The James L. Patton Award was established in 2015 to promote and support museum-based research by graduate student members of ASM.  Each year, one $5000 award will be granted to facilitate the direct use of museum specimens, including travel costs to visit collections and associated analytical or equipment costs. The award honors Jim’s commitment to research collections and their use in understanding the diversity and evolution of mammals, his passion for mentoring young mammalogists, and his long-standing service to the society. The James L. Patton Award is a competitive fellowship. Both MS and PhD level students are encouraged to apply.  We particularly encourage proposals that include the direct inspection of museum collections, including both traditional and/or novel uses of spe