Shannon Hart (right) presenting a poster at an expert conference.
During her first year as a master's student in the Human and Environmental Sciences program, Shannon Hart had the opportunity to attend two conferences that changed the trajectory of her academic career.
“The conference improved my resume, my PhD application, my confidence, and my professional network,” she said. “Being able to attend these conferences gave me the confidence and experience to submit my paper. My paper was accepted and I presented it at another conference last semester.”
Without the travel grants provided through the Graduate School and International Education, Hart would not have been able to go to the conference. This travel grant helps fund travel for graduate students to conduct research and attend professional presentation, networking, and development conferences. their field.
GSIE offers two types of grants: “Presentation Travel Grants” for students who wish to give presentations at academic conferences and symposiums, and “Research Travel Grants” to support research activities necessary to complete doctoral dissertations. Provided for students.
Approximately 500 presentation grants of up to $1,100 are distributed each year to doctoral and master's degree students, and 150 presentation grants of up to $700 are distributed to master's degree and education professional students. In addition, Ph.D. and Ed.D. students can apply for an additional $2,000 travel grant when presenting at an international conference held outside the United States. Presentation travel grants for graduate students are limited to one per academic year and run from her July 1st to June 30th of the following year.
Approximately 100 research travel grants are distributed annually to doctoral students, half of which are allocated to outstanding doctoral students and fellows of the Doctoral Academy, and the other half to other doctoral students. The maximum grant amount is $1,100. A doctoral student can only receive a research travel grant once per year.
In the 2022-23 academic year, GSIE awarded more than 550 grants totaling more than $650,000 to graduate students. Kaviraj Khatiwada, a doctoral graduate student in the Environmental Dynamics program, works with his mentor Benjamin Runkle to travel and present his research at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting. obtained a grant for While there, he had the opportunity to meet his colleagues who strengthened his own research activities.
“Participating in the conference gave me ample opportunity to meet and interact with people working on similar topics from different parts of the world,” he said. “Coming to AGU, I realized that interacting with colleagues from different universities is an essential part of exploring new horizons in research. We can share experiences and learn from each other. This is a great way to meet new people and participate in the learning process together. ”
For more information on eligibility requirements and how to apply, please visit the GSIE website. Students may also contact the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Program Support at gradfund@uark.edu or 479-575-5869.
