Werner and Hildegard HESSE Fellowship in Ornithology

Award descriptionFellowships totalling $42,500 have been endowed through a bequest by Werner Hans Hermann Hesse for graduate students engaged in ornithological research projects, with preference given to those studying wild birds. Werner and Hildegard Hesses' passion for wild birds was sparked in night classes on the ecology and conservation of birds at UBC and led them to become leaders in amateur ornithology. The Hesses conducted bird surveys in the Canadian arctic, compiled BC's Christmas Bird Counts for over 20 years, and developed a special concern for the harmful effects of human development on bird habitats and populations. The Hesses delighted in funding ornithological research and, particularly, contributing to the long-term monitoring of population change in seabirds of the Pacific Coast. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.