The Origin and Maintenance of Biodiversity. Effective Isolation in Patchy and Fragmented Landscapes. The Teresa Heinz Scholars for Environmental Research program is a project of the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation. The program was created to encourage students to integrate environmental thinking across a range of disciplines. The Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation, which has offices in Washington, D. C. and Pittsburgh, is one of the Heinz Family Philanthropies, a group of funds chaired by Teresa Heinz.
Issues related to the environment and public health are top concerns of the foundation.
Elite panels consisting of distinguished scientists and environmentalists selected the beneficiaries of the grants. The researchers must complete their academic requirements by the end of April 2001 and submit the results of their studies to the Teresa Heinz Scholars Program. The Heinz Family Philanthropies also include the Heinz Family Foundation, which administers the prestigious Heinz Awards, a program created by Teresa Heinz to honor her late husband, Senator John Heinz and recognizes individual excellence and achievement. The 1999-2000 Heinz Award for the Environment will be among the most generous in its category in the world.