The American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in North America and sponsor of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery in 1804, announces a new program of research grants in support of graduate students, post-doctoral students, and junior and senior scientists and scholars undertaking field studies for their theses or other projects.

The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research was established through the Stanford Ascherman/Baruch Blumberg Fund for Basic Science, thanks to a benefaction from Dr. Ascherman that is administered by Stanford University. Dr. Ascherman, who passed away in November 2004, was a noted surgeon and philanthropist in San Francisco. Dr. Blumberg, a Distinguished Scientist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, former Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and Nobel Prize in Medicine recipient in 1976, initiated the establishment of the Lewis and Clark Fund.

SCOPE The Lewis and Clark Fund encourages exploratory field studies for the collection of specimens and data and to provide the imaginative stimulus that accompanies direct observation. Applications are invited from disciplines with a large dependence on field studies, such as archeology, anthropology, astrobiology and space science, biology, ecology, geography, geology, oceanography, and paleontology, but grants will not be restricted to these fields.

ELIGIBILITY Grants are available to graduate students, post-doctoral students, junior and senior scientists, and social scientists who wish to participate in field studies for their theses or for other purposes.
Undergraduates are not eligible. A graduate student applicant should ask his or her academic supervisor or field trip leader to write one of the two letters of recommendation, specifying the role of the student in the field trip and the educational contribution of the trip. Budgets should be limited to travel and related expenses, including personal field equipment. U.S.
nationals and others may apply. Funding will be given foreign nationals only for projects within the United States or for field studies elsewhere originating from a U.S. institution.

AWARD Amounts will depend on travel costs but will ordinarily be in the range of several hundred dollars up to about $5,000.

DEADLINE There is no deadline. Applications may be submitted at any time, and the Committee for the Lewis and Clark Fund will evaluate applications several times during the year.

HOW TO APPLY Applications are available online at http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/lewisandclark.htm. The completed application is to be sent as an e-mail attachment to the address on the form.

The American Philosophical Society
104 South Fifth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106