The Darvin DeShazer Scholarship Program

Academic Scholarships

When are Academic SOMA Scholarships Due?

All materials must be submitted by May 31 of each year. All applicants will be notified of their award status by September, with funds sent to scholarship recipients before October.

Who should apply for an Academic SOMA Scholarship?

Academic students studying mycology and fungi-related topics, formally affiliated with a college, university, or research institution. The top three awards are the Tom Volk, Gary Lincoff, and Gene Zeirdt Memorial Scholarships, providing $3,000 each in support. Other scholarships of varying amounts are awarded at the Scholarship Committee's discretion.

Graduate students are given priority for funding, but undergraduates can also receive support from SOMA at the discretion of the Scholarship Committee.

Funded applicants will be asked to present their work, findings or another aspect of current mycology, usually at SOMA Camp in the following January or at one of our General Meetings from February - April. Presentation at SOMA is not a requirement of scholarship funding.

How to apply for an Academic SOMA Scholarship?

Use this google form to submit your application and academic curriculum vitae (CV) as PDFs:

Undergraduate & Graduate Scholarship Application

Ask someone connected to your academic pursuits (advisor, PI, mentor, etc.) to upload a letter of recommendation here:
Undergraduate & Graduate Scholarship Letter of Recommendation

What format should I use for an academic SOMA scholarship application?

Applications must be 1000-2000 words in length, including captions and citations.
Applications should include (at least, but not limited to):
- Title
- Introduction or Background
  - Summarizing research topic, rationale, and stating research objectives and hypotheses.
  - Tables or Figures, if applicable, referenced in text.
- Methods
  - Proposed methods to test hypotheses.
- Significance and Conclusions
  - Relevance and impact of proposed research, scientific and societal.
- Personal Statement
  - Summarizing personal motivations and/or drive for mycological research, highlighting non-academic life experience if desired.
- Citations
  - Any format.

How to write a good Academic SOMA Scholarship application?

An ideal academic SOMA scholarship application describes a research project focused on the ecology, chemistry, taxonomy, biodiversity, biogeography, conservation, or propagation of fungi, especially mushroom-forming fungi.

Applications should address a research problem clearly and specifically, summarizing previous work with citations. Remaining research gaps should be identified, as well as the potential benefits or need for addressing these gaps.

A hypothesis (or hypotheses) should be clearly stated, with an explanation for how the proposed project addresses the hypothesis, what both positive and negative test results would mean in the context of the hypothesis, and what support (or lack of support) would mean in the context of the broader problem.

Proposed methods to test the hypothesis should be detailed and specific, with citations if applicable.

The scientific and/or societal benefit of the research should be highlighted, as well as how the research directly serves SOMA membership, if applicable.

Relevant figures or tables supporting your application are welcome but not required.

Your CV should contain (at least):

Current contact information (email, phone, website/social media - institutional or personal, if applicable).
Current position/role with start date, institution, degree program, advisor(s), and thesis/dissertation title (if applicable).
Previous education, research experience, publications, presentations, relevant work experience (i.e., Jr. Specialist, industry, or significant independent research experience).
Any other significant activities, outreach, or mycological amateur/volunteer work.
Collaboration, mentorship, teaching, outreach, efforts to increase access to under-represented groups in science, and evidence of personal motivation and drive should be highlighted.

Community Science SOMA Grants

When are Community Science SOMA Grants Due?

All materials must be submitted by May 31 of each year. All applicants will be notified of their award status by September, with funds sent to recipients before October.

Who should apply for a Community Science SOMA Grant?

Non-academic mycologists in need of funding to support their community-oriented projects revolving around mushroom cultivation, education, DNA sequencing, biodiversity, conservation, and more. Award number and amounts are at the discretion of the SOMA Scholarship Committee, with a currently planned maximum award of $1,500, with multiple smaller awards depending on funding availability.

Grants are open to anyone doing work relevant to mycology or fungi-associated technologies. Applicants are not required to be officially affiliated with an institute or university. Ideal uses include (but are lot limited to) community lab spaces, sequencing equipment, cultivation workshops, documentation of new species, bio/mycoremediation, and fungi-related educational outreach; we hope to support people striving to build community around mycology and using emerging technologies to study fungi in novel ways.

Funded applicants may be asked to present their work, findings or another aspect of current mycology at one of our General Meetings from February - April. Presentation at SOMA is not a requirement of grant funding.

Note: we do not fund commercial enterprises/businesses unless it is made clear how you plan to delineate your for-profit business from your non-profit activities.

How to apply for the Community Science SOMA Grant?

Use this google form to submit your application and Resume (or curriculum vitae - CV) as PDFs:

Community Science Grant Application

Ask a professional contact/mentor with mycological experience to upload a letter of recommendation/endorsement here:
Community Science Grant Letter of Recommendation

What format should I use for a Community Science SOMA Grant?

Applications must be 1000-2000 words in length, including captions and citations.
Applications should include (at least, but not limited to):
- Project/Proposal Title
- Summary/Overview of your objectives and goals
- Background
  - Provide context, and a proposed solution, for a problem, question, or need.
  - Associated media - photos, videos, or figures that convey a sense of the community you are hoping to foster with this proposal.
- Scope of project/proposal
  - Propose methods, actions, or activities that will help accomplish your goals/objectives.
- Significance and Success
  - Relevance and impact of proposed research, scientific and societal. State what a successful outcome for your project will look like.
- Budget
  - Table format, with line items and estimated individual and total costs.
- Personal Statement
  - Summarizing personal background, motivations, and drive toward fungi or mycology, highlighting non-academic activities and experiences.
- Citations
  - Any format - please provide links or articles relevant to your proposal.

How to write a good Community Science SOMA Grant application?

An ideal Community Science SOMA Grant application will clearly lay out the objectives and goals for the project/proposal, with a focus on building community through your work. Applications should define an issue or problem they are addressing, provide context for the objectives, include any relevant media, outline the scope of the project, identify knowledge gaps or specific needs that should be addressed, cite peer-reviewed literature if applicable, and state the broader significance. An ideal project contributes to a ‘hard’ science, with strong emphasis on fundamental scientific principles (documentation and reproducibility).

The scope of your project should include specific methods, actions and activities that will lead to the accomplishment of your stated objectives/goals, with citations if applicable. A solution to the issue or problem should be presented, with arguments as to how your proposed solution will work.

A tentative budget should be presented and explained, in terms of how these specific funds will be used to address your objectives. Note that this budget may be larger than the current maximum award of $1,500; if this is the case, indicate which components of your budget the Community Science SOMA Grant will be used for.

Possible challenges for your proposed objectives/goals should be addressed, with contingency plans. In case of an award of less than $1,500, a brief discussion of how a smaller award may be used to address the issue may be helpful.

The scientific and/or societal benefit of the research should be highlighted, as well as how the research directly serves your local community and the SOMA membership, if applicable.