Georgia Southern University Establishes Yamaha Rightwaters Conservation Scholarship

First Recipient Working to Pursue Career as a Fisheries Biologist

STATESBORO, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Georgia Southern University announced today the establishment of the Yamaha Rightwaters™ Conservation Scholarship. Supported by an ongoing endowment from Yamaha Rightwaters, the scholarship awards $5K annually to a student who exhibits outstanding efforts and commitment to improve coastal sustainability.

“The continued health and maintenance of our marine coastal environments is a key focus of Yamaha Rightwaters. It’s an honor to work with and support the next generation of dedicated conservationists. It will be their charge to carry the torch in the protection of our waterways,” said Martin Peters, Director, External Affairs, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “The opportunity to work with Georgia Southern^®, an outstanding university in Yamaha Marine’s home state, gives the new scholarship even greater significance. We look forward to following the recipients and applaud their efforts to pursue degrees that foster marine sustainability.”

Patrick Lewis, a Georgia Southern^® graduate student pursuing a Master of Science degree in Biology, is the first recipient of the Yamaha Rightwaters Conservation Scholarship. Lewis plans to use the funds to finalize the research needed to defend his thesis, which seeks to understand the variations in fish ecologies at the individual and community levels in response to environmental variables that act together to affect fish. He’s also studying how these relationships vary across regions of Georgia.

“Ultimately, my goal is to become a professional fisheries biologist at the state or federal level, where I can contribute to sound research concerning populations of fish across Georgia,” said Lewis, a native of Harris, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Marine Science from the University of Alabama^®. “I hope to combine the experiences I accrued over the years with science to achieve effective fisheries management, ensuring the sustainability of fishes and fishing for years to come.”

“It means a great deal to work with Yamaha Rightwaters in the pursuit of more sustainable marine environments through academic research,” said Trip Addison, President, Georgia Southern University Foundation. “This scholarship gives our students more support during their academic careers and also provides them with an example of an international company dedicated to impactful, conservation-oriented workforce development.”

Georgia Southern University will open applications for the 2024/2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Conservation Scholarship in the spring of 2024. Interested candidates may apply within their My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu portal, beginning in October.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers approximately 138 different degree programs serving more than 25,500 students through 10 colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia with expert faculty, the University is focused on public impact research and engaging learning opportunities through knowledge and know-how that prepare its students to take ownership of their lives, careers and communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.

Yamaha Rightwaters is a national sustainability program that encompasses all of Yamaha Marine’s conservation and water quality efforts. Program initiatives include habitat restoration, support for scientific research, mitigation of invasive species, the reduction of marine debris and environmental stewardship education. Yamaha Rightwaters reinforces Yamaha’s long-standing history of natural resource conservation, support of sustainable recreational fishing and water resources and Angler Code of Ethics, which requires pro anglers to adhere to principles of stewardship for all marine resources.

Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., markets and sells marine outboard motors ranging in size from 2.5 to 450 horsepower. It also markets and sells fiberglass, jet-drive sport boats ranging from 19 to 27 feet, and personal watercraft. The unit includes manufacturing divisions of Yamaha Marine Systems Co., Inc., including Kracor of Milwaukee (rotational molding), Bennett Marine of Deerfield Beach, Fla. (trim tabs), and Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers of Indianapolis (stainless steel propellers). Yamaha Marine Group is a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., based in Cypress, Calif.

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