travel grant phd students

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Travel funding opportunities.

The Graduate School is pleased to provide research degree students (M.A./M.S., Ph.D., J.S.D., D.M.A., M.F.A.) the opportunity to travel the world to enhance their scholarship. Eligible students are encouraged to apply for grant funding related to professional conferences, research travel, or summer language education.

• Conference Grant
• Research Travel Grant
• Summer Foreign Language Grant

Conference Grant – Application Form (Online)

The Graduate School offers Conference Grant awards of up to $700 to research degree students to attend a professional conference at which they are presenting. Online conference presentations are eligible for a grant of up to $200. Grant amounts are detailed in the  Locations and Awards PDF . See the application form for more information about eligibility requirements and instructions. Conference grants are reviewed by the 9th of the month preceding the month in which the conference occurs, and grants are awarded to eligible students by the 15th of the preceding month. Applications are accepted up to 30 days following the end of the conference date.  

Students are eligible for one conference grant per year and must be within time to degree limits. Masters students are eligible for conference travel grants starting in their first semester until the end of the eighth semester of enrollment.  Ph.D. students are eligible for conference travel grants starting in their first semester until the end of the fourteenth semester of enrollment.

Research Travel Grant – Application Form (Online)

The Graduate School awards grants of up to $2,500 for Ph.D. degree students and $1,000 for master’s degree students for travel that is directly related to dissertation and thesis research, not conference travel. Recipients must be enrolled (full-time or in absentia) in a graduate research degree program (M.A./M.S., M.F.A., D.M.A., J.S.D., or Ph.D.) through the Graduate School and be registered at the time of the award. Master’s degree students up to their eighth semester of study and Ph.D. students up to their 14th semester of study are eligible to apply. (Note that the post-A exam requirement has been waived beginning with Spring 2022 submissions.)

In a typical year, the Graduate School awards 50-65 grants. Applications are due annually on October 1, February 1, and April 1 with a call for applications circulated a month prior to the deadline. Decisions will be announced by the first of the month following the application deadline. For example, decisions will be announced by November 1 for the October 1 deadline. See the application form for more information about eligibility requirements and instructions.

For students managing mental health while away from campus, please visit the Mental Health While Away from Campus page.

Learn more about graduate students who have received travel grants:

• MacKenzie Pierce, Musicology
• Jiai Zhang, Food Science and Technology
• Mariano Sanchez Talanquer, Government
• Kalia Bistolas, Microbiology

Summer Foreign Language Grant – Application Form (Online)

Grants of up to $1,000 are offered to research degree students for summer travel to foreign countries for intensive (non-English) language instruction. See the application form for more information about eligibility requirements and instructions. Applications are due by April 15 with a call for applications occurring a month prior to the deadline.

Important Notification:  To ensure the safety of all Cornell students traveling on university-related activities, students traveling internationally must enter their travel itinerary and contact information into Cornell’s International Travel Registry . In addition, those traveling to high-risk countries must get approval for such travel from the International Travel Advisory and Response team (ITART).

Travel grants for early career researchers

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UCLA Graduate Programs

UCLA Doctoral Student Travel Grants for Conferences, Professional Development and Off-Campus Research (DTG)

The purpose of the Doctoral Travel Grant (DTG) is to encourage eligible UCLA doctoral students to present their work and network at conferences in their field, to support travel associated with off-campus research and to enable students to take advantage of off-campus professional development opportunities

Eligibility

• Doctoral students with PhD, DEnv, and DMA degree objectives are eligible. Students enrolled in the Medicine MD, Dentistry DDS, and Law JD programs are not eligible. Students in self-supporting programs (e.g., EdD, MBA) are not eligible. Doctoral students who seek a classification change to a Master program are not eligible for this award once the classification change has been approved.
• US citizens, permanent residents, international or registered California AB540 students. For international students, funding is subject to eligibility in regard to visa type. For those under AB540, funding will be provided only if AB131 is still in effect for the duration of the award.
• Doctoral students may or may not be advanced to candidacy at the time of travel.
• Students must engage in the activity and seek reimbursement within seven years of entering the doctoral program. This time period includes those terms when students were engaged in master’s-degree study during the course of their doctoral program.  Students in their eighth doctoral year and beyond are not eligible for this funding.
• Student must not have any unresolved incompletes (I grades) on record at the time the travel took place.
• Student must have been registered/enrolled in a minimum of 12 units during the academic term in which the research/travel/professional activity took place and for which reimbursement is being requested. For summer travel, the student must have met this requirement in the previous Spring quarter and register/enroll in the subsequent Fall. In absentia registration is acceptable. Students are eligible to request funding that occurs in the last week of the term prior to filing their dissertation, if they have registered and enrolled for the term.
• $1,000 ($100 minimum for each reimbursement request)
• Funds are reimbursed in the form of a financial support award. For international students, this means that appropriate taxes will be withheld
• Each eligible new and continuing UCLA doctoral student will be provided up to $1,000 total reimbursement that can be used, in whole or in part, at any time through the student’s seventh year in the doctoral program, as long as the student and the activities meet the eligibility requirements
• Past recipients of the Dissertation Year Award (DYA) are no longer eligible for this program.

Allowable Expenses

Expenses may include:.

• Transportation
• Lodging (at a commercial venue; no stays at someone’s home)
• Conference/Workshop registration and fees (which may include meals for participants)

Expenses may not include:

• Computer or other electronics or equipment (e.g., MP3 player, camera)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Transcription services
• Dissertation editing
• Tuition and/or fees for credit-bearing courses
• Recreation/social events
• Incidentals during trip
• Supplies, materials & other costs associated with the research or professional development activity (e.g., software, flash drive, etc.)
• Payment to participants or research study subjects

Funds must be requested within a reasonable amount of time, no earlier than 30 days prior to travel and not to exceed 30 days after travel has been completed. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

Student Procedures

By participating, students understand that they are giving their consent to disclose application information to University officials and to relevant funding committees.

• Click on the link for the DocuSign form.
• Enter Full Name – Department in the name field. Please note that a copy of the completed form will be sent to the email address.
• Do not edit or delete the [email protected] Sending the form to askgrad email is required for processing.
• Select all types of activity that are applicable – Conference Travel, Professional Development, Field Research.
• Students can submit multiple forms if they have more than ten items.
• Provide details about the expenses in the additional information field, such as the name of the professional organization, conference or other information about the expenses.
• Students who are presenting at a conference must attach proof of invitation or proof of attendance.
• A form cannot be edited once it is submitted. Students can submit a new form to correct a mistake. Be sure to include a note about the new form in the additional information section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I request for the Doctoral Travel Grant in advance, before my trip occurs?

Can travel for eligible activities through the Doctoral Travel Grant originate from anywhere in the world to my selected destination or must travel originate from Los Angeles?

We place no restrictions upon where travel starts.

I am applying for the Doctoral Travel Grant. My travel may include a stop to visit family or friends or for other personal purposes. Given this, which portion of my travel would be covered?

Only the portion(s) that directly pertain to conference, research and/or professional development activities.

I have $500.00 left in my Doctoral Travel Grant fund and no future need to use these remaining funds. Can I transfer my balance to another UCLA doctoral student?

No, funds are exclusive to the student and are non-transferable.

I’ve learned that I’m ineligible to participate in the Doctoral Travel Grant program. How can I appeal for funding?

There are no avenues for appeal. We encourage you to reach out to your home academic department for resources.

How do I ask for funding beyond the $1,000 maximum under the Doctoral Travel Grant program?

The maximum a student may receive from the DTG funding is $1,000. If you need additional  funding, please contact your home academic department.

I have expenses for multiple trips. How do I submit these requests for the Doctoral Travel Grant?

You can submit one docusign and notate under the “Additional Information” section where you are going and the types of activity that will be done during your trips.  The minimum request must be at least $100.00.

Will I need to provide documentation of the conference or receipts/invoices for the trip?

No. The form will allow you to list your expenses. No receipts, invoices, or documentation will be needed.

Is there a minimum amount of reimbursement necessary to apply for the Doctoral Travel Grant?

The minimum award amount must be $100.

What constitutes off-campus professional development reimbursable under the Doctoral Travel Grant?

Workshops or summer research institutes designed to promote research knowledge, skills, mentorship and networking opportunities that are short-term and non-credit-granting/non-grade-based.  Academic-based courses are not eligible.

Eligible: www.nursing.upenn.edu/live/news/529-penn-nursing-hosts-the-15th-annual-summer-research  

Not Eligible: www.mbl.edu/education/courses/neurobiology/

Do conferences, professional development and/or research activities conducted on campus qualify under the Doctoral Travel Grant program?

Yes. However, you are encouraged to participate in activities that are external to UCLA.

Will conferences, professional development and/or research activities conducted off-site but administered via UCLA qualify for the Doctoral Travel Grant program?

Yes. However, you are encouraged to participate in activities that are not affiliated with UCLA.

Can I request for funds through the Doctoral Travel Grant for attending a conference?

Yes, if you meet all eligibility criteria.

May a UCLA doctoral student be reimbursed through the Doctoral Travel Grant for registration costs of workshops or seminars offered by the conference?

May a UCLA doctoral student who is on a Leave of Absence or who withdrew during the quarter they attended the conference receive funds from the Doctoral Travel Grant?

No, a student must be registered or enrolled in a minimum of 12 units or be  in-absentia when they travel.

If a UCLA doctoral student is registration  in-absentia during the quarter they attended the conference, research or professional development, will a Doctoral Travel Grant request be permitted?

Yes, the student may apply for reimbursement.

A UCLA doctoral student attended a conference in the summer and is not registering for the following fall term. The student has filed or is on leave of absence. Can this student receive the Doctoral Travel Grant?

Does the UCLA doctoral student have to be considered a domestic student in the United States to qualify for the Doctoral Travel Grant?

No, both international and domestic students who are registered and enrolled in the quarter they travel are qualified for reimbursement.

Does the Division of Graduate Education reimburse the student directly for approved Doctoral Travel Grants?

I’m a dual degree candidate at UCLA. Am I eligible for Doctoral Travel Grant funding?

You are eligible only if you were under a qualified doctoral degree track while undertaking conference, research and/or professional development activity. This applies to students with PhD, DEnv, DrPH and DMA degree objectives at UCLA. If you happen to be under a degree track such as MD at the time you engaged in conference, research and/or professional development activity, you would not qualify for funding.

Graduate School

• Request Information
• Research Travel Grants

What are Research Travel Grants?

Research Travel Grants (RTG) are small grants that support research travel, both domestically and internationally, in preparation for a student’s thesis or dissertation. RTGs do not support travel to present at conferences.

Funding for these grants generously comes from the following endowments:

• Class of 1890 Fellowship
• Walter B. Cline Memorial Fellowship
• Norman J. Dewitt Memorial Award in Humanities
• Albert Howard Award
• Frieda M. Kunze Fellowship
• Patrick R. and Kathryn J. Lewis Graduate Fellowship Fund
• Eva O. Miller Fellowship
• Shevlin Fellowship
• Hugh J. and Elizabeth R. Thompson Fellowship Fund
• Alexander P. Anderson and Lydia Anderson Fellowship

HOW MUCH IS THE AWARD?

Doctoral candidates: up to $3,000

Doctoral pre-candidates: up to $1,500

Master’s students: up to $500

Grant awards do not provide tuition and/or health insurance benefits.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

• U.S. citizens, permanent residents, graduate students lawfully in the U.S. on a non-temporary basis, MN Dream Act graduate students, and International students
• Applicants must be actively pursuing a research-based graduate degree at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities or Duluth campuses
• Applicants must be enrolled in tuition-bearing credit at the graduate tuition rate during the term in which they apply
• Applicant must have research travel days during the term in which they apply
• Applicants are eligible to receive one award at pre-candidacy level (master’s or doctoral pre-candidate) and one award at candidacy level
• Master's students are ineligible if they have already received a Judd Travel Grant; cannot receive RTG and Judd Grants simultaneously
• Doctoral candidates are ineligible if they have previously received a Thesis Research Travel Grant
• Applications for conference travel will not be considered

HOW DO I APPLY?

Graduate students apply directly through the electronic application form .

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE?

Applications accepted October 1-31 for Fall research travel (selection by November 15)

Applications accepted February 1-28 for Spring research travel (selection March by 15)

Applications accepted June 1-30 for Summer research travel (selection by July 15)

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION MATERIALS?

The applicant will upload a single PDF of the application materials in the following order:

• Research Proposal (1-page maximum), see details below
• Budget Statement
• Curriculum Vitae (2-page maximum), see details below
• IRB/IACUC Documentation, see details below
• Unofficial UMN graduate transcript

Depending on the nature and location of your proposed research, you may need to submit additional application items. Please see the FAQ below for more details.

Required PDF title format: Last Name, First Name - Name of Graduate Program

WHAT IS THE REVIEW AND LOTTERY SELECTION?

The Graduate School Fellowship Office (GSFO) and an interdisciplinary faculty review committee review all applications each cycle to determine 1) eligibility requirements are met and 2) application is recommended for funding. All applications recommended for funding will go into a lottery system, one recommended by UMN OIT, for award selection.

APPLICATION MATERIAL DETAILS

+ research proposal.

• One-page maximum , single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman type, 1-inch margins. Key references, diagrams, or pictures may be included (they are not required) on a single additional appendix page (no formatting requirements).
• Include a working title for your research project at the top of the proposal.
• Describe your research plan in terms that are accessible to a non-specialist. Avoid jargon. If jargon must be used, please define the language.
• Explain the importance of the proposed travel and the direct impact it will have on your thesis or dissertation.
• If your research is part of a larger group project, be specific about your role and independent contribution.

+ CURRICULUM VITAE

• Two-page maximum , single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman type, 1-inch margins
• Focus on publications, presentations, academic accomplishments, and awards

+ IRB/IACUC DOCUMENTATION

Please consult the IRB and/or IACUC webpages for additional information.

If your research involves Human or Animal Subjects, provide the date of IRB/IACUC approval and documentation of approval (1-2 pages).

If your project involves human or animal subjects but IRB/IACUC told you that approval is not needed then provide the email or letter stating this decision.

If your Advisor has IRB/IACUC approval that covers this research project then provide that approval page (1-2 pages).

If your research does not involve Human or Animal subjects then submit the Human Subjects Statement (requires Advisor signature).

If your IRB/IACUC application is still pending, provide documentation to show the submitted request (1-2 pages). Once received, IRB/IACUC approval can be submitted directly to [email protected]. If selected to receive a Research Travel Grant, funding is contingent upon proof of IRB/IACUC approval and/or decision.

+ Do I need to obtain a language evaluation to conduct my research?

If you are conducting research in another language and you are not a native speaker of the language, you will need to obtain a language evaluation. Please email [email protected] for more information.

If you are a native speaker of the language, please include a signed statement indicating the language which will be used to conduct research and that you are a native speaker of that language. You may sign this statement yourself.

+ Do I need to obtain a letter of affiliation?

Depending on the nature and location of your proposed research, you may need a letter of affiliation.

A letter of affiliation demonstrates to faculty reviewers that, if selected to receive grant funding, you will be able to successfully carry out your proposed research. Reviewers are hesitant to approve funding if there is any doubt that the research can be successfully conducted.

If you are conducting research in a library archive, museum, or other public space, you can submit an email from an employee that verifies that you will have access to the required materials. If the archive/materials in question are available to the public, you can include a copy of the webpage highlighting the pertinent information.

If you have questions about a letter of affiliation, please email [email protected] .

+ Do I need a letter of affiliation to conduct surveys?

Yes, because you will want to provide proof to reviewers that you will be able to successfully conduct your proposed research. If you are conducting surveys, please provide documentation that demonstrates your ability to connect with the appropriate resources (e.g. community, business, and/or scholarly contacts).

+ WHAT ARE THE DATES CONSIDERED FOR EACH CYCLE?

The cycles correspond to the semesters or terms in the current academic year.

Fall cycle requests are accepted for research travel start and/or end dates between September 1 - December 31.

Spring cycle requests are accepted for research travel start and/or end dates between January 1 - May 31.

Summer cycle requests are accepted for research travel start and/or end dates between June 1 - August 31.

The travel dates can span more than one term. Applicants should apply to a cycle during which they will have some or all of their travel days taking place. In addition, in order to be eligible for funding, if selected, the applicant must be enrolled in the corresponding fall semester, spring semester, or summer term in which they are applying for an RTG.

If travel dates span more than one semester, and an applicant is not selected for funding during one cycle then they can apply again during the next cycle that contains research travel dates.

+ How is the RTG funding disbursed?

Research Travel Grants (RTG) count as estimated financial aid assistance and are disbursed via scholarship upload to a recipient's student account. Once posted to the student account, and if there is no current past due balance, then the RTG will disburse into a recipient's bank account via direct deposit, if set up, or a paper check will be mailed to the address on file.

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Graduate School

Graduate school travel funds.

• Financing & Support
• Internal Funding & Appointments

The Graduate School provides support for doctoral and master's students traveling for research, to present at conferences, and for other scholarly activities.

Four travel funding awards are provided by the Graduate School: the Conference Travel Fund, the International Travel Fund, the Doctoral Research Travel Grant, and the Joukowsky Summer Research Award. An overview is available in the Graduate School Travel Funding Summary Table and below. Please visit the individual fund webpages for more details about the eligibility requirements for each.

All applications and associated documentation must be submitted online through UFunds . Students can apply for funding for their upcoming travel at any time using the application currently available in UFunds (travel dates do not need to fall into the semester listed in the application title). Please email [email protected] with any questions.

All travel must follow Brown University travel policies. International travel, in particular, may require prior approval, following the University’s International Travel Policies . Transactions with comprehensively embargoed countries , including certain academic collaborations and the exchange of research materials, may require authorization from the government. If you are considering collaborating with or traveling to an embargoed country, you must contact Brown's Export Control Team well in advance.

Graduate School Travel Awards

Conference travel fund, international travel fund, doctoral research travel grant, joukowsky summer research award.

The Conference Travel Fund, International Travel Fund, and Doctoral Research Travel Fund all follow a funding cycle based on the academic year (June 1 through May 31). Students have a maximum amount of funding available to them each academic year. For eligible students, this includes one International Travel Fund award, one Doctoral Research Travel Grant award, and up to $700 in Conference Travel Funds (which could consist of multiple applications and awards). 

The academic year that awarded funding counts towards is always determined by the end date of the travel associated with the award . The date a student applies, is awarded funding, or requests reimbursement does not affect the academic year the award counts toward.

Graduate School travel awards are processed as reimbursements by a student’s home department. Prepaid expenses such as airfare and prepaid hotel rooms can be submitted for reimbursement prior to travel. Expenses that are not paid for in advance, as well as per diem meals, can be submitted once the student returns from travel. All documentation should be submitted to a student’s home department for processing within 30 days of the completion of travel.

Please refer to the Graduate Travel Fund Reimbursement Guidelines for details about the reimbursement process and what documentation to submit.

• Graduate Student Council Conference and External Travel Funding
• Student Research Grants in Judaic Studies
• SPIN+ external funding database
• Research Mobility Fellowship

We encourage students to check with their Director of Graduate Study (DGS), advisor, or program administrator about program funding that might be available.

PhD Network

Travel funding.

The PhD Network offers travel funding to enable PhD students to present research in venues that will provide professional development and visibility to enhance careers.

• PhD students are invited to make a request once a year for up to $500 in travel funding from the PhD Network.   Students are encouraged to submit funding requests two months prior to the event to allow major expenses to be paid in advance (by the student’s department) if an award is given.  Requests for travel funding are reviewed the first week of each month.  All requests made by the last day of the previous month will be reviewed with decisions announced within 2 weeks.  It is expected that requests for travel funding will be matched with another source and does not exceed 50% of the total cost of the travel.  For example, a trip that costs $800 will be awarded a maximum of $400 in PhD Travel Funding (not $500). The student’s advisor, department, or college will be expected to contribute a minimum matching $400. Individual PhD student start-up funding may not be used as the matching source.

