Deadline: December 31, yearly

Melvin G. Marcus, past president of the American Association of Geographers and an internationally recognized physical geographer, structured his career around a balance of field work, theory development, teaching, and enjoyment of the geographic endeavor.  Making physical geography accessible to everyone with a love of the outdoors, including women, minorities, and the less privileged, was one of Mel’s life-long objectives.

To put this objective into practice, Mel created and oversaw programs that emphasized excellence in field studies and the translation of field studies into scholarly achievement. He also believed in socializing and relaxing at the end of a field day, and encouraged collegiality and creative expressions of the enthusiasm and joy that often accompany field work. 

In his own career, Mel took students on research expeditions to the Yukon and Alaska (especially the Juneau and St. Elias icefields), the Himalayas, the Southern Alps, the Colorado Rockies, and the Grand Canyon, as well as many other locations.  These expeditions were often life-transforming experiences for those students fortunate enough to participate.  

The objective of The Mel Marcus Fund for Physical Geography is to carry on this tradition of excellence and humanity in field work.  Grants from the Mel Marcus Fund for Physical Geography will foster personally formative participation by students in field-based physical geography research in challenging outdoor environments. 

Eligibility: Marcus Fund grants of up to $2000 will be awarded to faculty applicants to support travel and logistical costs of including students in field research in physical geography.  Submissions will also be accepted directly by student applicants. Research sites may include international as well as national locations.  Marcus grant funds may be used to cover travel to the research site, as well as expenses related to the logistical support of the student, such as food, fuel and lodging.  Student stipends are not eligible expenses under this grant. University or department overhead charges are not permissible budget items.

Criteria: The evaluation committee will select proposal(s) that in its judgment best address the objective of the fund as stated above. No awards will be made in years when funds are insufficient or if proposals are not suitable.

Applications: Digital submissions are required. All information must be entered in the fillable pdf application form. No additional attachments will be accepted. The form asks applicants to describe the research opportunity for the student and the manner in which the field experience will challenge the student to grow both personally and professionally.  The review committee is aware that the personal experience and physical abilities of students will vary widely, and that what is challenging to one student may not be to another.  Field experiences therefore may cover a large range of activities, so long as the outdoor experience will help the student to grow and excel in new ways.  A budget and budget justification for the requested funds should be included on the form.   When complete, choose to “save as” a new file with your last name in front of the filename, such as “LASTNAME_AAG_Marcus_Form.pdf”.  Then send the file as an email attachment to grantsawards@aag.org with “AAG Marcus Fund” as the subject line.  In exceptional cases, paper submissions may be accepted, but only with prior approval (requests should be sent to the above email address). 

Acknowledgement of receipt will be returned within a maximum of 2-3 business days.   All applicants will be notified of the status of their submission within approximately 3 months after the deadline. Awardees may anticipate receiving their grants by late Spring, in time for summer scheduled activities.

Reports and Acknowledgment: By accepting an AAG Grant you agree to submit to the AAG Executive Director a brief (two-page) report that summarizes the project and documents the expenses underwritten by the grant. Please include photographs of the field experience. You should submit your report upon completion of your research. Please acknowledge AAG support in presentations and publications.

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