Ronald Ryel Natural Resource
Conservancy Scholarship

The Ronald J. Ryel Natural Resource Conservancy Scholarship was established in 2014 through the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources (QCNR) at Utah State University. The Scholarship fund was endowed by a generous gift from Dr. Ron Ryel and his spouse Dr. Melanie Spriggs. Annual awards from the Scholarship fund provide direct educational support for QCNR students who intend to become natural resource professionals in an agency or non-governmental organization.

Dr. Ron Ryel (1955 - 2015) was a productive faculty member in QCNR for 11 years, where his focus was on plant ecology and physiology. During this time, Ron was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship with the Instituto Superior de Agronomia in Lisbon, Portugal. Before coming to USU, Ron spent 20 years as a consulting scientist for natural resource managers in the U.S and as a guest scientist at several universities in Germany. His research endeavors were taxonomically diverse, involving an array of birds, fish, and plants, but were unified by having direct utility in natural resource management. He was a valued member of the USU research community, and was an energetic driver behind many successful research initiatives. During his career, one of Ron’s greatest joys was working with graduate students, training the scientists of tomorrow.

The family will be notified of your generous gift.