Small Travel Grants

MCRO students have two sources of funding beyond their laboratories to defray the costs of attending scientific conferences. Each can be utilized once.

The Department of Microbiology & Immunology has a two-tiered program to provide support for departmental students who will be presenting their research at national/international scientific conferences. A travel award of $1,000 is available for selective, high-profile conferences that have limited attendance (e.g., most Gordon Research Conferences, FASEB Summer Research Conferences, Keystone Symposia, etc.). For larger unrestricted meetings (e.g., ASM, ASV, or AAI annual meetings) or for narrowly focused meetings (e.g., the Herpesvirus Workshop, the Pseudomonas Conference, etc.), the Department will contribute $500 towards the student’s travel expenses. A graduate student is eligible for this one-time award after approval of the dissertation research proposal by their dissertation committee. To apply, send your request and proof that your talk or poster has been accepted for presentation to the Director of Graduate Studies and the Student Services Specialist.

The Graduate School also has a two-tiered program. In contrast to departmental awards, which can be used for any meeting expense (transportation, lodging, meeting registration, etc.), Graduate School Transportation Grants can only be used for transportation and pay up to $400 for domestic travel or up to $1,000 for international travel. More information and application instructions can be found here. The Graduate School makes transportation grants until their annual budget is exhausted, so the chance of obtaining a grant is higher in the fall than in the spring.

Last updated 2/3/2025.