Student Opportunities

The Arkansas Environmental Federation offers a variety of opportunities for college and university students to begin their involvement in the industry including Scholarship Opportunities (more than $52,000 in scholarship awards to 31 students since 1992), Student/Professor Mentoring at the Annual Trade Show and Convention, and special programs during the convention.

In addition, each year the AEF contributes towards the awards presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Sciences to further encourage academic excellence amongst the state's university and college students.

The AETN/AEF Environmental Educator’s Book, produced from the partnership of the Arkansas Educational Television Network and the Arkansas Environmental Federation, includes information regarding classroom environmental videos and educator guides geared to middle school students and is free to educators.

2007 Scholarship Award Recipients

The scholarships are named in honor of Randall Mathis of Arkadelphia, the longtime director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and Larry Wilson, who also served many years with ADEQ. The Larry Wilson Scholarships are sponsored by Northstar Engineering Consultants, Inc., a longtime member of AEF. 2008 Scholarship Applications are available here and must be postmarked by February 15, 2008.

Paul Port Randall Mathis Scholarship for Environmental Studies
	Paul Port hopes to work with a state agency like the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission after he graduates from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. His current research project - titled The Evaluation of Hybrid Striped Bass as a Corrective Management Tool - aims to help increase the size of fish and the value of the farm pond while increasing teh overall size of overpopulated bluegill and crappie in farm ponds.
Jessica Hightower Larry Wilson Scholarship for Environmental Studies
	University of Central Arkansas senior Jessica Hightower's career goals are fairly straightforward, and include finding a job in Arkansas that would allow her to actively participate in the protection of Arkansas's natural resources. Helping protect and maintain the environment is a challenge Jessica looks forward to.
Bodie Drake Larry Wilson Scholarship for Environmental Studies
	Serving Arkansas and protecting the natural resources he enjoys for future generations is the career goal of William "Bodie" Drake. As an avid hunter and fisherman, he appreciates the wilderness of Arkansas, and being raised on a farm showed him from an early age the importance of taking care of the land through proper waste management practices.