This $1,000 Skoch scholarship is presented each year to a Florida high school senior who plans to major in a coastal-related field of study at a Florida university or college. The award is based on competition in the State Science and Engineering Fair. Funding for the scholarship is provided by the Skoch family as a memorial to Chuck Skoch, who died in an automobile accident in 1995.
Eligible science fair topics should address topics related to:
Marine biology, fisheries science, marine aquaculture, seafood safety or technology, oceanography, ocean or environmental engineering, coastal water quality, coastal estuaries or habitats, coastal storms or hazards, or any other aspects of marine resource management
For more information on the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida, including future dates, visit the Florida Foundation for Future Scientists.
Chuck Skoch off the coast of Sanibel, Fla. Photo courtesy of Diane Skoch Durney
The legacy of Chuck Skoch:
Chuck Skoch was killed in an automobile accident at age 51. He left behind a 7-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.
Diane Skoch Durney, Chuck Skoch’s sister, wanted his name to be remembered. For 10 years, Durney was an administrative assistant to Jim Sullivan, director of California Sea Grant. She proposed the scholarship in Chuck’s name because he was an avid fisherman and seasonally captained private boats between Long Island, N.Y. and Florida. and strongly believed in education and sustainability of fisheries. Because Chuck and his family were Florida residents, Durney and Vilma Skoch, Chuck’s mom, decided to base the scholarship at Florida Sea Grant.
“The Chuck Skoch Florida Sea Grant Scholarship is a wonderful monument that will keep on giving to many deserving students in the future,” Durney said.