Please read the PhD Network Travel Funding Policy before applying. Please direct questions to [email protected] .

Complete the form below to request travel funding.  In addition to answering the questions below, you will be asked to upload a single document in the form of a pdf file:

• A short proposal describing how you intend to use PhD Network travel funds.

Upload a pdf file consisting of your proposal for the use of the PhD Network travel funds.

Your proposal should include, in this order:

a) Describe the purpose of the travel

b) Describe the visibility to you and your PhD program resulting from the travel

c) Describe the benefit to your dissertation research and to your career

d) A detailed travel budget including transportation, accommodation, up to $60/day for food, registration fee(s), other anticipated expenses, in this format :

e) Explain the source of matching funds. Individual PhD student start-up funding may not be used as the matching source.

f) Include a description of outcomes if the requestor has received PhD Network travel funds previously

g) Acceptance letter for any presentation (paper or poster), role or relevant invitation applicable to your attendance at the meeting.

• Stanford Biosciences

Travel Grant Reimbursement Program

Traveling to conferences is an important part of your professional and academic development — and can be a fun experience! To encourage student participation in conferences, we have established a fund to help with professional travel. The funds are available to all PhD graduate students in good standing within the Biosciences or Bioengineering.

The OGE Travel Grant Reimbursement Program is used to help graduate students* defray registration, travel, food, and/or lodging costs associated with conferences. The award is given as a reimbursement after conference travel occurs, and requires the submission of adequate documentation.

*Please note: this award reimburses expenses incurred directly by students, and does not reimburse any expenses paid via a student’s department/program, PI, or lab. Requests for exceptions to this policy cannot be granted.

Students have used OGE Travel Grant money to attend hundreds of different conferences, both international and domestic. For example, the grant has subsidized student attendance at the following:

• American Society of Human Genetics
• Environmental Data Science Summit
• International Conference for Conservation Biology
• …and many more!

Application and Review Schedules

*Dates are subject to change. Conference travel occurring in August 2024 will be eligible for reimbursement in the Autumn 2024-25 application cycle.

  Because funds are extremely limited: we hope that students from labs with sufficient travel support will not apply; allowing us to support those whose travel hinges on receiving additional support.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW

(the above link will be live only during the application open/close dates)

Applicant Eligibility

• PhD student in the Biosciences or Bioengineering, student must be actively enrolled in the quarter they are seeking reimbursement (ie. not on leave)
• Must be attending a meeting or conference organized by professional societies, universities, institutes, or other academic organizations.
• You must provide documented evidence that you will be presenting a research paper or poster during the conference. Students attending conferences but not presenting posters or talks are not eligible for reimbursement via this award.
• Expenses submitted for reimbursement must follow current University policy and guidelines. Policy may change without prior notice, please review the Administrative Guide 5.4.2 and the Stanford Travel Program for the most current information.

Award details

• Please note: this award reimburses expenses incurred directly by students, and does not reimburse any expenses paid via a student’s department/program, PI, or lab. Requests for exception to this policy cannot be granted.
• Travel Grant applications will be reviewed for eligibility, completeness, and processed through the SOM Office of Graduate Education. Upon receipt of the award, students will then submit requested materials for a final reimbursement review via the finance team. Without proper supplemental materials (proof of travel, conference program, etc.) your reimbursement amount may differ from the amount awarded via the Travel Grant.
• Due to COVID-19, University policy surrounding Stanford-sponsored travel can change at any time. Please review the Stanford-sponsored travel policy and requirements regarding COVID-19 and other considerations as well as the OGE policies prior to applying. 

Travel Expense Guidelines

In order to be eligible for reimbursement via this award, the following University policies must be followed, exceptions not listed below will not be granted.

Reservations, Flight, and Food Policies

• Booking outside of Stanford Travel: https://fingate.stanford.edu/business-travel-expenses/policy/lodging#anchor-11261
• Please follow pricing guides: https://fingate.stanford.edu/business-travel-expenses/policy/lodging
• When booking lodging via Stanford Travel, please visit this resource to determine the maximum nightly allowance:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ifvNIuwgZdmcH33RBC8rHfWXuW63_X0EcTkBSueQv2I/edit#heading=h.l8qjzq82ocgg . Please adhere to the travel policy, if your costs exceed this guideline, you will be asked to provide a rational and reasonable explanation in order to be eligible for reimbursement.
• Flights: must be booked through the Stanford Travel Program. Booking through Stanford Travel provides the university with location access to assist travelers should the need arise. Travel with an exemption to the booking requirement must use the convenient i tinerary-forwarding service to accomplish the same objective. For international and domestic flights, ONLY Economy class is eligible for reimbursement.
• If your conference provides lodging, and you wish to take advantage of that opportunity, you are welcome to do so. If you choose to book lodging via your conference, you must register your travel via the itinerary-forwarding service , as that booking is outside of the Stanford Travel Program.
• Travel Meals will be reimbursed on a Per Diem ( no receipts required ) basis up-to, but not exceeding, the $1,000 award. All meals provided by a conference must be deducted from the per diem claim. Please review Per Diem Rates . Utilizing the per diem saves the traveler and administrative staff the hassle of needing to collect, save, and process receipts for all meals during the travel period. 
• For International Travel, please check current university-sponsored travel guidelines to determine if pre-approval is required. Pre-approval will need to be submitted during the reimbursement phase.

Failure to follow these guidelines and utilize Stanford Travel and/or the itinerary-forwarding service may result in a dismissal of your Travel Grant Application, or a reduced award.

Reimbursements are made via Direct Deposit; please allow 3 – 4 weeks for processing after confirmation that all of your receipts have been received and submitted.

Award Policies & Supplemental Materials

Please review the following policies and instructions prior to applying for the travel grant.

In order to receive a reimbursement via the Travel Grant award you must follow these instructions, and submit all requested materials. Failure to submit the proper materials may result in a reduced reimbursement. Please read the following policies to ensure that you are keeping all appropriate documents and materials during your travel.

The following instructions are for those applicants awarded the Travel Grant:

• To ensure travel reimbursement for domestic and international trips, Stanford travelers must upload proof of COVID vaccination prior to departure, through health check.
• Title of your presentation/paper/research/poster (write out all acronyms)
• Conference registration receipt indicating the paid amount
• A copy of your meeting/conference program or schedule (no website link, we need the actual .pdf)
• A completed student certification form , signed by your PI (you do not need to list the transaction number; make sure you put the correct dates (airfare dates or actual dates of departure and return) on the form)
• Copy of your flight and boarding passes (include a screenshot if you use a mobile ticket)
• Itemized receipts (excluding food), indicating amount of payment, for any expenses you wish to claim (e.g., flight, lodging, conference registration, ground transportation)
• Copy of award letter email (attach the email with your reimbursement)

For international travel only :

• Please check current university-sponsored travel guidelines to determine if pre-approval is required for international travel; if this is required; please include this proof of pre-approved travel with the above.
• If you paid in currency other than US$ currency please use Oneida to complete your conversion rate:   https://www1.oanda.com/currency/converter/

Reimbursements via this award cannot be processed:

• Without documentation confirming you presented at your conference/meeting.
• For any expenses incurred by a department or lab ; only those expenses for which the awardee has paid for and for which the awardee can produce receipts will be reimbursed via this award.
• Until after all travel has been completed or after the conference or meeting occurs.
• Until all relevant receipts and information have been received.

Document submission : Awardees must submit ALL OF THE REQUESTED MATERIALS within two weeks after travel has been completed or after the conference or meeting occurs.

  We also ask that recipients of this award participate in the fall SBSA poster session following their travel to share their exciting work with fellow students. 

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Travel Grants

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Deadlines : Applications are due no later than one month prior to travel. Decisions are made on a rolling basis, and grants are awarded based on the availability of funds.

Award Amount : Award amounts vary by distance and are contingent upon the applicant’s advisor paying 50% of the student’s expenses. If a student receives additional external funds (such as travel assistance from the conference organizers), the faculty advisor must commit to paying half of the remaining expenses. (The student must also provide documentation to show receipt of other funds.) Awards amounts are: $300 for travel within the State of California, $500 for travel within the United States, and $700 for international travel. Candidates for Travel Awards are eligible to receive one award per fiscal year, contingent on the availability of funds. In the case of limited funds, eligible candidates who have not already been recipients of WiSE Travel Awards will be given preference.

Students who receive an offer for funding from both WiSE and the Graduate Student Government for the same conference  MUST choose one award.

Directions : Doctoral students and Postdoctoral Scholars should submit an online application. One of the proven ways to increase the representation of women in math, science, and engineering is to provide young scholars at the beginning of their careers with opportunities for exposure to professional research-oriented meetings. Not only are they recognized for their research, they also have the opportunity to meet well-known scientists, other students, and successful women faculty who can serve as role models.

To this end, the WiSE Program provides travel grants to USC Ph.D. students or postdoctoral scholars in math, science and engineering departments on the University Park Campus to attend scientific meetings where they will present their own work, in cases where either the participation by the student or the subject matter of the student’s talk or poster serves to increase the representation of women in science and engineering. In the case of an undergraduate student, as long as the student is a co-author of the abstract, they are also eligible to apply.

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Goal:  To provide young scholars at the beginning of their careers with opportunities for professional exposure in scientific meetings, the WiSE Program will provide travel grants to USC Ph.D. students or postdoctoral fellows in science and engineering departments on the University Park Campus. Support will be approved in cases where either the participation by the candidate or the subject matter of the candidate’s talk or poster serves to increase the representation of women in science and engineering. The primary goal of the program is to benefit the student’s scholarly development through participation in a professional environment.

