March 20, 2008 - Santa Monica. One of the important activities of the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative (OUREI) is its support of academic education for deserving students. The support is modest but competitive and has been ongoing since 2006 as part of OUREI’s scholarship and fellowship program. OUREI will be doubling the number of scholarships and fellowships awarded in 2008. Thanks to a generous grant from the Arcus Foundation, OUREI was able to commit to doubling the number of grants this year.  The Orangutan Caring Scholarship, funded through OUREI and administered by the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS), will be increased from two scholarships to four this year. The L.P. Jenkins Memorial Fellowship for Orangutan and Rain Forest Research will expand from one fellowship to two.

The Orangutan Caring Scholarship is open to Indonesian students in North Sumatra seeking tuition funds for Forestry or Biology School. One of the requirements of the applicant is to make an effective presentation to a review committee about their research plans. In addition, recipients are to work with SOS in learning about the orangutan and its plight, and in helping present the information to students in local schools. The award of $650 provides for multiyear tuition expenses as well as the write-up of the students thesis. Interested applicants need to contact SOS (www.orangutans-sos.org) for further information.

 

The L.P. Jenkins Fellowship, administered through OUREI, is international and open to all graduate students seeking to conduct research on Borneo or Sumatra on the wild orangutan or its habitat. The total amount of the award is US$1,000. While preference is given to Indonesian students, awards are made based upon the strength of the application and project design.  The application materials and conditions of the fellowship are found at the OUREI website (www.orangutanrepublik.org). A completed application must be received no later than May 1, 2008. The fellowship will be awarded on June 1, 2008. Previous fellowship recipients are listed on the OUREI website.

 

About the Arcus Foundation: The mission of the Arcus Foundation (www.arcusfoundation.org)  is to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race, and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes.