expected to provide their own travel to and from the conference. Additional Eligibility & Conditions are listed below.

Multiple $1,500 scholarships may be awarded after the final round of evaluation at the conference. In addition to the monetary award, scholarship recipients will be recognized on the conference website, and will be offered a complimentary registration for GEC for the following year.

Evaluation Criteria

Pre-conference – Applicants will be evaluated based on the following relative to their research:

Scientific rigor
Innovation
Importance/relevance of research to the environmental field
Communication/delivery of information via the application

During the conference – Finalists will be evaluated on:

Oral presentation and ability to communicate research project details clearly through research poster and supporting information

Eligibility & Conditions

Eligible applicants must be full-time, degree-seeking students enrolled at an accredited higher education institution in the Southeast Region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee), with a graduation date not prior to the fall 2025 semester. (Previous year’s scholarship recipients are not eligible to apply in the subsequent year. Previous finalists are welcome to apply again.)
Research topic must be related to a timely environmental issue that is relevant to the Southeast Region or beyond.
All applicants must submit the online application, which includes an abstract of their research topic, by the stated application deadline.
Upon an initial review of the applications by the Student Scholarship committee based on the pre-conference evaluation criteria as listed above, finalists will be selected for invitation to attend the conference. Finalists will be notified via email. If a selected finalist does not respond by the deadline as given or declines the invitation to attend the conference and continue in the scholarship research competition, an alternate student may then be selected as a finalist.
Upon the finalist’s acceptance, guidelines for the research presentation materials including a research poster and supplemental presentation slide deck will be provided to the finalists. Research presentations should be designed in a solution-oriented manner instead of merely stating the issue.
Finalists will submit an electronic copy of their research poster prior to the conference. Finalists will be expected to format their poster in accordance with the guidelines as provided. A monitor will be provided during the poster session and in the Exhibit Hall for the electronic poster displays during the conference. (Posters do not need to be printed.)
Finalists will participate in a research presentation session with the scholarship committee on Wednesday, August 20 at 9:30 a.m. This session will also be open to all Early Session attendees. A slide deck may be used for this presentation (guidelines will be provided).
Finalists should also be available as directed (conference schedule will be provided) to speak with conference attendees and the scholarship committee throughout the conference. Finalists may be asked to give a “flash” presentation during one of the conference General Sessions. Instructions will be provided.
Finalists are expected to fully participate in all three days of the conference by attending topical sessions and taking advantage of the robust opportunities for networking.
Finalists are expected to attend the Scholarship Awards Luncheon on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

Schedule

Application submission deadline – 5 p.m. on MAY 31, 2025
Prejudging of applications – June 2025

Finalists announced – mid July, 2025
Poster Presentation Session – 9:30 a.m. on Weds., Aug. 20, 2025
Finalists’ posters displayed in Exhibit Hall – Weds., Aug. 20 and Thurs., Aug. 21, 2025
Scholarship award recipients announced at the Scholarship Awards Lunch on Thurs., Aug. 21, 2025

Application Form

Click here: Student Scholarship Program application form

Student Scholarship Committee

Scott Anderson, Haley & Aldrich (Chair)
Len Diprima, United Consulting (Georgia Brownfield Association representative)
Jessica Brown, University of Georgia
Patrick Krechowski, Balch & Bingham
Sumner Pomeroy, Southface
Nicole Stuhr, Geosyntec Consultants

2025 Student Scholarship Program Sponsor & Contributors

Student Scholarship Program Sponsor: TBA

Student Scholarship Program Contributors: TBA