US$1.5 Million For Geoscience Scholarships In Singapore

The US$1.47 million Stephen Riady Geosciences Scholars Fund will be used to train PhD geoscientists at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

AsianScientist (Jul. 24, 2015) – The Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has received S$2 million (~US$1.47 million) to set up a postgraduate scholarship fund, to boost research in earth sciences.

The endowment comes from a S$1 million (~US$0.73 million) gift from the Stephen Riady Group of Foundations, which will receive one-to-one government matching. The Stephen Riady Geosciences Scholars Fund will be used to aid in the education of students pursuing PhD geoscience degrees at NTU.

NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore was founded in 2009 as a national Research Centre of Excellence to conduct fundamental research on earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis and climate change across Southeast Asia.

The income from the endowed fund will support research proposals by EOS graduate students to explore the Earth’s dynamic processes, aimed at ensuring greater resilience and safety of the region’s people, cultures and economies. The number and amount of awards will be determined annually after a careful and competitive review process of research proposals.

Professor Kerry Sieh, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, says the scholarship comes at a critical time for Southeast Asia, with increasing geohazard activity across the region.

“The past decade has shown that volcanic eruptions, climate change, devastating earthquakes and tsunamis play a large role in human loss and suffering. The magnitude 7.9 Nepal and 6.0 Sabah earthquakes and the eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra are just the most recent examples.”

“The Riady scholarship will help enable our students to research such events and the processes that cause them in Southeast Asia. New knowledge will bring greater understanding of the geohazards we are facing, and with greater knowledge comes greater resilience. We are grateful for the Stephen Riady Group of Foundations’ recognition and support through this new scholarship.”

All new and current students pursuing a PhD degree at the Earth Observatory are eligible to apply for this new scholarship. All applications will be reviewed and evaluated based on their relation to the EOS mission and potential impact toward creating safer and more sustainable societies in the region.

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Source: Nanyang Technological University; Photo: Shutterstock.
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