
2021 Tibor T. Polgar Fellows
Applications for a Polgar Fellowship should include:

The deadline for 2023 Tibor T. Polgar Undergraduate Fellowship Applications has passed.
The Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship program is a student research program of the Hudson River Foundation (HRF) conducted in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Named in honor of Dr. Tibor T. Polgar, a major participant in the early planning and development of the Foundation, this program provides a summer grant ($5,500 for each fellowship) and research funds (up to $1,500) for up to eight undergraduate students to conduct research on the Hudson River, under the guidance of a faculty mentor (mentors to receive a $1,000 honorarium).
Polgar Fellowships are open to undergraduate students only. Students beginning their junior or senior year in the Fall of 2023 are encouraged to apply.
The objective of the program is to enhance opportunities for students to conduct scientific and public policy research with a specific focus on projects studying the Hudson River, its watershed, and the people who live there. A primary goal of the program is to introduce and expose students to the research process through a career-stage appropriate, summer research experience, guided by strong mentoring. The Foundation therefore encourages all interested students, including those with no prior research experience, to apply.
The 2023 program:
Application Requirements and Procedures
Projects must be relevant to the Hudson River and Watershed but may approach those subjects from a variety of disciplines. Appropriate topics include: studies of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the River; or examinations of the social, economic, public policy, and environmental justice issues related to the River and Watershed. Projects must be designed to be completed no later than September 2023, allowing for submission of the final written report November 2023. Students will be expected to attend an orientation, mid-term progress, and final reports meeting; they are also required to submit a final written report due November 2023.
The Role of the Mentor
Because of the training and educational aspects of this program, each potential fellow must be sponsored by a primary mentor. The mentor must be willing to commit sufficient time for supervision of the research, to review fellow’s draft and final reports, and to attend the orientation and final report meetings with their students. Mentors will receive a stipend of $1,000. We ask all prospective mentors to read a brief description of our goals for the Fellowship and a mentor’s responsibilities. We strongly encourage potential mentors to contact the Foundation prior to the student submitting an application.
HRF is committed to serving the diverse communities of the Hudson River and to facilitating an ongoing and inclusive dialogue with scientists, managers, policy makers, other stakeholders, and the general public to address the environmental and societal challenges facing the community of the Hudson River and Watershed. We seek to enhance this work by supporting researchers and students, with the unique and varied backgrounds, circumstances, needs, and perspectives that reflect the diversity of our community.
The Hudson River Foundation and the NYS DEC HRNERR awarded six Polgar Fellowships in 2022.
Matthew DeMilt, Farmingdale State College SUNY: Explore Algae and Sessile Invertebrate Distribution and Composition Across Hudson River Sites. Supervisors: Peter Park and Amanda Shore
Jayda Smith, Mercy College: The Impact of Dams on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Diversity in the Bronx River. Supervisor: Robert Habig
Viviana Chavez, John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY: Pharmaceuticals and Drugs of Abuse in New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary Water. Supervisor: Marta Concheiro-Guisan
Noel Grace D’Antonio, Cornell University: Microplastics Pollution in the Hudson River Estuary. Supervisor: Maija Liisa Niemisto
Valentina Cerda, Marist College: Experimental Investigation of Water Chesnut’s Influence on Cyanobacteria in the Hudson River. Supervisor: Zion Klos
Gabrielle Robb, Pace University: Investigation the Distribution and Drivers of Invasive Trapa Natans in the Hudson River Estuary with a Multi-Scaled Approach. Supervisor: Wei Fang
Copies of previous Polgar Fellowship Program annual reports can be found here.