Award Winners

2024

Belkasim Khameiss (Postdoctoral Researcher, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, USA). For “Biostratigraphic Evaluation of Benthic Foraminifera Across the Marmaton-Pleasanton Group Boundary in Kansas”. 

2023

Giulia Amaglio, “Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of benthic foraminifera from Eastbourne (UK) and IODP Site U1513D (SW Australia) to interpret paleoecological and paleoenvironmental changes across the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event 2”, University of Milan, Italy

2020 - 2022

Catia Barbosa Universidade Federal Fluminense Brazil

Vanessa Londoño Florida International University USA

Jeanette deCuba Florida International University USA

2022

Jeanette deCuba, “Benthic Foraminiferal Response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill”, Florida International University, USA.

2020 - 2021

Catia Barbosa, “Unilocular Foraminifera species diversity from the Brazilian margin: a comparison with the Cushman Collection”, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil.

Vanessa Londoño, “Controls on Accumulation of Organic Matter During Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2, IODP Site U1407, Southeast Newfoundland Ridge”, Florida International University, USA.

2019

Maria Sider; research compares benthic assemblages from fossil and modern Caribbean reefs. Florida International University, USA Seth Sutton; “The Influence of the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum and Middle Miocene Transition on Benthic Foraminiferal Communities. East Carolina University, USA

2018

Jenny Rashall; research updates the benthic and planktic foraminiferal taxonomy for the Cretaceous Washita Group in North Texas. University of Texas at Arlington, USA

 

The Buzas Award for Travel to the Cushman Collection

 

The Buzas Award for Travel (BAT) was established in 2017 by Dr. Martin A. Buzas and his family to support foraminiferal researchers wishing to use the world-famous Cushman Collection of foraminifera at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA. The award is open to graduate students and professional researchers who can demonstrate a need to use the collection and associated facilities. The CFFR does not discriminate in its selection of awardees in any way.

 

Marty Buzas, a past Director and President of the Cushman Foundation, was a curator at the Smithsonian from 1963 until 2022. His research focused on the “quantitative understanding of the distribution of organisms in small and large amounts of space and time”. Over his career Marty published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and 15 books. The BAT was established to emphasize the importance of verifying taxonomy in foraminiferal research.

 

The Cushman Foundation is pleased to offer the Buzas Award for Travel to support graduate students and professional researchers studying foraminifera who wish to visit the Cushman Collection and associated facilities in the Department of Paleobiology, Natural History Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., USA.

 

To apply, please provide a short (1-3 pages) summary of your research including a title, why it is important, how the Cushman Collection will be utilized, and a detailed travel budget (travel, accommodations in or near Washington, D.C.). Also include a CV with your name and address, affiliation, email, and phone number. Graduate students should supply a letter of support from their faculty advisor. Send materials by email to cushmanfoundation@gmail.com. No award will be made for more than $2000. The Board of Directors reserves the right to make no awards or to make awards that differ from the requested budget.

 

Proposals must be submitted by 1 March. Decisions will be made by the Board of Directors in late April. The first award was made in 2018.

 

A letter reporting the progress of the awardee and use of the Foundation's funds is expected within two years after the award. The Board of Directors encourages awardees to submit their results to one of the Foundation's publications and requests that acknowledgment of the award be included in any thesis, dissertation or publication that results from work supported by an award of the Foundation.