Eligibility:

• The applicant must be a full-time USC graduate student or postdoctoral fellow in a  WiSE-eligible department  in the Viterbi School of Engineering or USC Dornsife.
• Undergraduate students in the same fields are eligible to apply provided they are a co-author on the abstract.
• Ph.D. student and postdoctoral scholar applicants must be an author on the abstract and present either a talk or a poster at the proposed meeting. (For students/postdocs in the Department of Mathematics, please contact WiSE to discuss amended requirements.)
• Applicants may only receive one WiSE Travel Grant per fiscal year.
• The application must be submitted at least one month prior to the proposed travel. No retroactive reimbursements will be authorized.
• WiSE will provide the student or scholar with up to $300 for travel within the State of California, $500 for travel within the United States, and $700 for international travel, provided their advisor makes an equal contribution of support. The specified dollar amounts or 50% of the travel expenses, whichever is less, will be paid from WiSE. The advisor must pay 50% of the total meeting expenses from their research funds. Only under special circumstances may the Department pay these expenses and these requests must be approved by the WiSE Program Director in advance.
• The advisor must confirm in writing that: a) the participation of the student at the proposed meeting is important to the student’s educational advancement; b) he or she will pay for 50% of the student’s expenses. If a student receives additional external funds (such as travel assistance from the conference organizers), the faculty advisor must commit to paying half of the remaining expenses; and c) states how participation of the student will further the goals of the WiSE Program to increase the representation of women in science and engineering. The justification should be based only on the candidate’s participation and not on the benefits to the advisor.
• A budget for the trip including reasonable estimates for transportation, accommodation, registration fees, and per diem costs should be submitted.
• Students who receive an offer for funding from both WiSE and the Graduate Student Government for the same conference  MUST choose one award.

Applications materials should be submitted electronically to WiSE using the online system. All documents should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. A complete application includes the following required documents:

• Description of the Meeting: briefly describe the nature of the meeting, the size, the format, the location, and any other relevant information.
• Budget: provide an estimation of total expenses for attending the meeting including transportation costs, housing, meals, and conference registration fees.
• Abstract of Presentation: provide the title and a brief description of the accepted paper or poster.
• Letter of Support from Advisor: a letter from the candidate’s advisor that a) explains how participation of the candidate at the specific meeting is important to the student’s educational advancement; b) guarantees that he or she will pay 50% of the student’s travel expenses; and c) states how participation of the student will further the goals of the WiSE Program to increase the representation of women in science and engineering. The justification should be based only on the candidate’s participation and not on the benefits to the advisor.
• Students receiving other forms of support most include documentation showing receipt of these funds.

Award Process:  The Travel Grant Program is administered by the Manager of the WiSE Program. Reimbursement of the award amount or 50% of the approved travel expenses, whichever is less, will take place after submission of all receipts, according to University regulations.

Applicants will be notified via e-mail as to the status of their application. The e-mail confirmation will serve as official notice of the award and should be included with the request for reimbursement. Requests for reimbursement should be directed to the student’s Home Department Coordinator and processed through the “WiSE Travel Grant Fund” in either USC Dornsife or the Viterbi School of Engineering. No money will be transacted through the WiSE Program Office.

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Researcher Development and Travel Grant

Apply for up to £500 to support your development as a researcher

Our Researcher Development and Travel Grants are open to PhD students and early career scientists in both industry and academia wishing to undertake an activity that supports their research career. The activities applied can be virtual or in-person. Examples include, but are not limited to, presenting work at conferences, developing new skills by attending training courses or developing networks by organising a scientific meeting.

Please see the “ Who can apply ?”  section below for full details of new deadlines this year. Please  contact us  if you have any questions or doubts.

Our  Grants for Carers  and  Accessibility Grants  are also available to support those with caring responsibilities or who need additional assistance to participate in a professional development activity. Researcher Development and Travel Grant applicants may also apply for one of these grants if needed for their activity.

Please note that if you require funding to attend the 9th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in July 2024, separate bursaries will be available for this in the near future. We will not be able to consider Researcher Development and Travel Grant applications to attend this meeting.

Who can apply?

In order to be eligible, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are an  RSC member  (of any category)
• You are either: (1) a PhD student actively undertaking a PhD course in the chemical sciences, or (2) a researcher in the chemical sciences (including post docs, research technicians and research assistants), working in academia, industry or any sector, within 10 years of leaving full time education (at the time of the application deadline).

Career breaks will be taken into consideration e.g. a period of parental/adoption leave, family commitments, illness, or other exceptional circumstances; In addition, applicants can only receive one Researcher Development and Travel Grant every three calendar years. For example if you are awarded a grant in 2024 you are eligible to apply again for funding in any application round that awards funding in 2027 or later. This restriction does not apply to Researcher Development and Travel Grants awarded in 2023 or earlier.

Please ensure you read our  Terms and Conditions fully before you begin your application. Our  Frequently Asked Questions document also provides further details about eligibility and the application process.

What can I apply for?

You can apply for a grant of up to £500 towards an activity that develops your skills and experience as a researcher.  Examples include but are not limited to:

• Knowledge e.g. conference participation
• Skills e.g. researcher development tools or projects, such as training courses
• Networking e.g. funding towards organising a scientific meeting or visiting a collaborator.

All costs should be essential to undertake the activity, as well as reasonable and appropriate for the activity.

Please read our Terms and Conditions for full details.

We also wish to caution applicants about the dangers of predatory conferences. For further information, please see Appendix A on our  Terms and Conditions  document.

Important note about travel and in-person activities

We advise grant holders who are travelling or participating in in-person activities to continue to follow relevant institutional, government or other guidelines and policies. We also recommend you ensure you have insurance or access to additional financial support in case your costs unexpectedly increase, for example, if you are unexpectedly required to self-isolate at your travel destination, if an event you’re hosting needs to be postponed or if you are affected by flight cancellations.

Application timelines

Please note for fairness and transparency to all applicants, we must apply our rules consistently. This means that we do not allow late applications. You are welcome to apply in the next application round providing you meet all eligibility criteria of that round.

Round 2 2024

Round 3 2024, round 4 2024, application process.

Applicants will be asked to provide information on:

• Information on the activity for which they seek funding; 
• How they will benefit from participating in the activity; 
• Details on how any awarded grant funding will be used;
• A declaration from either their Supervisor, Line manager or Head of Department in support of the application. The declaration cannot be provided by the applicant. 

All applications will be checked by RSC staff. Applications will not be considered for funding if: 

• You do not meet our eligibility criteria (see section 3 of Terms and Conditions); 
• Your activity takes place before 1 July 2024; 
• Your application is incomplete (see section 5 of Terms and Conditions); 
• Your funding request exceeds £500; 
• Your application includes ineligible costs (see section 6 of Terms and Conditions); 
• The application does not make clear how the activity will develop research skills and/or a research career; 
• The application does not make clear what the funds requested will be used for.

All remaining applications will be considered for funding. In the event that there are more applications than available budget, funding will be allocated at random.

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Doctoral Research and Travel Grant Program

The Doctoral Research and Travel Grant Program supports UL Lafayette doctoral students in carrying out research that advances their progress toward degree completion.

Specifically, these grants are intended to defray costs associated with conducting and disseminating clearly defined research projects and creative works directly connected to the dissertation or synthesis project. 

Eligibility

Doctoral students are eligible to apply for a Doctoral Research Grant if:

• they are a doctoral student in good academic standing and admitted/enrolled in a UL Lafayette doctoral degree program
• the proposed research project, activity, and/or expenses directly relate to and help advance progress toward dissertation or synthesis project completion

Pre-candidacy doctoral students are eligible for grants up to $1,500. Doctoral candidates are eligible for grants up to $2,500.

Doctoral students may receive one Doctoral Research Grant per academic year and may be awarded no more than three grants during their doctoral studies.

Eligible and Ineligible Expenses

While not an exhaustive list, eligible expenses include:

• Attending a conference to present doctoral dissertation/synthesis project research (e.g., registration fees, travel costs, lodging expenses)
• Research-related expenses (e.g., subject fees, access to specialized data sets, purchase of archival materials or images, laboratory supplies that will be consumed in the course of the research project)
• Research-based travel not associated with a course or conference (e.g., off-campus data collection, access to libraries, archives, historical sites, grant agencies)
• Off-campus study of specialized methodologies or techniques needed for research (Note: Proposals will be considered only if instruction in the methodologies and/or techniques is not available at UL Lafayette. The relevance of the methodologies and/or techniques to the student’s research must be addressed in the proposal.)
• Off-campus study of foreign languages needed for research (Note: Proposals will be considered only if the instruction is not available at UL Lafayette. The relevance of the language studied to the student’s research must be explained in the proposal.)
• Payment of Article Processing Charges (APC) required authors of scholarly articles during the publication process in an open access (OA) model for those who are first author only; submission fees for creative writing journals for Ph.D. English students pursuing the creative writing concentration

Ineligible expenses include:

• Previous research, travel, and/or conference expenses
• Personal emergency situations
• Research that has already been completed, with research expenses incurred prior to the submission date
• Travel or other research expenses associated with a course or a course related project taken for academic credit
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette tuition or fees
• Normal living expenses such as rent, car repairs, child care, and utilities
• Books that are available through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette library or inter-library loan
• Computers, computer equipment, cameras, or camera equipment
• Materials to prepare for program requirement or milestones (e.g., courses, orals, preliminary examinations, qualifying examinations, comprehensive examinations)
• Copying, binding, presentation expenses associated with final submission of a dissertation or synthesis project for degree completion
• Research unrelated to the graduate program, or conducted following the completion of degree requirements
• Research assistance or transcription of notes or recordings will not normally be allowed unless there is a compelling explanation as to why the student cannot accomplish the task

Application Process

To apply, a doctoral student must complete the online application form and upload a research proposal, budget, and one letter of verification from the graduate program. Supplemental documents that strengthen the application (e.g., conference acceptance, publication agreement with APC charge) should be included with the application. 

