Libbie H. Hyman Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Sponsored by Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology

Intro
This award commemorates Libbie H. Hyman, a leading American invertebrate zoologist, and supports students to attend courses or conduct research on invertebrates at marine, freshwater, or terrestrial field stations. The Hyman Grant is geared toward enabling a student’s first substantial field-station experience and is intended primarily for advanced undergraduates or early-stage graduate students (first- or second-year). Guidelines and the online application are open now. Deadline: February 13, 2026.

For the 2026 Summer Field Station Season
The Hyman Grant provides financial assistance to help students participate in in-person field-station coursework or research focused on invertebrates. Awards are intended to support an early-career field-station experience that is significant in the student’s training.

Eligibility and award parameters
- Applicants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Priority will be given to advanced undergraduates and early graduate students.
- Previous recipients are generally ineligible unless exceptional circumstances prevented use of the award and the scholarship committee chair has granted specific approval for re-eligibility.
- Applicants do not need to be SICB members.
- Funds may only be used for coursework or research based at a recognized field station. Fieldwork that is not carried out from a field station is not eligible.
- Typical awards fall between $1,000 and $5,000. Prepare and include a full, itemized budget even if your requested amount exceeds $5,000.
- Preference will be given to projects that represent a student’s first meaningful field-station experience. Applicants should explicitly explain how the proposed work meets this goal.
- Awards support in-person field-station activities only. If a recipient cannot use the funds for the proposed field-station activity (for example, because of travel restrictions, course cancellations, or health problems), the recipient must notify the scholarship committee. Each situation will be reviewed individually. If the committee determines the funds cannot be used for an eligible field-station experience, SICB will retain the award and the applicant may reapply in a future cycle if still eligible.
- Recipients are expected to submit a short report describing their field-station experience for publication in the SICB DIZ newsletter. Examples of previously funded projects appear in past DIZ issues.

Application components
A complete application must be submitted electronically and consists of:
- A completed proposal using the required proposal form (available on the application page).
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty members.
- Copies of transcripts: undergraduate transcripts for all applicants; graduate applicants must include both graduate and undergraduate transcripts. Combine all transcripts into a single PDF (maximum size 2 MB) and upload it with the application.

Proposal guidance and preparation
- The student applicant should write the proposal (with guidance from their major professor if desired). The major professor should not write the proposal for the student.
- The proposal should explain why the field-station coursework or research is important to the student’s career and what skills or outcomes the student expects to gain.
- Do not use AI to write your proposal.
- You must use the proposal form provided on the application page. If you encounter technical problems with the form, contact the webmaster by email.
- All form fields must be completed unless explicitly indicated otherwise; the submission system will not accept empty required fields. Field-length limits apply—proofread and finalize your text before uploading.

Letters of recommendation — important instructions
- Recommenders must submit their letters via the separate online reference form at: https://sicb.burkclients.com/grants/hyman/hymanletterform.php
- It is critical that each recommender enters the exact email address you used in your application. The system matches letters to applications using that email address; mismatches will prevent the letter from being attached and will leave the application incomplete.
- Recommenders will not automatically receive a link from the system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide recommenders with the upload link and the correct applicant email address well before the deadline. Applicants will receive an email notification each time a recommender submits a letter.

Submission deadlines and notification
- All application materials, including the proposal, transcripts (single PDF), and both letters of reference, must be received by February 13, 2026.
- Award notifications will be sent by March 16, 2026.

Final notes
- Proofread your application carefully before submitting.
- Follow all instructions and use the required forms to ensure your application is complete.
- If you have technical issues with the online form, contact the webmaster by email for assistance.