Florida Sea Grant is now accepting applications for the 2019 Aylesworth Scholarship. The deadline to apply is December 5, 2018.
Any student enrolled full-time at a Florida college or university whose research has a direct application in marine science is eligible to apply.
From journalism and education to biology and engineering to economics and food science, Aylesworth Scholarship recipients study many subjects that impact the fishing, seafood and marine industries. The scholarship is a joint effort of the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Science, the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the Florida Sea Grant College Program. Aylesworth scholarships worth $653,824 have been awarded to 121 students in 14 Florida universities over the past 30 years.
Ralph and Kitty Aylesworth, long-time members of the Florida fishing industry, established the Aylesworth Foundation for the Advancement of Marine Science in 1984. Since the mid 1940s, they operated the business currently known as Aylesworth’s Fish & Bait, Inc. in St. Petersburg.
The Aylesworths formed the foundation as a way to give back to the industry and state that had been so good to them and their family. They believed that scientific knowledge in marine-related areas, coupled with decisions based on environmental and conservation factors, would prove to be the only way to develop, use and manage our renewable marine resources on a long-term basis.
The scholarship program remains the cornerstone of the foundation’s activities, but the foundation’s goals have been expanded to include the funding of research and other educational activities that benefit Florida’s marine environment. Today the Aylesworth Foundation and Aylesworth’s Fish & Bait are operated by Ralph and Kitty’s son, Bobby, and his wife Dawn.
“Florida Sea Grant helps us find the brightest and most deserving students by advertising within the network of Sea Grant colleges, pre-screening candidates and then presenting our board with the cream of the crop,” Bobby Aylesworth said. “If you own a business in Florida, and are interested in establishing a program to support students, it’s easy to set up. You end up supporting the best students training in coastal and ocean topics.”
To learn more, and to see what some past Aylesworth scholars are doing today, read our latest Aylesworth Scholarship publication.
To apply for the 2019 Aylesworth scholarship, visit: https://archive.flseagrant.org/students/scholarships/aylesworth/
