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1927 Map of the Arboretum

Sargent Award for Visiting Scholars

The Sargent Award provides support for visiting scholars in the botanical sciences to conduct research that utilizes the living, library, and/or herbarium collections of the Arnold Arboretum.

The Arnold Arboretum provides exceptional resources for woody plant research. The living collection, numbering some 15,000 plants, is distinguished as one of the most thoroughly documented collections of temperate woody plants in the world. Taxonomic diversity and breadth within the collection are noteworthy, and the floras of China, Japan, and Korea are particularly well represented. The Harvard Botanical Library contains 250,000 volumes, while the Harvard University Herbaria holds over 5,000,000 specimens.

The Sargent Award enables the Arnold Arboretum to support original research by visiting scholars, foster collegial exchanges and partnerships, and demonstrate the research value of the Arboretum’s collections.

Awards of up to $7,000 are granted to support research expenses and/or travel expenses associated with the proposed research.

Application Information

Awards are granted through a competitive review process. Selection of recipient(s) will be based on the educational background of the applicant and their readiness to conduct the proposed research; the quality of the proposed research; and the relevance of the proposed research to the collections of the Arnold Arboretum.

To be considered for an award, online applications should include the following:

  • Cover letter.
  • Research statement. The statement should be 1 to 2-pages and describes your research project and how additional funding via the Sargent Award would further your research aims. Include how the collections of the Arnold Arboretum will be utilized. References should be included but do not count as part of the page limit.
  • Research budget. Applicants should submit a simple, 1-page budget that itemizes the research and travel costs associated with the proposed project. Award funds are not intended to supplement or replace departmental salaries or stipends, but they may be used for the stipend/salary of an undergraduate intern appointed through your home institution.
  • Project time-line. Applicants should submit a time-line of the project and anticipated start and end dates.
  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Two letters of recommendation for applicants that are not Faculty or Principal Investigators. As part of the online submission, you must send a request to the two referees to submit a letter of recommendation (via the request section). The referee will be automatically sent an email with a link to an online submission form where they will upload a letter of recommendation. It is highly recommended that you contact your referee prior to sending the request. Please inform the referee to expect an email from Admin@communityforce.com with instructions for submitting a recommendation letter. Each referee must upload his/her letter of recommendation via the link by February 1.

Additional Information

For questions about the award, Arboretum resources, research proposal or submission process, contact the selection committee (Email).

The Sargent Award is made possible by the generosity of Dr. Jack Wittenberg through the Charles Sprague Sargent Fund.