Paying for traveling expenses and presenting research papers around the country just got easier for graduate students.
The Office of Research and Graduate Studies has decided to contribute to the funding already available, doubling the amount of money available to graduate students from $40,000 to $80,000.
400 — dollars for each graduate student travel grant
130 — number of grants awarded last year
34,000 — increase in dollars of travel fund
50 — number of grants awarded per semester in previous years
84 — number of grants that have been issued this semester
The University’s Graduate Student Paper Presenter Travel Fund was previously the sole provider of funding. The fund provided $400 grants to graduate students who traveled throughout the country to present research papers at regional and national conferences.
Last year, the Graduate & Professional Association awarded 130 grants to traveling graduate students. The fund could not support the number of graduate students who sought financial support. The funds were split so they would accommodate students traveling in each semester. Funding had to be closed after about 50 students received the travel grant.
Kevin Boatright, director of communications for RGS, said the office had ramped up its funding from $6,000 to $40,000 this year. He said presenting research papers was one way graduate students could get noticed in front of a national audience. The additional funding means more students will have the opportunity to present their research to a national audience.
In past years, the Graduate & Professional Association could fund only 50 grants each semester. Graduate students are taking advantage of the funding increase, claiming 84 grants already this semester.
Boatright said the increase in awards this semester was a sign that the additional funding was needed. He said he was glad the University was able to meet that need more effectively.
Uyanga Bazaa, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, graduate student, was forced to find a job to fund her travels when grants from the GPA ran out. Bazaa, a Fulbright Scholar, was discouraged from working because of the amount of work her research entailed. She said it took time and effort to find a job on campus.
“The whole process was really a hassle,” Bazaa said. “But in the end it was worth the effort.”
Although it was difficult, Bazaa raised enough money to attend an international conference in Canada last May; however, several of her classmates were unable to go because of a lack of funding.
Shuang Cai, Tianjin, China, graduate student, received the travel grant last year. She attended a conference for cancer research in San Diego in April, and the grant covered the cost of her round-trip flight. Cai said the grant was helpful in planning for the trip, but not receiving it wouldn’t have kept her from going.
— Edited by Arthur Hur
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