The Asian Scholarship Program for in-situ Chelonian Conservation is a professional training experience comprising of one or more venues.

The predominate language is English for all of the ASPin-situCC venues. If your English is developed enough to apply, and correspond via e-mail, it is most likely good enough to participate. As a professional training experience, there is no academic credit available for participants

The "scholarship" is an award for the expenses associated with the ASPin-situCC.  These expenses include:

• ALL international and USA domestic travel;
• health insurance for non-preexisting conditions;
• lodging expenses at all venues;
• a modest stipend, intended for food;
• ALL fees and taxes associated with your in-USA venues; and
• a small grant for your professional development, or to aid you in your work to increase conservation awareness for your community.

The location of the primary experience is the Wetlands Institute, where the living condition are dormitory style.  That means that there are shared living areas for all of the other participants to the Terrapin Recovery Project, men and women, college age. Sleeping and bathroom facilities are separate, but the kitchen, laundry and study areas are all co-ed. The Terrapin Recovery Project typicaly runs from the last week in May to the first week in August (10 weeks). For the most part you will be at the Wetlands Institute for the whole of this ten weeks participating in all of the activities associated with the Terrapin Recovery Project. Accomodations at other venues vary, including local hotels, living in the home of the venue provider, or possible camping outside in a tent.

You are expected to keep a journal or diary of all of your activities, for possible publication. You will be expected to represent the ASPin-situCC at public meetings such as the Turtle Survival Alliance annual meeting, or others similar type events.  You may also solicit talks and posters at these meeting for any organization you represent other than the ASPin-situCC.

If you are selected as a participant you will recieve an official letter of invitation to aid in your USA visa application. The invitation letter is sent only after a scan of your passport is received. Your visa must be in-hand and scan sent to the ASPin-situCC before any travel arrangements or venues will be scheduled. A visa scan should be sent no later than the first week of March for the year of participation.

Getting a visa may be a difficult process, and it is expensive. Often visa applications/interviews at USA embassys are scheduled about four to six weeks ahead. You must find out how much advance is required to schedule a visa application/interview in your country so that you can have a visa in-hand no later than the first week of March for the year of participation.

Most potential participants apply between October and December of the year ahead of their desired year to participate. However applications are accepted at any time. Every effort will be made to get an official invitation letter to selected participants by mid January.  These times can be flexed a small amount, but frequently there are many well qualified applicants, and if you do not get all scans submitted in time, you will be asked to consider participating in a following year.

GOOD LUCK!