FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake is excited to announce the winners of the 2020 Doyle W. Stephens Scholarships. Molly Blakowski, Utah State University Department of Watershed Sciences, for her project Historical trends in dust emissions from the shrinking Great Salt Lake and projections for human and environmental exposure risks, and Melissa Cobo, Utah State University, for her project Effects of Desiccation on Carbon Fluxes in the Great Salt Lake.   

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake established the Doyle W. Stephens Research Program to celebrate Stephens' remarkable scientific contributions toward understanding the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. This scholarship provides support to undergraduate and graduate students engaged in new or on-going research that focuses on Great Salt Lake and its ecosystem. 

Eligibility: Applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students currently enrolled at an accredited college or university. Individuals who have previously received this award are not eligible. The award may be used to support laboratory or field research, attendance at professional meetings, or other activities that further the understanding or protection of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Research located anywhere in the Great Salt Lake watershed can qualify for this award. We will consider projects from any academic field (for instance: ecology, biology, chemistry, physics, geography, geology, urban planning, social sciences, communications, education, economics, tourism, engineering, etc.). 

Stay tuned for the 2021 Doyle W. Stephens Scholarship Application dates. 

History of Dr. Doyle W. Stephens and the scholarship created in his name.

Doyle Stephens was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1944. He received his BS in Biology from Weber State College in 1967, his MS in Entomology in 1969 and his PhD in Limnology from the University of Utah in 1974.

At the time of his death in May, 2000, he had been a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey for nearly 20 years. In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Governor's Medal for Science and Technology.

Doyle Stephens made significant contributions toward public awareness of critical issues relating to Utah's natural resources and environment. Of particular importance were his efforts to increase public knowledge and awareness of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. As a contributor to the state's Great Salt Lake Ecosystem project, Doyle's work on Great Salt Lake shrimp ecology helped increase understanding about population dynamics of the shrimp in the lake and factors affecting the structure and density of the population.

"Stephens leaves a broad and deep body of scientific work. His legacy is that his work's contribution to the environment, to the economy, and to the quality of life in Utah will not diminish over time but will continue to grow," says Don Leonard, President, Utah Artemia Association.

Another colleague observed: "Icebergs don't happen in Great Salt Lake, save one. Before he left us so prematurely, we only got to see the tip of Doyle Stephens' impact on the work of almost every other Great Salt Lake investigator. As time passes, we will begin to understand the extent of Doyle's work and the encouragement he lent to others to wonder and search along with him."

Click here to donate. With your help, FRIENDS can continue to support and promote research critical to the conservation of Great Salt Lake.

Doyle W. Stephens Scholarship Recipients