HHMI Travel Award Program
ABOUT THE AWARD:
The HHMI Travel Award Program provides funds for the most accomplished students to present their work at regional or national meetings. It is a great opportunity to broaden your exposure to the scientific community and present your research. You do not need to participate in the HHMI Undergraduate Science Program to qualify, but your research must be with a UMass faculty member. Award amount is determined on a case by case basis and there are no deadlines for this award. You may apply at any time and our committee reviews your request and notifies you of their decision within two weeks. University policy does not allow us to give cash advances and so, award funds are given in the form of reimbursement.
To apply, please download the Travel Award Application Form, which you can fill out from your computer, save it and email it to Sebastian Z. Ramos, szramos@bio.umass.edu.
*Please note the the application form's full features can only be used when the form is opened with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat*
If you have any questions, stop by our office in room 241D in the Integrated Sciences Building or email Sebastian Ramos at szramos@bio.umass.edu.
WHAT TRAVEL AWARD RECIPIENTS SAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE:
Jesse Punch
Biology Major
Class of 2009
ASCB Conference
Dec. 13-17, 2008
San Francisco, CA
"Attending the 2008 ASCB meeting in San Francisco was a priceless and enriching experience that has both drastically improved my understanding of the cell, and improved my poster presenting abilities. I attended numerous symposiums and lectures most were relevant to my work, but many were not. Listening to postdocs and professors talk about their research in a symposium plays a duel purpose. On one hand, I get to learn about novel ideas in science, and on the other, I get to observe speakers in action. At the poster session, I stood at my poster for a few hours and talked to countless scientists about my research. Being able to present to an audience that is familiar with your field or model organism is a much different experience than presenting at a local poster session. Instead of dwelling on the introduction, and basic information required to understand my material, I could jump right into the science. You also get to enjoy a new region of the country that you would otherwise not be able to visit. Without the help of HHMI, I would not have had the freedom to enjoy the meeting without worrying about how I was going to pay for it. I strongly encourage anyone who is proud of their data, wants to present it, and wants to get new insight on the research they are conducting to try to attend a meeting like the ASCB."
Read Jesse's published abstract in Current Biology.
Christina Vorvis
Biology Major
Class of 2008
ASCB Conference
Dec. 1-5, 2007
Washington, D.C.
"In my last year as an undergraduate research student in Dr. Lee’s lab, I was awarded an HHMI travel scholarship to attend and participate in the 47th Annual Meeting for the American Society for Cell Biology (12/1-12/5). I attended an exciting variety of mini-symposia lectures on dynamic topics ranging from structural biology to genetics. In addition, the poster sessions provided a unique opportunity for me to meet and interact with cell biologists from all around the world. It was an enriching experience to be surrounded with graduate students, professors and principal investigators who share the same passion for biomedical research. On the last day of the conference I presented a poster and explained the preliminary data that has come out of my work in the lab. It was rewarding to discuss my findings and exchange ideas with researchers whose interest was peaked after reading my abstract. "
Read Christina's published abstract in Yeast.