The Laarman International Gift Fund (LIGF) was established in January 2010 to support creative and important international research by graduate students in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University. Any graduate student enrolled in a Masters or PhD degree program in FER is eligible for funding from the LIGF.

In 2020, we expect to award two LIGF grants to graduate students in DFER for international field research.  We may award only one or as many as four grants.  The amount requested can range from $500 to $5000.

For priority consideration for the 2019 calendar year, apply by January 21, 2020 (5:00PM ET). Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 30, 2020 or until funds are exhausted. Students should apply for either a Zobel or a Laarman grant (not both, although the international committee reserves the right to fund grants from either source). Application should include:

1. cover page with your name and contact information, title of your proposal, total amount requested, and name of your academic advisor(s);
2. a one-page proposal describing the international activity and how it meets the criteria outlined above;
3. a detailed budget, indicating other sources of funding already secured and other funding proposals submitted; and
4. your unofficial transcript.

Please submit applications to Erin Sills by email (sills@ncsu.edu), with cc to your adviser indicating that s/he supports your funding request.

About Dr. Laarman

Dr. Jan Laarman has long been at the forefront of policy and economics of natural resources. After receiving his B.S. from University of Michigan in Forestry and Natural Resources, Dr. Laarman earned an M.A., an M.S., and a PhD from UC Berkley. In addition to his 18 years as an NCSU professor, Dr. Laarman has has been a Deputy Director-General of the World Agroforestry Center and a Senior Manager of the International Resources Group. With the International Resources Group, Dr. Laarman’s efforts were directed towards environmental projects in Central America and Egypt.  In 2008, Dr. Laarman founded Terra Viva Grants, a nonprofit organization that disseminates information on funding sources to support work on natural resources, agriculture, energy, and the environment in the developing world. Dr. Laarman’s goal with Terra Viva Grants is to help people all over the world find project funding for work in developing countries. As part of his efforts to promote education and research on environmental issues in developing countries, Dr. Laarman established the Laarman International Gift Fund (LIGF) in 2010 to promote international research by FER graduate students. Thus, Dr. Laarman remains an integral part of NCSU’s research and education efforts in the international realm.

Student Activities funded by the Laarman International Gift Fund (LIGF)

The LIGF has already touched the lives of many. Click on the links below to read about some of the most recent graduate student experiences that have been support by this fund:

• Nicholas Marzolf – Improving Estimates of Neotropical Rainforest Headwater Stream Metabolism and CO2 Outgassing. 2019.
• William Casola – Drivers of Long-Term Support for Marine Protected Areas in the Bahamas. 2019.
• Meredith Hovis – Forest Access, Rights, and Benefits: Exploring the Role of Community Forests as an Innovative Approach for Rural Livelihoods in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 2019.
• Vallari Sheel – Keystone Tree Species in the Complex Bio-Socio-Cultural Ecosystems of Cities in India. 2018.
• Marketa Zimova – Climate Change Adaptation in Mountain Hares. 2016.
• Chelsey Walden-Schreiner – Digital Footprints in Conservation Areas: Incorporating Volunteered Geographic Information for Forest and Natural Resources Management. 2016.
• David Solis – Impact of Inspections on Compliance with the Forestry Law in Peru. 2016.
• Click here to access a Google Drive folder of funded student experiences prior to 2016.
• Research funded by the LIGF has also led to MS theses and PhD dissertations by Brian Bulla, Cody Burnett, Diane Cooper, Simon Hall, Liwei Lin, Alicia Raimondi, Christopher Serenari, and Sarah Wiener.