Cameron Award

Guy N. Cameron Rodent Research Award (ad hoc)

Chair

Members

  • Gerardo Ceballos
  • Andi Kautt
  • Andrew McAdam
  • Rebecca J. Rowe
  • Nancy Solomon
  • Caitlin Wells

History and Mission

The Cameron Award supports graduate and postdoctoral research on the ecology or behavior of rodents native to the New World (North, Central, South America), with an emphasis on (1) field research or (2) laboratory research that supports or augments field research. See the “Grants & Awards” tab for further details. A single award of $5,000 is available annually to qualified students enrolled in a MS or PhD program in the United States, and a second $5,000 award is available to qualified postdoctoral researchers employed in the United States. The nationality of the applicant is not considered in reviewing applications. Applicants must be current ASM members and must maintain their membership for the duration of the award.

The Cameron Award was established in 2019 with a substantial gift by Guy N. Cameron to the ASM. The name of this award was proposed by ASM President Kelt and Secretary-Treasurer Hopton and approved by the ASM Board of Directors.

2022 Cameron Award Recipients

The Cameron Award supports graduate and postdoctoral research on the ecology or behavior of rodents native to the New World, with an emphasis on (1) field research or (2) laboratory research that supports or augments field research. The 2022 graduate student recipient of the Cameron Award is Anna Willoughby.

Anna Willoughby is a PhD candidate working with Sonia Altizer and John Drake as part of the Infectious Disease Ecology Across Scales Program at the University of Georgia. She is interested in how human-wildlife interactions impact animal health and create a high-risk interface for zoonotic parasite transmission. Following undergraduate research on the behavior and parasites of South African chacma baboons, Anna worked as a research assistant on the USAID PREDICT project at EcoHealth Alliance. There, she developed skills in ecological modeling and disease surveillance field study design.

Her dissertation work examines wildlife responses to supplemental resources provided by tourists. In Zion National Park, she monitors rock squirrels (Otospermophilus variegatus), that are hand-fed unnatural foods by hikers. She traps individuals in sites along a gradient of tourist visitation to collect behavior, diet, and disease measures.  She then implements DNA sequencing techniques to characterize ecto- and endoparasite communities. The Cameron Award supports the second year of this research to characterize the temporal, as well as spatial, variation in park visitation. Anna collaborates with park managers to use results from this study to inform visitor interventions to deter the habituation of these native rodents.

Donate Now!

You can donate to the Guy N. Cameron Rodent Research Award fund (and others) here.

Research that may be funded by the Cameron Award.

The purpose of the Cameron Award is to fund field research on native rodents. In some cases, laboratory research may enhance field research or may explain findings of field research. If both field and laboratory research is proposed, applicants must describe how laboratory studies will augment or enhance field studies. Laboratory studies per se will not be supported. The type of research to be supported is broad, generally falling under the umbrella of ecology and behavior. Potential research themes include but are not limited to the following:

  • ecology (e.g., abundance, habitat use, diet, inter- or intraspecific competition);
  • reproduction and development;
  • physiology, nutritional ecology, metabolism, hibernation, estivation;
  • behavior (e.g., mating behavior, movement/dispersal/ home range, territoriality, communication [scents and odors]);
  • impact on habitats (e.g., burrows, runways, dams, tunnels, foraging);
  • impact on other animals (e.g., prey, predators, competition, mutualism);
  • impact of diseases;
  • conservation or management issues (e.g., impact of habitat destruction/habitat alternation, introduced non-native animals, fossil fuel extraction, chemicals released by industries, wind farms).

Research projects conducted anywhere in North, Central, or South America may be supported by the Cameron Award.

How can funds from the new research award be used?

Funds may be used for field or laboratory supplies or equipment, and for travel to or housing at study sites. Salary and travel to meetings will not be supported.

Application requirements and instructions

Applicants must submit a research proposal, limited to five double-spaced pages (12 point Times New Roman font, full 1” margins). The proposal must include a description of the thesis, dissertation, or postdoctoral research project organized under the following headings: Title, name, and affiliation of the applicant; Introduction, including questions/hypotheses to be addressed; Objectives; Methods, including where the research will take place, and noting whether permission has been granted to use study sites; Preliminary results of the research, if applicable; Duration of the research to be supported by the Cameron Award and the expected completion date for the project; Significance of the research and Expected results; How the proposed research fits the purpose of the Cameron Award; and Literature Cited (which may be on a separate page, independent of the 5-page limit).

A detailed budget is required, as is a separate justification (1 page maximum) of the funds requested to support the research (these are independent of the 5-page limit for the proposal). Any other grant support for the proposed research should be noted. The applicant’s CV (3-page limit) should include: education, past or current research projects, past research support, any other requested support for the research project under consideration by the Cameron Award, and a list of publications and presentations of research efforts (if any) at annual society meetings. A recommendation letter from the Major Professor (for student applicants) or Postdoctoral Mentor (for postdoctoral applicants) is required, and should indicate why this application should be supported by the Cameron Award; the letter should also indicate how the proposed projects fits into the applicant’s overall research effort. The letter will be submitted separately from the application and instructions will be provided to the writer by email.

See the grants page for current submission dates.

2020+

  • 2020—Carson Keller, graduate student, University of Wisconsin, Madison

  • 2020—Andreas Kautt, postdoctoral scientist, Harvard University

  • 2021—Mena Davidson, graduate student, University of Michigan

  • 2021—Caitlin Wells, postdoctoral scientist, Colorado State University

  • 2022—Anna Willoughby, graduate student, University of Georgia