WDS Opportunity Fund for New Diversity in Engineering and Research (WONDER) Grant
About the grant
The WONDER fund seeks to celebrate diversity in STEM by supporting undergraduate and/or graduate Black or Indigenous women who are pursuing a career in earth or space sciences. Selected candidate(s) will receive a grant award of at least $2,000 to offset costs to attend an AGU conference of their choice where they will be able to broaden their scientific knowledge and build their personal and professional networks. The WONDER fund was founded by Women Doing Science (WDS) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, both of which highlight the need to increase and amplify marginalized voices in our communities, including the Earth and space sciences.
Eligibility
Eligible candidates must be women (WONDER is inclusive of transgender women and gender-nonconforming individuals and embraces experiences in intersection with other aspects of identity). 
Eligible candidates must be a member of one of the following communities:
- Black, African-American, or of the African Diaspora (self-identification)
- Indigenous (an enrolled citizen of a US federal or state-recognized tribe).
Eligible candidates must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or green card holders.
Eligible candidates must be enrolled full or part-time as an undergraduate (including two-year institutions), master’s, or doctoral student with an interest in a career in the Earth and space sciences. Students at any stage in their undergraduate or graduate career are encouraged to apply and will be considered equally, regardless of whether their field of study is Earth and space sciences.
Active AGU membership is not a requirement. Awardees will be granted a year of AGU membership upon receipt of the award.
About the award and selection process
A minimum of one grant of at least $2,000 will be awarded annually, anticipated to begin in 2021. The WONDER Award Committee will review applications annually and will select the most qualified candidate(s) for the grant. The grant will be made to awardee(s) ahead of the AGU meeting of their choice and should be used to cover any costs they encounter in their attendance, such as conference registration, poster printing, meals at the conference, flights to and from the conference, and other conference related expenses such as childcare or equipment.
Awardees will be granted a year of AGU membership upon receipt of the award.
Recipients will be required to submit a half-page written response on their experience at the conference within three months of attending, as well as a one-page report on the impact of their award at the close of their scholarship year.
Awardees are expected to act as ambassadors for the WONDER program, through activities like appearing on the Women Doing Science social media platforms, writing guest blog posts for AGU’s website, and advocating for the program in coming years.
Supporting WONDER recipients
Donating to the Grant Fund
Women Doing Science was established as a social media project to increase the visibility of women in STEM and share stories of diverse researchers around the world. It became clear that the field of geoscience, in particular, suffered exceptionally from lack of diversity, especially in regards to Black and Indigenous women, with little progress made in decades.
WONDER endeavors to address inequalities in Earth and space sciences by providing grant support to Black or Indigenous woman with a demonstrated interest in Earth science to attend an AGU conference. The goal is to encourage undergraduate and graduate women from these racially minoritized groups to pursue a career in earth or space sciences by helping them broaden their scientific knowledge and build their personal and professional networks. While systemic racism is prevalent around the world, this grant seeks to specifically offer opportunities for geoscience researchers in the United States.
Donations can be made by through our online donation form by selecting the WONDER Grant Fund option
Donate to AGU
Donation Selection
Your gift to AGU allows us to advance Earth and space science and its ability to positively impact society well into the future. Consider adding a one-time or monthly donation to your membership renewal.
Donation Recognition
To show our appreciation and gratitude for your support, we would like to recognize your contributions to our fund.
If you donate $25 or more you will receive a limited edition WONDER Fund sticker created by Cell Kulture Co.
If you donate $1000 or more your name will be listed on the AGU WONDER Fund website as well as the WONDER Fund website. In addition you will receive benefits typical of donors at that threshold for AGU, which include discounts on conference registrations.
If your corporation donates $2500 or more you will be listed on the AGU WONDER Fund website, with your logo and website link displayed on the WONDER Fund website and social media channels.
If your corporation donates $5000 you will receive the same benefits as the $2500 level, with additional advertisement on the Women Doing Science social networks and larger logo displays on the WONDER Fund website.
