Frederick W. Mowrer Global Scholar Award

Endowed by Kathleen Almand

Application Deadline

Nominations are currently closed.

Description

• Annual $1,000 scholarship to a student involved in fire safety engineering or a related discipline at a post-secondary educational institution in a developing nation.
• The goal of this scholarship is to support students to contribute to the development of fire protection expertise in countries with rapidly expanding infrastructure.
• This scholarship is named after Dr. Mowrer to recognize his impact on the field of Fire Protection Engineering and the development of Fire Protection Engineering as an international academic discipline.

Eligibility

• Students from a developing nation and currently enrolled in a fire safety engineering curriculum or a related discipline.
• Students currently enrolled in a fire safety engineering curriculum or a related discipline in a post-secondary educational institution in a developing nation (defined as a nation listed by World Population Review at https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/developed-countries with a current HDI value of ≤.800)
  

How to Apply

Eligible students may apply by completing the 2024 Foundation Awards Nominations/Applications Form. Interested applicants are expected to complete their own nomination form, including all required components listed below. A letter of recommendation from a supporting faculty member must be included in the application materials, as noted below:

1. 1. Full name of the applicant, academic program type, and school affiliation.
   2. Applicant mailing and email addresses.
   3. A description of the project (max 1000 words) illustrating how the research will advance fire protection engineering. Preference will be given to projects that recognize and are consistent with the Foundation's research priorities as identified in the SFPE Research Roadmap. The project will be evaluated based on its technical quality, clear methodology, and expected outcomes.
   4. A letter from the faculty member who will be supervising the research which must include: a) support of the project and the applicant, and b) the qualifications of the faculty member in the field of fire protection engineering.
   5. Evidence of the applicant’s university academic achievement in the form of transcripts or similar official documentation as well as publication record, if any.
   6. A commitment to present the completed research to a professional body in a public forum (such as a conference, workshop, seminar, or webinar) and to publish the work (max 250 words).
   7. Name and brief biography of the student as the nominated scholarship recipient (max 250 words).
   8. A completed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for Foundation Contractors & Grant Recipients. 

If you have any questions, please email Amanda Tarbet at ATarbet@sfpefoundation.org. 

History

SFPE Educational & Scientific Foundation established the Frederick W. Mowrer Global Scholar Award fund in September 2020 as a result of a major gift by Kathleen Almand, PE, FSFPE. Almand donated $25,000 to create this fund to award an annual $1,000 scholarship to a student involved in fire safety engineering or a related discipline at a post-secondary educational institution in a developing nation. The goal of this scholarship is to impact safety around the world by supporting students to develop fire protection expertise in countries with rapidly expanding infrastructure.

This scholarship is named after Dr. Mowrer to honor his impact on the field of Fire Protection Engineering and the development of Fire Protection Engineering as an international academic discipline. Fred Mowrer has devoted his career to the education and mentoring of students and to the advancement of the profession. On the academic front, Dr. Mowrer served on the faculty of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland for 21 years before retiring with emeritus status. He then became the founding Director of Fire Protection Engineering Programs at Cal Poly. Dr. Mowrer also served for five years as the first External Examiner for the International Masters in Fire Safety Engineering program and on the Board of Advisors for the FPE Department at WPI.

Beyond his academic contributions, Dr. Mowrer has focused his professional service on the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. He served on the Board of Directors from 1995 to 2003, including a term as President of the Society in 2002. He then became a member of the SFPE Technical Steering Committee in 2004 and served as Chair of this committee from 2006 to 2015. Dr. Mowrer also served as the Chair of the Board of Governors of the SFPE Foundation from 2016 to 2019.

Kathleen Almand served the National Fire Protection Association as Vice President, Research, until her recent retirement in May of 2019. She has a MSc. civil engineering from the University of Ottawa, Canada and is a registered professional engineer in the State of Maryland and a Fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.  Prior to joining NFPA in 2004, Kathleen was the Executive Director of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and held research and management positions with the Civil Engineering Research Foundation, the American Iron and Steel Institute, and the National Academy of Sciences.

2023 Recipient

2022 Recipient

2021 Recipient