• The research proposal is limited to 1,000 words and should include description of the research/travel being requested to fund and relationship to dissertation/synthesis project. If related to conference travel, conference details including dates, location, and website must be included.
• The research budget should be itemized and match the activities described in the proposal. It should explain in detail the costs associated with each of the activities. If the anticipated costs are greater than the funding limits, explain what other resources will support the remaining expenses. If funding is being requested from (or provided by) multiple sources, identify those sources.
• The letter of verification must come from the student’s dissertation/synthesis project chair, faculty advisor, or graduate coordinator affirming relevance of request and/or appropriateness of conference, publication, publisher to discipline.
• Supplemental documentation such as conference acceptance, publication agreement with proof of APC or creative writing submission fee requirements, etc. should be included. While funding may be considered without these items included at the time of application, the competitiveness of the application will be improved significantly with inclusion and, if awarded funds, documentation will be required prior to reimbursement (or direct payment when possible) of the expense(s).

Application Deadlines and Award Timeline

Applications will be accepted two times in the Fall/Spring semesters and once in the Summer session.

Spring 2024 Application Deadlines:  February 15 and March 15.

Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis by a committee of graduate faculty reviewers. Processing time varies depending on volume of applications. Applicants should anticipate at least four weeks before receiving a decision.

Grants will be made as long as funds remain available.

Additional Financial Considerations

For students who qualify for need-based financial aid, receipt of this grant may reduce the original loan amount or subsidy. Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid for help evaluating your individual circumstances.

Funds awarded must be utilized during the current fiscal year. The fiscal year runs July 1-June 30.

Funds awarded may be expended only in ways that comply with University and state policies governing the expenditure of state funds. Because graduate students do not have access to LaCarte procurement cards or to the ChromeRiver expense management platform, support will be required from the department, faculty, and/or the Graduate School to ensure compliance with University and state purchasing and travel policies. While support will be necessary, it is the student’s responsibility to adhere to all University and state purchasing and travel policies. For example, if using these funds for travel, a Travel Pre-Approval is required and purchase of commercial airline tickets must be done through the state contracted travel agency. Whatever the expense, original invoices/receipts will be required.

See https://purchasing.louisiana.edu/ for University and state purchasing and travel policies.

Apply for the Doctoral and Research Travel Grant. 

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International Research Travel Grants

The buffett institute offers international research travel grants to doctoral students in years 3-6 who are conducting research outside the contiguous united states and/or within tribal nations..

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The maximum award is $9,000, and students are limited to one research award over the course of their graduate career. All awards will be made as scholarship awards and will be paid out through the University's payroll system.

Funds are also available for projects on modern Turkey through the Keyman Modern Turkish Studies Program and for projects on the Middle East through the Crown Family Middle East Research Travel fund. Interdisciplinary projects and collaborative projects with institutions and researchers in the regions will be given priority. Only graduate students who have not received a Keyman or Crown grant in the last two years are eligible. To be considered, simply indicate in your application that you would like to be considered for a Keyman and/or Crown grant.

Graduate students traveling to any international location: By accepting this award, you agree to follow all health and safety requirements as outlined by the Office of Global Safety and Security for the location(s) where you will be traveling. As a reminder, all students undertaking university-related travel abroad—except for undergraduate study abroad—must register their trip in the International Travel Registry to ensure our Office of Global Safety and Security can provide support in the event of a health or safety emergency.

If planned travel becomes impossible, award recipients may send Harrington Weihl an updated budget proposal requesting use of the award funds for other research expenses.

Applicants who have received a previous grant from the Buffett Institute must have submitted a post-award report before applying for a new award. 

These awards may  not  be used for:

• Language study programs or other coursework
• Expenses in the United States
• Special equipment such as tape recorders
• Fees for transcription or translation

Deadline: March 24, 2024

The application portal can be accessed via SOAP . The application will require the following :

• A project narrative of no more than five double-spaced pages that explains your dissertation research and its significance for a general scholarly audience. In addition to clearly articulating the questions your dissertation asks, this narrative should describe the state of current debates on this topic and your intervention in these debates, indicating the global and international dimensions of your work. It should also include a plan of work for the research that this funding will support; this plan should outline what research site visits and related activities that will be undertaken. The five-page limit does not include notes and bibliography, which should be limited to two additional pages.
• Two letters of reference: one from your advisor and another from a committee member or someone else who knows your work well

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Graduate College

Graduate student travel grant.

Graduate Student Travel Grant  

The Graduate Student Travel Grants are established to support graduate students engaged in independent scholarly research, scientific inquiry, inventive technology, and artistic/creative activity. The grants support graduate students to travel in-person to meetings or events sponsored by professional organizations for the purpose of sharing the results of their research, exhibiting or performing creative works, or otherwise disseminating the results of their scholarly activity. These grants do not cover conference attendance for other purposes (e.g. as a non-presenting attendee or workshop participant). 

WMU graduate students may receive a maximum of two Research Grants, or two Travel Grant, or one of each grant type at these degree levels: master’s, specialist. Doctoral students may receive a maximum of three Research Grants or Travel Grants, or a combination of both, up to three total. Because these are competitive grants, students are eligible to receive up to the maximum allowed in their degree level, but these are not guaranteed awards for each student. Note: the typing of theses, dissertations, and project paper, as well as the purchase of computers or supplies and equipment commonly provided by departments or by other existing grants or funds do not qualify as legitimate budget expenses under a Graduate Student Travel Grant.

Spring 2024 Travel Grant: Closed

The online application for spring semester is closed.   Note: you must be a currently enrolled student in the semester you apply. 

The online portal closes at 5 p.m. ET on day of the grant deadline.   Submit well in advance to avoid missing the deadline due to technical issues.

Award Amount

Grants range up to $1000 for the travel grants

Eligibility 

WMU graduate students MUST be:

• Admitted to a graduate degree program 
• In good academic standing (3.0 GPA) 
• Enrolled in the semester that the application is made (one credit hour only if at dissertation/thesis hours) 
• The invited presenter via a letter/email of invitation from the conference/exhibit officials 
• The sole or principal investigator of the research project (PI) but for the purposes of research compliance, listed as student investigator, author or performer of the artistic/creative activity and the individual invited or selected to make the presentation

Guidelines for the Application Process

• Access the online application for the Graduate Student Travel Grants (Check the deadline information above for the active link to the application or for details on when the link opens for the next award cycle)
• In addition to this online application, applicants are REQUIRED to have an advisor or another faculty member familiar with your project write a Letter of Support for your project and upload it in InfoReady (instructions will be emailed to the individual you identify as writing the Letter of Support). The letter must clearly address the following elements: 
• Student's name 
• Please ensure the student is currently enrolled 
• The purpose that the letter of support is for an application for a Graduate Student Travel Grant 
• The significance of the project 
• The student’s role in the project 
• The significance of the conference or event where the project will be presented 
• Selectivity level of the conference or event (e.g., the main national conference in our field, highly competitive with less than half of submissions accepted, etc.)

Future Award Deadlines

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• Graduate Research Travel Grants

The Center for African Studies offers funding to Harvard graduate students traveling to Africa for thesis or dissertation research or for fieldwork connected to an academic project. Internships, conference travel, or research related to a start-up/business are not eligible for funding. While there is no minimum travel duration requirement, preference is given to applicants who can provide a well-organized itinerary/schedule that demonstrates how their travel is necessary to complete components of their research. Grant awards range from $1,500 to $5,000 and are intended to cover otherwise unfunded costs of round-trip economy travel and modest accommodation. Award amounts will be based on budgets, length of stay, and available funding for the award period. Research travel grants are highly competitive, and we encourage students to apply for multiple funding sources.  

Estimated Funding Ranges Based on Travel Duration  1-3 Weeks: $1,500-$3,000  3-6 Weeks: $3,000-$4,000  6-8+ Weeks: $4,000-$5,000 

Students have two opportunities to apply during the academic year: Round 1 Deadline:  October 15. Grantees may use funding awarded during the October application cycle for travel during winter break, J-Term, or the spring semester. Application opens September 15. Round 2 Deadline :  March 1. Grantees may use funding awarded during the March application cycle during the summer or upcoming fall semester . Application opens December 1. All applicants must be continuing Harvard University students.  

Eligibility:

• Applicant must be a full-time, continuing graduate student at Harvard. 
• Applicant’s purpose of travel must be for academic research. Internships and conference travel are not eligible for funding. Preference will be given to applicants traveling for thesis or dissertation research. 
• Research/work/study must take place in any African country (check Harvard student travel policies and current COVID-19 travel guidance for any restrictions). 
• While there is no minimum stay requirement, preference will be given to applicants who provide a well-organized itinerary that will demonstrate how they plan to accomplish their research goals during their stay. 
• Preference will go to applicants who have completed at least two African Studies courses, have experience in the region, and/or have language experience related to Africa.   

Application:

Deadlines to Apply:   Round 1: October 15, 2023 (For travel during Winter Break, J-Term, or the Spring 2024 Semester) Round 2: March 1st, 2024 (For travel during Summer 2024 or the Fall 2024 Semester. 

• CARAT online application form  
• Current unofficial transcript 
• Current resume/CV 
• 750-word proposal, including a description of the research/project you are planning to work on and whether it is continued research from prior time spent in Africa. 
• Detailed itinerary, including expected flight dates and plans for use of time while in Africa.  
• Detailed budget for all expenses while traveling. CAS will not pay you an hourly rate for time spent conducting research. You cannot list taxation on the grant as an expense. Funding is meant to cover expenses only. If your budget exceeds the $5,000 maximum, please describe how you plan to fund the excess expenses (i.e. Weatherhead Center grant, personal funds, etc.). Be sure to list all other grants to which you have applied and your award status. Please note that grant funds cannot be used to pay research assistants.  
• Two letters of recommendation: Letters of recommendation should be submitted through CARAT by the grant deadline. Simply notifying references through CARAT will allow you to submit your application but will not mark your application as complete. It is your responsibility to ensure all letters are submitted by the deadline. CAS does not follow up with references on your behalf. One letter of recommendation should be from the Harvard faculty member advising your project. If references have difficulty submitting their recommendations via CARAT, they may email their letters directly to Lindsay Moats at [email protected] . Any applicant who may be unable to request a letter from a faculty member for any reason may reach out to Lindsay Moats. Recommendation letter waivers can be granted on a case-by-case basis.  
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Conference Travel Grants

Academic master’s and all doctoral students may apply for Conference Travel Grant funding to attend professional conferences or to participate in professional development activities; however, students in professional degrees and self-sustaining programs are not eligible. For professional conferences, grant amounts will depend on the location of the conference (up to $600 within California, $900 elsewhere in North America, including Canada and Mexico, and $1,500 outside of North America). The amounts provided for professional development support will vary depending on the actual costs, but in no case will a grant exceed $1,500. Master’s students are eligible for only one travel grant per academic career. Doctoral students are eligible for two grants per academic career, regardless of how many degrees they earn. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:

• Be registered for the term in which they are planning to attend the conference, which also includes payment of fees/tuitions. Note: students on filing fee are not eligible.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Be presenting a paper or poster at the conference.

