Graduate Student Research Grant
Student initiatives are among the most important core values of the Aquatic Plant Management Society. High on the list of student support programs is the Graduate Student Research Grant (GSRG) offered by APMS in the area of aquatic plant management and ecology. This academic grant is co-sponsored by APMS and the seven regional APMS chapters: Florida, MidSouth, Midwest, Northeast, South Carolina, Texas, and Western.
The $40,000 GSRG is awarded biannually for the most qualified proposal submitted. The objective is to provide a grant for a full-time graduate student to conduct research in an area involving aquatic plant management techniques (used alone or integrated with other management approaches) or in aquatic ecology related to the biology or management of regionally or nationally recognized nuisance aquatic vegetation (macrophytes, algae, or cyanobacteria).
Solicitation for proposals is open to any full-time faculty member and/or graduate student of an accredited U.S. academic institution. A faculty sponsor must be identified if the application is submitted by a graduate student. Proposals are scored by an eight-member panel consisting of academic judges from APMS and each of the regional chapters. Grants are awarded at the July APMS Annual Meeting.
APMS and chapters have contributed $474,000 in Graduate Student Research Grants since 1999. If sufficient funds are available, APMS may solicit proposals for additional grants funded exclusively through APMS, without regional chapter contribution (for example, the grant awarded in 2015 to North Carolina State University). APMS may also solicit proposals when entities approach APMS to cost share urgently needed aquatic plant-related research within a specific region (for example, the 2017 Starry Stonewort Grant proposal solicitation that was awarded at the 2017 Annual Meeting in Daytona Beach.
Below is a list of the Graduate Student Research Grants funded under this program.
APMS Graduate Student Research Grant (year and amount of grant)
| Recipient | Affiliation | Year | Amount |
| Mary Bremigan | Michigan State University | 1999 | $34,000 |
| The Indirect Effects of Sonar Application on Lake Food Webs | |||
| Katia Englehardt | University of Maryland | 2001 | $40,000 |
| Controlling Non-native Submersed Aquatic Macrophyte Species in Maryland Reservoirs: Plant Competition Mediated by Selective Control | |||
| Susan Wilde | University of South Carolina | 2005 | $40,000 |
| Investigating the Role of Invasive Aquatic Plants and Epiphytic Cyanobacteria on Expression of Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) | |||
| John Madsen and Ryan Wersal | Mississippi State University | 2007 | $60,000 |
| The Seasonal Phenology, Ecology and Management of Parrotfeather [Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vellozo) Verdecourt] | |||
| Rob Richardson, Sarah True, and Steve Hoyle | North Carolina State University | 2010 | $40,000 |
| Monoecious Hydrilla: Phenology and Competition | |||
| Ryan Thum | Grand Valley State University | 2012 | $40,000 |
| A Quantitative Genetics Approach to Identifying the Genetic Architecture of Herbicide Susceptibility, Tolerance, and Resistance in Hybrid Watermilfoils (Myriophyllum spicatum x sibiricum) | |||
| Scott Nissen | Colorado State University | 2014 | $40,000 |
| Exploring the Physiological Basis of 2,4-D Tolerance in Northern Watermilfoil x Eurasian Watermilfoil Hybrids | |||
| Rob Richardson | North Carolina State University | 2015 | $40,000* |
| Aspects of Monoecious Hydrilla Physiology and Response to Herbicide Combination Treatments | |||
| Christopher R. Mudge and Bradley T. Sartain |
Louisiana State University | 2016 | $40,000 |
| Exploring Alternative Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell) Management Strategies | |||
| John H. Rodgers, Jr. | Clemson University | 2017 | $60,000** |
| Evaluation of management options for Nitellopsis obtusa (Desvaux in Loiseleur) J. Groves, (1919) (Starry Stonewort) in the United States |
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| Ryan A. Thum and Greg M. Chorak | Montana State University | 2018 | $40,000 |
| Identifying Eurasian and Hybrid Watermilfoil Gene Expression Differences in Response to Frequently Used Herbicides for Improved Adaptive Management | |||
*funded exclusively by APMS
**funded equally among APMS, MAPMS, NEAPMS, Lonza, SePRO and UPI