EAS News

by NH EAS Director Dorinda Priebe

In the great tradition of EAS these two awards are highly sought after each year and recipients will be selected whether there is an "in-person" conference or not. We encourage beekeepers in NH to circulate these applications to other groups they may be a part of: places of worship, schools, Chambers of Commerce, Scouting groups, anywhere beekeepers might congregate! It is perfectly OK to nominate yourself. Any questions? Contact Dorinda Priebe director.nh@easternapiculture.org

Divelbiss Award 2021 Nominations Open

At each annual conference, the Eastern Apicultural Society presents the Charles and Evelyn Divelbiss Education Award. This award is presented to that person or couple who has—over a period of years—reached out to the non-beekeeping public to explain the value of honey bees in our lives.The nominee does not need to be from your own state or province. You may wish to announce this request for nominations at beekeeping meetings and in their newsletters. Feel free to contact officers of state and local organizations to request their suggestions for possible candidates and letters of support.The nomination process is easy. Write a letter outlining how the candidate has reached the public over the years. Groups, such as 4-H clubs, scouting organizations, school groups, community organizations, Lions Clubs, and garden clubs, as well as media interviews and exhibits at county and state fairs, qualify as non-beekeeping public. Although the main criteria are edification of the public, the letter may also include activities that teach Short Courses and other instructional work toward educating beekeepers and prospective beekeepers. The nominee does not need to be a member of EAS (but the Society would be delighted if the recipient would join).The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2021 Nominations and letters of support should be emailed to secretary@easternapiculture.org.

Mann Lake Eastern Apicultural Society Master Beekeeper Scholarship Application

This scholarship, sponsored by Mann Lake Ltd. and created and administered by the EAS Master Beekeepers, was established to encourage a worthy young individual to pursue an interest in honey bees and beekeeping. The Scholarship will provide financial assistance for the selected candidate to attend an annual EAS conference. In addition to the waiver of registration fees by EAS for the short course and the main conference, the Scholarship will provide up to $1,000 to the successful candidate to offset other conference expenses.

Manner of Award of the Scholarship

• EAS will waive the scholarship recipient's registration fees for both the short course and the main conference.
• Conference expenses such as standard on-site lodging and meals (including special social events, BBQs, andFriday night banquet, etc.) will be paid from the scholarship fund on behalf of the successful candidate.
• The scholarship will provide a budget for travel expenses up to $500, which may include airfare or mileage reimbursement. Travel expenses below $500 will be reimbursed at actual expense incurred.
• Travel expenses to and from the conference will be paid to the candidate following submission of receipts fortravel such as airline vouchers, or mileage and receipt of the required article for the EAS Journal. Travelexpenses will not be paid in advance, but will be reimbursed as soon as possible following receipt ofdocumentation.

Scholarship Eligibility

♣The candidate may be any young person between the ages of 18 and 25 who is a full-time student, or is not a fulltime student but is currently employed by a commercial or sideliner beekeeper and plans to pursue a career inapiculture. If the candidate is a veteran of any branch of the U. S. armed forces, the age limit is 30.

♣The candidate must have been keeping bees for a minimum of one year by the time the conference for which thescholarship is requested begins.

♣The candidate may have a beekeeping mentor, who can be a parent or other experienced adult, but must beprimarily responsible for the care of his or her bees.

♣The candidate must have participated in a local short course in beekeeping.

Scholarship Application

♣Qualified candidates must complete an application form providing their basic contact information, brief beekeeping experience and education, and other relevant data.

♣Candidates must provide letters of recommendation from at least two experienced beekeepers, preferably a mentor and another beekeeping individual familiar with the candidate’s experience and qualifications. If possible, this individual should be a Master Beekeeper, state apiarist, educator or research/extension specialist in the home state of the candidate. These letters of recommendation should be sent directly by the person providing the recommendation to the Master Beekeeper Scholarship Committee.

♣Candidates must write an essay of no less than two, and no more than three, double-spaced typewritten pages describing their reasons for wanting to attend the EAS conference. The essay should also outline the candidate’s ambitions with respect to beekeeping, including both short and long-term plans.

♣Applications must be received by the Chairperson of the Master Beekeeper Scholarship Committee by April 30 of the year in which the applicant plans to attend the EAS conference.

♣Persons who are not U.S. Citizens are eligible for this scholarship. Individual applicants are responsible to determine their need for a visa, and their ability to obtain a visa by the end of May in the appropriate year.EAS conference dates vary slightly from year to year, and thus applicants are advised to confirm the dates of the meeting and all travel.

Award Criteria

♣Preference will be given to candidates who, in the judgment of the Scholarship Committee, are serious in their commitment to apiculture. For example, a serious candidate may be planning to pursue a career as a commercial beekeeper, an entomologist, a researcher in apiculture, a queen breeder, or similar profession. A dedicated hobbyist may also win the scholarship, but preference will be given to candidates planning to pursue a career in apiculture.

♣The candidate must be an EAS member.

♣The candidate must be of good character, responsible, hard-working and honest. It is expected that, while attending the conference, the successful candidate will behave in a responsible and respectful manner. Following the conference, the scholarship recipient will prepare an article for the EAS Journal, of at least one column in length, or as indicated by the Journal Editor, describing his or her experiences at the EAS conference.The article should include photographs and discuss how attending EAS has influenced the recipient’s beekeeping knowledge and post-conference experiences. The article should be submitted no later than six months following the end of the conference.