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2025-2026 CERF Rising TIDES Program

Rising TIDES (Toward an Inclusive, Diverse, and Enriched Society)

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The application deadline is 24 April 2025 and selections are anticipated in July.

Why Should I Apply?  |  Am I Eligible?  |  Application & Selection
What is Expected After Acceptance  |  FAQ

Rising TIDES (Toward an Inclusive, Diverse, and Enriched Society) supports students who face various obstacles to pursuing a career in coastal and estuarine disciplines with the goal of inspiring and motivating them to pursue careers in coastal and estuarine science and management.

This program is for current students and recent graduates who are interested in exploring or pursuing a career in coastal and estuarine science or management, who face barriers to pursuing experiences in the field1, and who are looking for a funded opportunity to join and engage with the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) community

The approximately 14-month program provides:

  • Funding to cover all costs to attend CERF 2025, a regional CERF Affiliate Society meeting, and the 2026 Restore America's Estuaries Summit
  • Annual $300 stipend ($600 total)
  • CERF membership
  • Professional and near-peer mentors
  • Professional development in topics such as science communication, applying for jobs and fellowships, and pursuing employment outside of academia 

Why should I apply? 

Rising TIDES provides financial support for attending three professional conferences, community support to navigate those conferences, peer support for making connections, educational support to help you launch your career, and a network of support to lift you throughout your career.  Scholars are placed in mentoring “pods” with other scholars, a near-peer mentor who is an alum of the program, and a mentor who is a CERF professional member with a range of career experiences. 

What past scholars say:

  • The pods were the best! It helped me make friends easier and I had a friendly face to share my experience during the conference. I really love the people that I met; it was a really nice way to connect with mentors as well as other people in similar fields and fields that I know nothing about. It was really nice to have a small group of people that you were with, and you did specific activities with, as well as like the whole big conference thing. Going to a big conference can be a little bit intimidating.
  • The Rising TIDES program was very structured. At the start of the conference, we had several meetings together, several interactive activities that we did together. We had a luncheon set up; networking events set up. And so, it was a nice structure that helped me kind of learn the ins and outs of navigating a large conference like CERF.

  • I made several friends in the group and we have kept in touch outside of the program!

Am I eligible?

By the application deadline, will you be an enrolled undergraduate student, graduate student, or within one year of graduation and seeking employment? Are you interested in estuarine and coastal systems? Do you face barriers to pursuing experiences in the field?2 Then you’re eligible!

You do not need to be a member of CERF to apply, nor do you need to plan to present at CERF 2025, though this is encouraged if you are interested.

What is in the application and how will scholars be selected?

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Applications are due 24 April 2025.

The application consists of general information about you, your academic status and experiences, demographic information (optional), and four short-answer questions (limit of 1,500 characters including spaces and punctuation, or about 250 words, per question) that describe:

  1. What are your interests in coastal and estuarine science, management, policy, and/or education and how do these relate to your personal career goals? It is okay to explain your uncertainty about your career path; applicants need only demonstrate interest or curiosity in the field and do not need to be committed to a specific coastal and estuarine career to be accepted.
  2. What, if any, barriers have you faced or do you face to participation in opportunities that would help you learn about and pursue a career in the coastal and estuarine fields? Opportunities include activities such as professional development not offered by your academic institution, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Barriers may be financial, caregiving responsibilities, limited options offered by your academic institutions, and similar.
  3. How will participation in Rising TIDES benefit you and what do you hope to get from the program?
  4. How will your participation benefit other participants in Rising TIDES and CERF?

Applicants may use AI-generated content (e.g., ChatGPT) to assist with responses to these questions, but we expect your responses to be in your own words and voice.

Applicants will be reviewed against a standard rubric with the following questions:

  1. How well does the applicant articulate an interest in coastal and estuarine science, management, policy, and/or education and relevant personal career goals?
  2. To what degree does the applicant face barriers to participating in opportunities that would help them to learn about and pursue a career in the coastal and estuarine fields?
  3. How well does the applicant articulate how Rising TIDES would benefit them and what they hope to get out of the program?
  4. How well does the applicant articulate how their participation would benefit other participants in Rising TIDES and CERF more broadly?

