In 2017, Dr. Herman’s family, colleagues and friends established the Louis M. Herman Research Scholarship to honor his legacy by promoting the type of research that was the focus of his groundbreaking studies.
The scholarship, administered by the Society for Marine Mammalogy and given every two years, is for US$5000. The scholarship supports a research project that contributes to our understanding of cetacean cognition and sensory perception (laboratory or field studies), or humpback whale behavioral ecology or communication. Work with other marine mammals that especially enhances our understanding of their cognitive abilities will also be considered.
Eligible candidates include graduate students and those students who have completed their Masters or PhD within the past three years.
Since its inception, the Scholarship has supported five exceptional projects and students.
- Eavesdropping on Whales – Does Humpback Whale Song Convey Genetic Quality? ~ Franca Eichenberger, University of St. Andrews
- Exploring vocal development in humpback whales ~ Julia Zeh, Syracuse University
- Do Bryde’s Whales Smell? ~ April Ettington, University of Auckland,
- Cognition in the wild: Dolphin communication during a role-specialized foraging tactic ~ Rebecca Hamilton, University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth
- Whales of the deep: Analyzing movement and diving of humpback whales to understand oceanic breeding congregations in New Caledonia ~ Solene Derville, Sorbonne Universités
Applications for 2024 scholarship will open in Fall 2023.
We are extremely grateful to all who have donated to help ensure that Dr. Herman’s innovative, creative, and scientifically rigorous approach to the study of the marine mammals he so loved will continue to live on in the future generations of marine mammal researchers he and his work inspire.
Please click here to donate to the Louis M. Herman Research Scholarship Fund.