The Arlington Conservation Council, pictured with their grand prize winning float at the Arlington July Fourth Parade in 2017, partnered with UTA in 2022 to create an endowment for environmental research and scholarship. Photo by Paul Knudsen.
Aug. 16, 2024
The Arlington Conservation Council has been an advocate for environmental causes for more than 50 years. Now the local watchdog is helping a new generation take the lead with new solutions.
The Council partnered with the University of Texas at Arlington to launch an endowment to support environmental scholarship and research in 2022.
The effort is part of group’s mission to protect Arlington’s natural environment through education, service and advocacy, says Arlington Conservation Council president Dick Schoech.
UTA manages the fund and oversees the selection process, while ACC continues to grow the endowment.
"While our endowment funded student scholarships and research has just started, we are pleased to support a younger generation working to further their interest in environmental careers," said Schoech via email. "ACC's support will continue to grow since the endowment keeps a portion of the interest earned to increase the amount of support ACC has to give students.”
The group initially raised more than $30,000 to launch the endowment.
Schoech said he’s waiting for an update on the endowment’s current total.
However, he relayed that the grant program has grown to sustain both an annual $1,000 scholarship and a $3,000 research grant.
GREENING URBAN SPACES
This year’s recipient of the research grant is UTA architecture major Knowme Tasfia.
Knowme Tasfia. Courtesy of LinkedIn.
According to her bio, Tasfia is passionate about building resilient and environmentally conscious communities and studies sustainable urban planning. Her project is focused on creating child-friendly communities, which promote biodiversity through the conservation of green spaces, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and nature-centric design.
With the help of the ACC award, Tasfia plans to diversify her interdisciplinary research in natural resource conservation and hopes to assist the city of Arlington in the larger conversation on sustainable urban planning and environmental preservation.
Tasfia said the award is a catalyst for networking and collaboration, which will provide further opportunities to work with a larger variety of stakeholders, establish alliances and promote collaborative effort toward the creation of a sustainable future.
She hopes to make a real impact on Arlington’s physical landscape by promoting a culture of environmental stewardship among its citizens through research projects that prioritize the preservation of natural resources, the advancement of sustainable practices and the improvement of urban green spaces.
VEHICLE TO GRID
Last year, the research recipient was Alexander Andonov, a UTA electrical engineering student. He used the grant to research Vehicle to Grid technology under Dr. Gregory Turner. Learn more about Andonov's research project in the video below.
UTA electrical engineering student Alexander Andonov explains his research project in this video.
Schoech, a UTA graduate who taught at the university from 1978 to 2010 in the Social Work Department, said while the Arlington Conservation Council does not get a say in who gets the grants, the student research must go through an Institutional Review Board review if results are to be published.
“An Institutional Review Board is an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution with which it is affiliated,” he said. “IRB review is a complex process. I have gone through it many times since I had many research grants projects during my 33 years as a UTA professor.”
Information on applying for the grants can be found here. Donate to the endowment fund here.
RELATED ARTICLES
Arlington environmental group seeks funds for endowment
Ned Fritz Scholarship winner inspired by Arlington nature center
Powwow celebrates strides of Native Americans at UTA
Scholarship named for famed Dallas environmentalist
Stay up to date on everything green in North Texas, including the latest news and events! Sign up for the weekly Green Source DFW Newsletter! Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. Also check out our new podcast The Texas Green Report, available on your favorite podcast app.
Author
JULIE THIBODEAUX
Julie Thibodeaux is the Editor for Green Source DFW. Previously, she worked as an editor and writer at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
