Georgia Southern University announced today the establishment of the Yamaha Rightwaters™ Conservation Scholarship. Supported by an ongoing endowment from Yamaha Rightwaters, the scholarship awards $5K annually to a student who exhibits outstanding efforts and commitment to improve coastal sustainability.
“The continued health and maintenance of our marine coastal environments is a key focus of Yamaha Rightwaters. It’s an honor to work with and support the next generation of dedicated conservationists. It will be their charge to carry the torch in the protection of our waterways,” said Martin Peters, Director, External Affairs, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “The opportunity to work with Georgia Southern®, an outstanding university in Yamaha Marine’s home state, gives the new scholarship even greater significance. We look forward to following the recipients and applaud their efforts to pursue degrees that foster marine sustainability.”
Patrick Lewis, a Georgia Southern® graduate student pursuing a Master of Science degree in Biology, is the first recipient of the Yamaha Rightwaters Conservation Scholarship. Lewis plans to use the funds to finalize the research needed to defend his thesis, which seeks to understand the variations in fish ecologies at the individual and community levels in response to environmental variables that act together to affect fish. He’s also studying how these relationships vary across regions of Georgia.
“Ultimately, my goal is to become a professional fisheries biologist at the state or federal level, where I can contribute to sound research concerning populations of fish across Georgia,” said Lewis, a native of Harris, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Marine Science from the University of Alabama®. “I hope to combine the experiences I accrued over the years with science to achieve effective fisheries management, ensuring the sustainability of fishes and fishing for years to come.”
“It means a great deal to work with Yamaha Rightwaters in the pursuit of more sustainable marine environments through academic research,” said Trip Addison, President, Georgia Southern University Foundation. “This scholarship gives our students more support during their academic careers and also provides them with an example of an international company dedicated to impactful, conservation-oriented workforce development.”
Georgia Southern University will open applications for the 2024/2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Conservation Scholarship in the spring of 2024. Interested candidates may apply within their My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu portal, beginning in October.