Please note that grant requests to support travel to professional conferences must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor; grant requests to support professional development activities may be approved by the student’s faculty advisor or the Associate Dean for the Graduate Division. Approvals are obtained through the Slate application portal.

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The Graduate Fellowships Office coordinates many extramural fellowships and serves as a resource center for students seeking information on fellowships funded by the University and outside sources. For more information, contact the Fellowships Office , or visit the Graduate Fellowships & Awards section of this site for applications and deadline information.

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• Travel Grants for Students

Conference Travel Grants for Students

Changes to travel grants for 2024-2025.

The Graduate School’s Conference Travel Grants are designed to encourage and support graduate student professional development by making it possible for students to present results of their thesis or dissertation research at important conferences in their fields. Recent trends – including substantial increases in the number of applications received and escalating travel costs – have necessitated changes to the travel grant program to ensure that The Graduate School can continue to meet this important professional development need for our students.

The following changes will be effective for travel beginning July 1, 2024:

• Each graduate student will be limited to two travel grants per lifetime. (formerly: one per year for eligible students)
• A maximum of one travel grant may be awarded to a student pursuing a master’s degree . (formerly: only for students in designated master’s programs)
• Only one of the two lifetime grants may be used for international travel. 
• Maximum travel grants will be up to $1,200 for domestic travel and up to $1,700 for international travel. (formerly: up to $1,000 for domestic travel and up to $1,500 for international travel)
• Only one grant per fiscal year (July-June) per student may be awarded. (no change)
• Doctoral students, especially those in later stages of their programs (e.g., post-candidacy), will receive funding priority .

Students who already received travel funding from the Graduate School will still be eligible for two lifetime travel grants beginning FY 2025 (July 1, 2024), provided they meet the other criteria.

Eligibility

Students must be able to demonstrate the following at the time of application:

• Students must be enrolled in a UGA doctoral or master’s program and reporting the results of their dissertation/thesis research as primary author of the publication/presentation/poster.
• Doctoral students must have completed five semesters of full-time graduate studies at UGA at the time of application. (They may include their semesters as a UGA master’s student if they pursued a master’s degree leading up to a doctoral degree objective in the same unit/program.)
• Master’s students must be in their second year of full-time graduate study at the time of application. Semesters of graduate courses completed while student is an undergraduate don’t count toward this requirement.
• Students must be registered for full-time graduate study (see below) during the semesters of both application and travel . Students travelling between semesters must be registered during the semester of application and the semester following travel.
• Full-time enrollment credit hours required: at least three (3) credit hours during Fall, Spring, or Summer semester for doctoral students admitted into candidacy; nine (9) credit hours during Fall or Spring semesters; OR six (6) credit hours during Summer semester if not admitted into candidacy.
• Have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in graduate courses.
• Not have any grades of Incomplete (I) or Unsatisfactory (U) at the time of application.

Workshops, training programs, virtual conferences, and other activities (even when the student is invited) are not covered by Graduate School conference travel grants.

The following categories of students are not eligible for Graduate School travel grants: Presidential Fellows, NSF GRFP Fellows on tenure, UGA instructors or full-time employees receiving benefits, or Double Dawgs. PharmD, JD, and DVM students are not eligible.

Application Materials

Students do not apply directly to The Graduate School for travel funding; all travel applications must be submitted by the graduate coordinator or graduate program administrator.

Applications must include the following, demonstrating the eligibility criteria at the time of application:

• An abstract of their presentation/poster that includes the student’s name.
• A travel budget.
• A copy of a current unofficial transcript confirming eligibility (including enrollment requirements).
• Official notification of acceptance from the conference (this is the only document that may be submitted after the application deadline, no later than two weeks before the outgoing travel date or application will be denied).

Departments must verify that the students are eligible and must submit all applications to the Graduate School via GradStatus by the deadline. Students do not have access to these GradStatus forms. Late submissions by departments will not be accepted. Submissions that do not include complete eligibility and application materials (with the exception of conference acceptance letters) will be denied.

Students work with their departments to secure travel authorizations and abide by all UGA, USG, and departmental policies. Students receiving travel grants will be reimbursed after submitting receipts for approved, budgeted expenses to their departments. No student will be reimbursed more than the actual cost of the trip.

Domestic Travel Grants

Applications for travel within the contiguous 48 states are made using the Domestic Travel Grants form. Travel to Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories requires the International Travel Grant application. Students may request up to $1,200 to defray travel expenses.

International Travel Grants

All travel is subject to UGA, USG, and United States travel rules and advisories. Applications for travel to foreign countries and non-contiguous U.S. states and territories such as Hawaii and Alaska must be submitted as International Travel Grants. Students may request up to $1,700 to defray travel expenses.

Rationale/Benefits

These changes will allow the Graduate School to increase the amount per travel grant, making travel more feasible and affordable and encouraging students to focus on the most critical professional development opportunities. Students will no longer have to demonstrate department matching of funds, reducing the financial and administrative burden for both departments and students. Students and departments can expect improved response times and increased likelihood of receiving travel funds.

Travel Dates and Application Deadlines for FY25 (Academic Year 2024-2025)

Funds are awarded on a quarterly basis with a limited amount of funding available each quarter. Here are application deadline dates for the upcoming year:

Travel Dates Application Deadline July 1 – September 30, 2024 June 6, 2024 October 1 – December 31, 2024 September 8, 2024 January 1 – March 31, 2025 December 6, 2024 April 1 – June 30, 2025 March 8, 2025

Conference Travel Grant Questions Document (pdf)

Graduate School Office of Awards, Fellowships, and Scholarships Contact: [email protected]

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Student Travel Resources

The Graduate School encourages student travel for research and professional development. In some disciplines, research travel is essential to complete the requirements of the degree and you may need to undertake a period of full-time study, research, or fieldwork outside of the New Haven area. Beyond that, travel for conference participation, shorter research trips, and study elsewhere can be invaluable to your professional development, regardless of discipline.

Students have access to an array of resources to support travel for research, study, and professional development. See below for a detailed overview of funding sources, health coverage information, and resources for domestic and international travel.

Registration during academic travel

If you will be based at another location in the US or abroad for your research for a semester or full academic year, you should register in absentia at Yale.

Financial support for degree-related travel

Featured Resource

Exchange Programs

The Graduate School offers domestic and international exchange opportunities for PhD students. On an exchange, you can master course content in another language, learn new methodologies to inform your dissertation, visit library archives and collections to expand your research, and develop your professional network with fellow scholars in the US and abroad.

PhD Student Summer Funding Resources

The Graduate School offers a number of summer funding awards to support academic activities related to PhD degree requirements. These include competitive research travel fellowships and tuition grants for enrollment in GSAS-sponsored language courses offered in Yale Summer Session.

MacMillan Center Fellowships for Research and Study Abroad

https://ovef.macmillan.yale.edu/fellowships-0

The MacMillan Center administers a variety of fellowships that support research, language study, conference travel, and other academic activities related to international and area studies.

MacMillan Center International Conference Travel Grants

https://bit.ly/3jf3htC

PhD students may apply for up to $800 to support conference travel to recognized professional domestic or international conferences and academic meetings as a presenter (session chair or discussant). To qualify, your presentation must be on an international topic. The grant will supplement any funds that you may receive from your home department or from the conference, if it provides travel subsidies. The grant is available to PhD students in programs in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, and to select PhD programs in the professional schools that have a humanities or a social sciences dimension.

Conference Travel Fellowship (CTF)

https://gsa.yale.edu/ctf

By partnering with the MacMillan Center and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, graduate students with representatives in the Graduate Student Assembly are eligible for annual conference travel funding of up to $800.

Yale Student Grants Database

https://yale.communityforce.com/Funds/Search.aspx

The Student Grants Database allows you to search for any Yale funding and external fellowships that have a campus application process.

Health Coverage

Options for insurance coverage during a period of research travel depend on whether you will be in the US or abroad. Your Yale student health coverage will remain on your term bill unless these fees are waived by the appropriate deadline. Waiver forms and student rates for Yale students can be found on the Yale Health website . 

If you are going to be based elsewhere in the US for purposes related to your degree requirements during the academic year, you have the option of enrolling in the Approved Academic Travel Rider program through Yale Health. 

The Yale Health pages on this option contain detailed information about deadlines for applying for the rider, coverage considerations, eligibility, and costs. Please review this information carefully well in advance of your planned travel and make sure that you are aware costs, coverage, and the relevant application deadline, which is firm. 

You must first register in absentia (see above) to be eligible to apply. Only students registered in absentia in the US (excluding Alaska and Hawaii, and outside of the Yale Health coverage area in Connecticut) are eligible to enroll.  

If you are going abroad for an extended period to pursue research and/or coursework for your degree, you will want to review carefully Yale’s information on health coverage for university affiliates while abroad . 

In addition, if you are a PhD student traveling for dissertation research, the Graduate School provides a Travel Health Fellowship to cover the cost of required immunizations and prescription drugs at Yale Health. Costs from outside medical services will not be considered for reimbursement. See the Travel Health Fellowship page for more information. 

