The Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | The Benjamin H. Stevens 2012-2013 Graduate Fellowship In Regional Science
Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are encouraged to apply for the Thirteenth Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science, administered by the North American Regional Science Council of the Regional Science Association International (NARSC-RSAI). This Fellowship, in support of thesis research in Regional Science, is awarded annually in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend had a profound impact on the field. Regional Science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the theory and method of urban and regional phenomena. Regional Scientists apply theoretical and empirical frameworks and methods of the social and other sciences, as well as develop new ones specifically for regional analysis and policy.
Eligible students should have completed all degree requirements except for their dissertation by the time the Fellowship commences. A requirement of the Fellowship is that the recipient has no duties other than dissertation research during the Fellowship, although the recipient may hold other fellowships concurrently. Applications from students working in any area or any Ph.D. program are welcome as long as their dissertation research addresses a question in Regional Science.
The Fellowship consists of a stipend in the amount of $30,000 (U.S.), paid over a twelve-month period. Applications for the 2012-2013 Fellowship should be sent electronically by the applicant to the Selection Committee Chair, Professor Lawrence Brown, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and received by February 15, 2012. An application consists of the following materials:
1. A curriculum vita of no more than two (2) pages in length.
2. A statement in six (6) pages or less that clearly sets out the research question(s) and issues to be addressed, approach to be used, and product expected from the thesis research, including a summary (1-page or less) describing the intellectual merit of the proposed research and broader impacts that may result. The 6-page limit is inclusive of references, but exclusive of tables and figures. This text should be in 12 point or larger font and single-spaced; references also should be single-spaced.
3. Copies of the candidate’s transcripts for all graduate study. Unofficial copies are acceptable.
All components of the application should be in a single file labeled as applicantname.benstevens.xxx (where xxx would be doc, pdf, zip, etc).
In addition, we require a confidential letter from the thesis supervisor, sent separately as an attachment from her/his email account with the student’s name in the subject line to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This letter should assess the quality and significance of the dissertation research, specify the current state of progress toward the degree, and provide a commitment by the thesis supervisor to obtain a tuition waiver for the candidate for the Fellowship year. A condition of the Fellowship is granting a tuition waiver for the year of the Fellowship by the university, or equivalent payment of the student’s tuition.
Applications should be e-mailed to Professor Lawrence Brown at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . He also will respond to questions and other concerns of the applicant, advisor, or related individuals, best sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For information about NARSC, including a list of past Fellows, go to http://www.narsc.org/newsite/. For information about RSAI, go to http://www.rsai.org.
May 1, 2011
Peter Richards of Michigan State University Selected to Receive the Twelfth Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science
Peter Richards, a Ph.D. student in Geography at Michigan State University, was selected as the winner of the Twelfth Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science. The Fellowship will provide one-year stipend of $30,000 to support Richards in his research entitled, “Food, Fuel, and the Amazonian Forest: Gauging Indirect Land Use Change from the Farm Level.” Richards’s research examines spatial linkages that tie together the locations and extents of rural land uses in a critical world region. Specifically, the research will focus on the expansion of soy fields and cattle pastures into Amazonia, in order to: (1) determine how these sectors have impacted the region’s forest cover, and (2) provide an estimate of indirect land use change, or the displacement of cattle ranching into Amazonian forest frontiers by intensive land uses. The proposed research seeks to deploy the rent theory of von Thünen, a classic model from regional science and spatial economics, in addressing a critical environmental problem of global concern. His research is supervised by Professor Robert Walker of the Department of Geography.
The Fellowship is awarded in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend continues to have a profound impact on the field of regional science. Fundraising efforts to increase the Fellowship’s endowment are ongoing. Donations should be sent to: The Stevens Fellowship Fund, Freestar Bank, 1205 S. Neil Street, Champaign, IL 61820 USA. Checks should be drawn to The Stevens Fellowship Fund. Donations may also be made by credit card through the NARSC website at http://www.narsc.org/newsite/donations2.php.
The 2011-12 Stevens Fellowship competition was judged by a Selection Committee composed of: Cynthia Rogers, Economics, University of Oklahoma, chair; Lawrence Brown, Geography, Ohio State University; Edward Coulson, Economics, Penn State University; Tony Grubesic, Information Science and Technology, Drexel University; and Antonio Páez, Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University. The Stevens Fellowship Committee administrates the Stevens Fellowship Fund on behalf of the North American Regional Science Council; its members are: Ronald Miller, Chair; David Boyce, Secretary; Michael Lahr, Treasurer; Janet Kohlhase; and Jean-Claude Thill, Executive Director, NARSC.
The Committee thanks the 38 students who entered the competition this year, as well as their thesis supervisors. Faculty at all North American Ph.D. programs related to the interdisciplinary field of Regional Science are urged to encourage their best students to apply for the Thirteenth Annual Stevens Graduate Fellowship. The winning student’s thesis research in the field of Regional Science will be supported for the 2012-2013 year with a one-year stipend of $30,000. The application deadline is February 15, 2012. Full submission guidelines will be posted at http://www.narsc.org/newsite/?page_id=1810
April 10, 2011