The Erika C. H. Meng Scholarship Fund for Development Policy and Research supports ARE graduate students in bridging applied development research and policy, as Erika did so well in her life. As an endowed fund, this scholarship provides seed funding for graduate students to initiate applied fieldwork, travel to present findings at meetings and conferences, or collaborate with appropriate policy research and development agencies.

Past recipients of the Scholarship include:

• Santiago Bucaram, Marine Conservation in the Galápagos Islands
• Meilin Ma, Labor and Incomplete Exit from Farming in China
• Daniel Putman, Informal Risk Sharing Networks in Haiti with Implications for Targeting Social Protection
• Dale T. Manning, Renewable Resource Use and Development Projects: Artisanal Fishing and Eco-Tourism on the North Coast of Honduras

We and our profession suffered a great loss with the passing of our dear friend, Dr. Erika Meng, on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Erika’s pioneering work on the microeconomics of crop genetic resource conservation shaped many research careers and student theses. Her unique ability to move between academic research and policy shaped development agendas. Her generosity, strength and courage touched the hearts of friends and colleagues around the world. With Erika's and her family's support and participation during the last few months of her life, we at the University of California, Davis, Erika’s alma mater, have established a scholarship to celebrate her legacy.

To give each of us the opportunity to honor the memory of Erika, the Erika C.H. Meng Scholarship Fund for Development Policy and Research has been created to support ARE graduate students in bridging applied development research and policy, as Erika did so well in her life. As funds are available, this scholarship can provide seed funding for graduate students to initiate applied fieldwork, travel to present findings at meetings and conferences, or collaborate with appropriate policy research and development agencies.

Contributions to this fund are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to the UC Davis Foundation (note "Erika C.H. Meng Fund") and mailed to: Laurie Greene, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616.

We encourage you to share information about the Scholarship with others who may have known Erika or her work.