Graduate Scholars Program

The RAPID Graduate Student Scholars program seeks to expand the pool of natural hazards and disaster researchers with expertise in state-of-the-art field instrumentation, data collection tools, post-processing methods, and data archiving practices. The program aims to advance natural hazards and disaster research across engineering and social sciences.

The Scholars program is open to all natural hazards and disaster graduate student researchers. Limited competitive support is available to access our instrumentation, facilities, and resources, including one-on-one training; instrumentation, travel, and shipping fees; and support costs such as licensed drone pilot services.

This annual program accepts applications in December and January. Graduate scholars receive a $3,250 grant to support their proposed work, as well as up to $10,000 in waived fees for equipment use, staff support, shipping and insurance costs, and field support time and travel expenses.

Program Components

• Competitive selection process for graduate student researchers

• Direct financial support through research grants

• Access to comprehensive facility resources and expertise

• One-on-one technical training and mentorship

• Professional development in data collection, processing, and archiving

Link to the 2026 Graduate Scholar Program application