We anticipate 28 scholars to be accepted to the 2025-2026 cohort, contingent on available funding. To ensure geographic diversity of the cohort, each of our eight Affiliate Societies will select two scholars from their region. The final scholars will be selected from the remaining pool of applicants. Undergraduates, master’s, PhD students, and recent graduates will be reviewed separately, and scholars will be selected from the applicants from each pool. Demographic and academic experience responses will not be shared with reviewers; they will only be used to help the program leaders create a balanced cohort across academic stages and other dimensions of diversity (e.g., disciplinary interests, levels of experience, and social identity). This will allow for diverse mentoring pods that can best provide an enriching experience for all.

What is expected if I am accepted?

If accepted, scholars are expected to:

  • attend all in-person events in their entirety:
  • give a presentation (oral or poster) during at least one of the three in-person meetings (strongly encouraged, but not required) 
  • attend as many virtual events as possible, approximately every other month from September 2025 through October 2026
  • attend as many pod meetings as possible; each mentoring pod will agree to a regular meeting schedule, both at in-person events and virtual meetings in between conferences

We understand that it is difficult to schedule virtual meetings at times when all participants can attend; however, we expect scholars to make every effort to attend. If you do not attend all three in-person meetings in their entirety or do not attend at least 50% of the virtual meetings, you may not receive the full annual stipend and financial support for all in-person meetings.

Expect to be notified about decisions in early July. If you have any questions, please reach out to Amara Foster at afoster@cerf.science.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What costs are covered for the in-person events?

A: Rising TIDES pre-pays your conference registration and accommodations (hotel). We also cover the costs of meals and incidentals at the prevailing GSA per diem rate of the city where the conference is taking place in the form of a deposit to your account just before the conference. Transportation costs (e.g., airfare, parking, mileage) will be reimbursed after the conference following CERF reimbursement policies. In some cases, we may be able to pre-pay some transportation costs.

Q: Why is the stipend offered and what can it be used for?

A: We offer an annual stipend in recognition that scholars may incur unexpected costs to participating in Rising TIDES, such as taking unpaid time off of work to attend conferences, paying for childcare while attending conferences, and purchases such as luggage or additional clothes for the conferences. Scholars are free to use the funds as they feel is most appropriate and helpful to them. However, note that stipends are contingent on meeting expectations and will be proportionally allocated just before in-person meetings. 

Q: Are international students eligible? 

A: Yes, you do not need to be a US citizen or attending a US institution to apply. However, note that both the CERF conference and RAE Summit will be in the US, all Affiliate Societies meet in North America and the Caribbean, and most participants are based on the US mainland; therefore, international scholars may experience challenges with time zones for virtual meetings, long travel times, and programs geared primarily for North American students. In addition, additional fees such as applying for visas may not be covered by Rising TIDES (though can be covered by the stipend).

Q: Am I eligible if I graduate before the program starts/ends? 

A: Yes, as long as you are a student or graduated on or after 24 April 2025 and are actively seeking employment when you apply, you are eligible. This means you may be unemployed, have temporary employment (e.g., internship or fellowship), or have taken a job outside of your desired field as you search for a permanent job. 

Q: Does coastal arctic or coral reef interest and/or experience count as "coastal and estuarine"? 

A: Yes, arctic and coral reef research are considered relevant to CERF. If you are unsure if you qualify, contact Amara Foster (afoster@cerf.science). 

Q: As a recent graduate, I have been looking for a job (or exploring options to further my education), but it's been more than one year since I graduated. Am I still eligible? 

A: We understand that people in transition would benefit from participating in Rising TIDES and that sometimes it takes more than a year to secure employment. If you are a recent graduate seeking permanent employment but graduated before 24 April 2025, please contact Amara Foster (afoster@cerf.science) to inquire about an exception. 

Q: Will Rising TIDES cover the abstract submission fee for CERF 2025?

A: No, Rising TIDES is unable to cover the abstract submission fee; however, we hope the stipend will help scholars pay for this fee.

 1 Any current undergraduate student, graduate student, or person <1-year post graduation (undergraduate or graduate) and seeking permanent employment is eligible to apply. Exceptions may be made for those beyond one year of graduation if they are without a permanent position (see footnote 2). The goal of Rising TIDES is to provide support to those who face barriers to professional development, mentorship, and networking opportunities in the field (such as attending conferences) to pursue careers in coastal and estuarine science and management. Barriers may include limited opportunities to participate in coastal and estuarine programs because of limited finance, caregiving responsibilities, job obligations, limited options offered by your academic institutions, or similar.

2 Exceptions may be made for recent graduates who are more than one year post graduation and job hunting; contact Rising TIDES program coordinator Amara Foster (afoster@cerf.science) to explain your circumstances and to see if you are eligible to apply.