A scholarship is available for college students majoring in Art, Architecture, or related disciplines to attend the annual North Dakota Historic Preservation Conference May 1-3, 2009 in Bismarck, ND. The scholarship covers conference registration fees and lodging during the three-day event.

The annual North Dakota Historic Preservation Conference is an event sponsored by Preservation North Dakota, the state's private, non-profit, grassroots coalition for historic preservation. The 2009 Conference theme is “Building a Better Future with Our Historic Places.” It offers three expanded tours, thirteen educational sessions, and the opportunity to explore exciting options forward in historic preservation using better building and planning practices. Featured segments include historic preservation and green building philosophy and techniques, Native American perspectives on the past and future built environment in North Dakota, our historic bridges, and problems and solutions in repairing stone edifices.

These scholarships are made possible through the Rurik Ekstrom Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2005. The scholarship was created by family and friends in honor of Rurik Ekstrom, board member and past president of Preservation North Dakota. Rurik received his bachelor of Architecture from the University of Virginia and his Master of Fine Art from Yale University. He served as professor and chairman of the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at North Dakota State University located in Fargo, ND.

Students may apply for the Rurik Ekstrom Historic Preservation Scholarship by completing the online application – www.prairieplaces.org/scholarship.cfm.

The deadline for applications is April 3, 2009.