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Eli Silver Earth and Planetary Science Opportunities Fund

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Purpose: The Eli Silver Earth and Planetary Science Opportunities Fund supports undergraduate majors and graduate students in the UCSC Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, contributing to costs for professional development, education, and living expenses.

History: The Eli Silver Earth and Planetary Science Opportunities Fund was established by a group of Eli's former students in honor of Eli's numerous scientific achievements, outstanding teaching and mentoring contributions, and distinguished service. The fund is intended to accelerate the pace of professional and educational development for EPS students (undergraduate majors and graduate students), and to offset increasing costs for educational and living expenses, helping to launch these students' careers. Eli remains an active and influential member of the EPS community, as he enjoys Emeritus status, and we are pleased to recognize his legacy and support current and future EPS students.

Status: The Eli Silver Fund was launched in December 2016, and we quickly passed the minimum endowment level of $25k. The fund now stands at ~$60k.

Chart of Silver Endowment Goal to reach $1,000,000

Endowment Goals: The Eli Silver Fund has started to support small grants to students. Our longer-term goal is to fund bigger projects and provide more generous student support, especially for students who have financial need. When we grow the endowment to $100k, we can give multiple awards or a partial scholarship. We need to raise about $350k to give a full one-quarter fellowship each year.

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Donations to the Eli Silver Earth and Planetary Science Opportunities Fund have made this award possible. Below are previous awardees.

  • 2023 Maddie Wood (Graduate Student)
  • 2023 Melinda Martinez (Undergraduate Student)
  • 2022 Adam Price (Graduate Student)
  • 2022 Leslie Serafin (Undergraduate Student)
  • 2021 Amanda Donaldson (Graduate Student)
  • 2021 Ryann Ritchie (Undergraduate Student)
  • 2020 Travis Alongi (Graduate Student)
  • 2019 Esther Munoz (Undergraduate Student)
  • 2019 Adrienne Ricker (Graduate Student)