Resources for Yale students traveling internationally

International toolkit.

https://world-toolkit.yale.edu/educated-traveler

The university's toolkit for international travel offers detailed guidance for Yale travelers, including a checklist of essential actions to take before and during your trip.

International SOS Global Travel Assistance

https://ogc.yale.edu/erm/ISOS

ISOS provides international and domestic emergency medical, security, and travel assistance services anywhere in the world.

CIBT Visa Assistance

https://cibtvisas.com/?login=40634

CIBT Visa Assistance is an optional resource for Yale affiliates who need support applying for international visas.

Student Travel Health Services (Yale Health)

https://yalehealth.yale.edu/topic/travel-health-services-students

Yale Health offers additional services to students traveling abroad, including travel health consultations and vaccinations. Note that this is not a covered benefit.

PhD Student Travel Health Fellowship

If you are a PhD student traveling for dissertation research, the Graduate School provides a Travel Health Fellowship to cover the cost of required immunizations and prescription drugs at Yale Health.

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Don't miss our Spring 2024 Funding Forecast

Spring Quarter usually marks the end of the academic year, but finding funding is a continuous process! Check out this sample of upcoming deadlines of funding opportunities for postdoctoral, doctoral, graduate, research, and other short-term awards or travel grants. Various deadlines listed. Consult websites for current details and application information.

Spring quarter usually marks the end of the academic year, but finding funding is a continuous process! So, if you are looking for financial support for the coming year or next, remember to routinely look at funding postings so you get an idea of what topics or issues are getting funded. Spring and summer are also great times to prepare your fellowship application materials - personal statement, research statement, and academic CV.

Below is a sample list of upcoming deadlines. Regularly inform your faculty adviser about your current research ideas and progress as this is very important when requesting letters of recommendation. Also, be sure to check the program websites regularly for the most updated information on important dates and submission details. Good luck!

NOTE: Please report any broken links to Funding Peer Liliana Garcia

Jump to information about: Postdoctoral Fellowships Dissertation Support Graduate and Doctoral Support Research Support Other (Travel, Short-Term, Award, Summer, etc.)  

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

Mar 15  The Hindle Postdoctoral Fellowship (history of technology)

Apr 1 German Historical Institute Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships

Apr 1 SHOT- NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship (history of space technology)

Apr 1 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Aerospace History

Apr 1 American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowships

Jul 15 David B. Larson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health and Spirituality

Sep 15 Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowships in Israel for U.S. Citizens 2020/2021

Sep TBD American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowships

Oct 1 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) International Program INVEST Drug Abuse Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Oct 15 American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowships

Oct 18 NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

On-going Incorporating Benefits & Costs of Environmental Regulation in Computable General Equilibrium Models Research with the US Environmental Protection Agency

Various deadlines Funding Opportunities for Postdoctoral Scholars - list via Harvard website

Various deadlines Postdoctoral opportunities in medical research - via Stanford website

Various deadlines Minority Postdoctoral Opportunities List

Various deadlines Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Postdoctoral Fellowships

Various deadlines Special Programs for Postdoctoral Fellows - via National Science Foundation

Various deadlines Post-doctoral Opportunities List - from the National Institute of Health

Various deadlines - Postdoctoral Positions at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory  

DISSERTATION SUPPORT

Feb 25  Melvin Kranzberg Dissertation Fellowship (history of technology)

April 1 Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Marilyn Blatt Young Dissertation Completion Fellowship

Apr 1 Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Dissertation Research Grants

May 1 North American Conference on British Studies Dissertation Research Fellowship

May 1 Grants for Health Services Dissertation Program (R36)

Jul 17 Linguistics Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement - grant application must be submitted with your advisor and through Office of Research

Jul 20 Biological Anthropology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement - grant application must be submitted with your advisor and through Office of Research

Aug 1 Grants for Health Services Dissertation Program (R36)

Aug 15 Cultural Anthropology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement - grant application must be submitted with your advisor and through Office of Research

On-going Research Opportunities at the US Forest Service Research and Development (R&D)

On-going Archaeology Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards (Arch-DDRI) - grant application must be submitted with your advisor and through Office of Research

On-going Documenting Endangered Languages Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants - grant application must be submitted with your advisor and through Office of Research

On-going Geography and Spatial Sciences Program Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (GSS-DDRI) , National Science Foundation (NSF)

Various Deadlines Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Opportunities  

GRADUATE & DOCTORAL SUPPORT

Apr 1 Batten, First Union, and Peter Nicolaisen International Fellowships

Apr 1 SHOT- NASA Predoctoral Fellowship (history of space technology)

Apr 10  National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Fellowships

Apr 15 Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Graduate Fellowship (National Deadline; local chapter deadline is usually 2 weeks earlier)

Apr 15 BHW Group Women in STEM Scholarship

Apr 30 Government of the Slovak Republic approved the establishment of the National Scholarship Programme

May 8  Google India PhD Fellowships

May 8  Google China/Hong Kong/Japan/South Korea Phd Fellowship Program

May 11 American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) New Century Scholars Doctoral Scholarship

Jun 15  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students

Sep 7 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowships

TBD American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (ASHFoundation) Graduate Student Scholarship

TBD PEO International Peace Scholarship (IPS) - also open to international students studying in the US

Various Deadlines Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Fellowships and Grants  

On-going Gerda Henkel Foundation Ph.D. Scholarships in the Historical Humanities   

RESEARCH SUPPORT

Apr 1 Research Fellowships in Aerospace History

Apr 1 Harry S. Truman Library Institute Research Grants Program Apr 10  National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships Apr 12 Horton Hydrology Research Grant from American Geophysical Union

Apr 13 Project Management Institute's Research Grant Program for the study of project, program or portfolio management

Apr 15 Emerging Crises Oral History Research Fund

Apr 19 American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Student Research Grant in Early Childhood Language Development

Apr 19 American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Student Research Grant in Audiology

Apr 24  Japan-US Friendship Commission and the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships for Advanced Social Science Research on Japan

Apr 30 International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) - Graduate Fellowship Program

Apr TBD Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program

May 1 NRC Research Associateship Programs (RAP)

May 1  US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) Graduate Student Research Program

May 2 National Institute of Justice Graduate Fellowships in STEM

May 15 Deutsches Akademisches Austaauschdienst (DAAD) Short-Term Research Grants (for research in Germany)

Jul 15 The Leakey Foundation Grants for Research Related to Human Origins

Aug 1 NRC Research Associateship Programs (RAP)

Sep 15 Fulbright Canada-American Scholars Awards

Sep 15 Kluge Fellowships (humanities and social science research)

Oct 15  Harry S. Truman Library Institute Research Grants Program

TBD UCHRI Grants and Fellowships

TBD Graduate Fellowship for Research in Japan

TBD Merck KGaA Research Grant Competition

Various Opportunities New York Public Library Research Fellowships

Various Deadlines Smithsonian Institute Fellowships

Various Deadlines Metropolitan Museum of Art Research Fellowships

Various Deadlines Center for Disease Control (CDC) Fellowships

On-going Dirksen Congressional Research Grant

On-going The Spalding Trust Grants for the Comparative Study of Religions

On-going Statistics Fellowship with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

On-going OCS ORISE Fellowship with the Food and Drug Administration

On-going Digital/New Media Fellowships with Dept of Health and Human Services

On-going Dept of Energy Opportunity in Fuel Cell Research

On-going National Institute of Health Individual Graduate Partnerships Program

On-going Title VIII Research Scholar Program American Councils - in-country, independent research for three consecutive months to nine consecutive months in Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe  

OTHER (Travel, Short-Term, Award, Summer etc.)

Mar 31 Sara Finney-Johnson Scholarship - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Apr 1 Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery

Apr 7 Short-Term Carter Center Graduate Assistantships in Atlanta

Apr 8 Charles Koch Institute Summer Internship

Apr 10  National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships

Apr 28 Mary Murphy Graduate Scholarship - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Apr TBD Interfaces Graduate Training Program at UCSD - in biological, engineering, physical and health sciences

Apr TBD Lupus Foundation of America Summer Fellowships

May 1  Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting (no citizenship requirements)

May 1 James P. Danky Fellowship in Print and Digital Culture

May 15 Catherine Prelinger Award (women's history)

May 31 PSA/Journal of Postcolonial Writing Postgraduate Essay Competition

Jun 5  SACNAS Travel Fellowships

Jun 26  LGBT Studies One-Month Research Fellowship at Yale University

July TBA  National Air and Space Administration (NASA) Internships *NOTE: Select opportunities are also open to citizens from countries participating in the NASA International Internship Program.

Sep 1 Samuel H. Kress Foundation Conservation Grants Programs

Sep 1 Samuel H. Kress Foundation Art History Digital Art History Grant Programs

Fall TBD Presidential Management Fellows Program US Office of Personnel Management

Rolling Deadline - Veteran Research Supplement with the Center for Integrated Access Networks

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CSIR Travel Grant Scheme

The Scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance to  Young Indian Researchers (Ph.D. Students, Research Associates, resident Doctors, etc.), Emeritus Scientists and non-regular researchers  for participation / presenting their research papers in international Scientific Events such as conferences/ Seminars/ Symposia/ Workshops/ Short-term School/ courses/ training programs. The scheme provides up to full reimbursement of the actual airfare from the airport (nearest to the place of work in India) to the venue of the Event and back. For more details please Click here  

2024 STUDENT TRAVEL FELLOWS AND RESEARCH GRANT RECIPIENTS

The School of Architecture congratulates the recipients of the 2024 Travel Fellowships and Research Grants for their pursuit of advanced scholarship in design and planning studies. These awards support independent research projects and include a total of approximately $45,000 in funding.  

BENJAMIN C. HOWLAND TRAVEL FELLOWS

Ari bell, mla '25  madhura vaze, mla '24  .

