Call for 2015 SCOR Visiting Scholars

SCOR began a program in 2009 to enlist the services of ocean scientists from the SCOR community, from both developed countries and developing countries, to teach short courses and to provide more extended on-site education and mentorship at developing country institutions.

This program is open to any scientists who have time available to spend teaching and mentoring in a developing country. The scholarships are not intended to conduct joint research, although such research may develop as an outcome of a visit. Hosting visiting scientists can have many benefits to host institutions also, such as inspiring, motivating, and informing students and faculty, and leading to future collaborations between the visiting scientist and the host institution.

This program sends ocean scientists interested in short-term visits to developing countries. The program is a partnership, with the host institution providing local accommodation and SCOR paying for airfares and other local expenses, as necessary. The participating scientists donate
their time. They may be onsite for as little as two weeks to as long as visa requirements allow.

Applicants may already have selected a host institution or SCOR will help identify hosts.

Information Required from Potential SCOR Visiting Scholars

Individuals interested in participating in this program should provide the following information:

• Name and contact information of applicant
• Experience in teaching and research – one summary paragraph and short CV
• Languages spoken and written fluently—Many institutions in developing countries seek scientific instruction in English to help prepare them to interact with scientists from the global ocean science community, but may also prefer individuals with some knowledge
• of their national language.
• Specific teaching and research interests
• Countries/regions of interest
• If a potential host institution has been identified, an invitation letter with the information requested in following section should be provided.
• Willingness to donate time and period of availability
• Coverage by health and accident insurance—Lack of coverage would not rule out any candidate, but would alert SCOR to the need to arrange such insurance.

This information will be made available to potential host institutions, but will not be posted on the Web in open-access format.

Information Required From Potential Host Institutions

Institutions interested in hosting a SCOR Visiting Scholar should provide the following information, in a short proposal describing the visiting scientist’s term at the host institution:

• Help requested: teaching, mentoring in research, technology assistance, etc.
• Term of service desired, including specific dates
• Local subsistence provided
• Language abilities desired
• Plans by the host institution to build on the training received, especially developing mechanisms for longer-term engagement between the Visiting Scholar and graduate students. Examples may include reciprocal visits by the students trained, becoming members of host institution graduate committees, etc.
• Conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Visiting Scholar’s visit.

SCOR will select Scholars through its Committee on Capacity Building, which will review the applications and the proposed work assignments at the host institutions.

The number of scientists placed each year will depend on the number of applications received and funding
available. Criteria for selection will include the following:

• Quality and relevance of the proposal
• Experience of the candidate and fit with the program (language skills, teaching experience, subject areas requested by the institution)
• Needs of the host institution
• Plans by the host institution to build on the training received

SCOR will provide airfares and funds for meals for the Visiting Scholars and for insurance costs for those that do not have insurance.

SCOR can serve as a broker of the partnerships, but the individual and institution will be responsible to ensure a successful outcome. SCOR will monitor the results of each partnership with a questionnaire to the visiting scientist and the host institution after the visit, to determine the effectiveness of the program and ways to make it more useful. SCOR will make every effort to create a sustainable program.

Report from Completed Scholar Visits

Following completion of a SCOR Visiting Scholar’s term, the Scholar is expected to submit a timely report to SCOR. This report should describe the experience and outcomes of the visit, recommendations to SCOR for future implementation of the Visiting Scholar program, and potential for future interactions with the host institution.