In March 2012, the ESIP Federation lost long-time member Rob Raskin. Rob was soft-spoken, easy-going and wise as well as an Earth science information partner extraordinaire. Rob was an expert in geoinformatics and worked for many years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, where, in addition to his exceptional research achievements and tireless service, Rob inspired and guided young researchers to successful careers.
In collaboration with Rob’s family, ESIP created the Robert G. Raskin Scholarship to support students in fields related to Rob’s research and this year marks our fourth award in Rob's honor. The scholarship is awarded annually to a current graduate student in the Earth or computer science fields who has an interest in community evolution of Earth science data systems. The scholarship seeks to promote collaboration, research support, and exposure for talented students in the Earth or computer sciences. Special attention will be given to applicants demonstrating an interest in semantics, GIS, cyberinfrastructure and computing in the geosciences.
The Scholarship provides a $2000 stipend and travel support to the ESIP Federation Summer meeting. The Raskin Scholar is also invited to give a talk covering their field of interest at the 2017 ESIP Summer Meeting. Applications are due May 2, 2017. For the full details see the Raskin Scholarship website.