The Howland Travel Fellowship supports focused research investigation and documentation of landscape or place, especially related to issues in the public realm. In 2024, the fellowship was awarded to two graduate landscape architecture students, Aril Bell and Madhura Vaze.  Ari Bell will investigate three European amusement parks, Bakken, Efteling, and Tibidabo, respectively located in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain. Bell hypothesize that the siting and evolution of these three amusement parks on edges between city and nature arises from the ways their respective societies have conceived of the role of nature and pleasure in urban life. For his project, he will pair visual and audio documentation with written and archival analysis to conduct a detailed inventory of each landscape. The exercise will help broaden the contemporary discourse on the relationship between nature and culture.

Madhura Vaze 's travel research aims to document the unstable glaciated landscape in the Garhwal Himalayas in India to understand how the dynamics of glacier retreat and processes of glacio-fluvial landscape erode the relational ethics of the public. The research will offer insights to expand the field of landscape architecture and translate it into the findings that eventually will be tied well to curating an immersive exhibit for the UVA community. "In an ever-changing environment, there is a need to look upstream instead of downstream to realize the complete reality of climate change," said Vaze.  

CARLO PELLICCIA TRAVEL FELLOW

Bernardo de magalhães e menezes, phd in the constructed environment candidate.

Bernardo de Magalhães e Menezes ' doctoral research examines the role of beauty in landscape architecture discourse as it emerged as a field of studies in U.S. academia during the early decades of the twentieth century. Having been selected as a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome (AAR) in Spring 2024, Menezes will utilize the support of the Pelliccia Travel Fellowship to further his research in Florence and Rome. His work aims to provide a detailed insight into the materials in the American Academy’s library and archives, collecting evidence informing us of the establishment, developments, and outcomes of the AAR fellowship program and its contributions to shaping the early landscape architecture theoretical discourse. The Pelliccia Travel Fellowship supports an independent study abroad, primarily located in Italy. 

SARAH MCARTHUR NIX TRAVEL FELLOW josephine Blount, M ARCH '25

The Nix fellowship supports the independent study of one architecture student over the course of a summer in France. For her research project, Josephine Blount will focus on adaptive reuse and building conversions as a response to the housing crisis, particularly exploring the differences between practices in France and the United States. Blount aims to analyze the operational dynamics, limitations, and techniques of such conversions, employing interdisciplinary methods including network analysis, systems diagramming, case study analysis, and interviews with various stakeholders. Her research seeks to contribute to discussions on architects' roles in supporting affordable housing and sustainable building practices, emphasizing the need for more inclusive and just approaches to urban development.

FANZONE TRAVEL AWARD Nishat Tasnim maria, Muep '25

The Fanzone Travel Award supports research travel to perform a summer independent study with a focus on the use of indigenous materials, local construction and fabrication practices. 

Nishat Tasnim Maria 's research project aims to investigate the impacts of climate-induced challenges on marginalized coastal communities in Koyra, Bangladesh, focusing on social and structural deprivation and indigenous knowledge. By employing mapping techniques, interviews, serendipity walks, and visual documentation, the study seeks to understand community experiences and identify indigenous design solutions rooted in local practices. Ultimately, Maria's research intends to propose equitable and sustainable neighborhood designs that integrate indigenous wisdom to address climate impacts and promote community resilience in vulnerable coastal regions.

SUSAN NELSON FLEISS TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP AUSTIN SMALL, BS ARCH '25

The Fleiss Travel Scholarship supports travel domestically or internationally for the purpose of research, design or personal development. 2024 Fleiss Travel Scholar,  Austin Small will travel to Croatia to study classical architecture and contemporary design, particularly exploring lesser-known Roman ruins along the Croatian coast. Small aims to document his experiences through observational drawing and photography, seeking to understand the relationship between architecture, landscape, and cultural development in response to historical occupations. By immersing himself in the local crafts and trades and reflecting on his experiences through visual and written documentation, Small hopes to enhance his skills as an artist and architect, with the intention of applying his insights to future architectural projects.

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Bernardo Menezes receives The Class of 1985 Fellowship for Creative Teaching

Beatley and Brown study innovative strategies for urban tree preservation

RECAP: Finding Balance? — Women in Design Alumni and Faculty Panel

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School of Business graduate program surges in top rankings

A U.S. News & World Report methodology change rewards schools for job placement, graduate earnings

The UC Riverside School of Business increased 20 positions in a U.S. News & World Report 2024 graduate school ranking released this week. UCR’s business school was the benefactor of a methodology change this year that places greater emphasis on post-graduation earnings and how quickly graduates found jobs.

The School of Business’ Master of Business Administration program ranked No. 90 on the business school list, released Tuesday, April 9. Though 506 accredited institutions were canvassed, only 124 U.S. graduate-level business programs provided sufficient information on post-graduation earnings and job placements to merit inclusion on the U.S. News list.

“The school’s ascent in the rankings is a testament to its strategic initiatives, such as the expansion of its facilities and the enhancement of its academic offerings, which align with the evolving demands of the global business landscape,” said Rami Zwick, associate dean of graduate programs for the School of Business.

The rankings released this week are based in part on reputational surveys sent to more than 15,000 academics and industry professionals, including corporate recruiters. In the surveys, deans, program directors, and senior faculty are asked to judge the academic quality of a program.

In addition to the surveys, scoring factors selectivity — gauged by graduate exam test scores; undergraduate GPA, and acceptance rate. About half of the score is based on a change this year that places greater emphasis on earnings — assessing post-graduate salaries by profession — and successful job placement. The revised job placement metric rewards business schools when their graduates get jobs quickly — either when they graduate or within three months of graduation.

Separately, the business school’s part-time MBA program was ranked No. 73, an increase of three positions from the past year. That ranking was among 269 universities.

In fall 2024, the School of Business will mark the 55th anniversary of its founding and the 30th anniversary of the A. Gary Anderson School of Management with the opening of a new 63,400-square-foot academic building .

UCR’s School of Education was ranked No. 86 out of 237 positions in the graduate school rankings, which considered only doctoral-level education programs. Last year, the school ranked No. 80.

The education rank is based on research expenditures; assessments by education-school and graduate-school deans and by professionals including recruiters and school superintendents; total degrees awarded; student-faculty ratio; faculty awards; and selectivity, measured by acceptance rates.

U.S. News this week postponed publication of its rankings for medical and graduate engineering programs after some universities questioned the rankings methodology for those programs.

U.S. News & World Report, the standard-bearer among college rankings, publishes its anticipated undergraduate rankings every fall. In the most recent rankings, released in fall 2023, UCR climbed 13 positions to No. 76 overall among U.S. private and public universities. UCR was ranked No. 2 nationally in social mobility, which considers the degree to which a university elevates its graduates to a higher standard of living. 

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25 Questions (and Answers!) About the Great North American Eclipse

The McDonald Observatory’s guide to one of nature’s most beautiful and astounding events: What you might see, how to view it safely, how astronomers will study it, how animals might react, and some of the mythology and superstitions about the Sun’s great disappearing act.

1. What’s happening?

The Moon will cross directly between Earth and the Sun, temporarily blocking the Sun from view along a narrow path across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Viewers across the rest of the United States will see a partial eclipse, with the Moon covering only part of the Sun’s disk.

2. When will it happen?

The eclipse takes place on April 8. It will get underway at 10:42 a.m. CDT, when the Moon’s shadow first touches Earth’s surface, creating a partial eclipse. The Big Show—totality—begins at about 11:39 a.m., over the south-central Pacific Ocean. The shadow will first touch North America an hour and a half later, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Moving at more than 1,600 miles (2,575 km) per hour, the path of totality will enter the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas, at 1:27 p.m. CDT. The lunar shadow will exit the United States and enter the Canadian province of New Brunswick near Houlton, Maine, at 2:35 p.m. (3:35 p.m. EDT).

3. How long will totality last?

The exact timing depends on your location. The maximum length is 4 minutes, 27 seconds near Torreon, Mexico. In the United States, several towns in southwestern Texas will see 4 minutes, 24 seconds of totality. The closer a location is to the centerline of the path of totality, the longer the eclipse will last.

4. What will it look like?

Eclipse veterans say there’s nothing quite like a total solar eclipse. In the last moments before the Sun disappears behind the Moon, bits of sunlight filter through the lunar mountains and canyons, forming bright points of light known as Baily’s beads. The last of the beads provides a brief blaze known as a diamond ring effect. When it fades away, the sky turns dark and the corona comes into view— million-degree plasma expelled from the Sun’s surface. It forms silvery filaments that radiate away from the Sun. Solar prominences, which are fountains of gas from the surface, form smaller, redder streamers on the rim of the Sun’s disk.

5. What safety precautions do I need to take?

It’s perfectly safe to look at the total phase of the eclipse with your eyes alone. In fact, experts say it’s the best way to enjoy the spectacle. The corona, which surrounds the intervening Moon with silvery tendrils of light, is only about as bright as a full Moon.

During the partial phases of the eclipse, however, including the final moments before and first moments after totality, your eyes need protection from the Sun’s blinding light. Even a 99-percent-eclipsed Sun is thousands of times brighter than a full Moon, so even a tiny sliver of direct sunlight can be dangerous!

To stay safe, use commercially available eclipse viewers, which can look like eyeglasses or can be embedded in a flat sheet that you hold in front of your face. Make sure your viewer meets the proper safety standards, and inspect it before you use it to make sure there are no scratches to let in unfiltered sunlight.

You also can view the eclipse through a piece of welder’s glass (No. 14 or darker), or stand under a leafy tree and look at the ground; the gaps between leaves act as lenses, projecting a view of the eclipse on the ground. With an especially leafy tree you can see hundreds of images of the eclipse at once. (You can also use a colander or similar piece of gear to create the same effect.)

One final mode of eclipse watching is with a pinhole camera. You can make one by poking a small hole in an index card, file folder, or piece of stiff cardboard. Let the Sun shine through the hole onto the ground or a piece of paper, but don’t look at the Sun through the hole! The hole projects an image of the eclipsed Sun, allowing you to follow the entire sequence, from the moment of first contact through the Moon’s disappearance hours later.

6. Where can I see the eclipse?

In the United States, the path of totality will extend from Eagle Pass, Texas, to Houlton, Maine. It will cross 15 states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Tennessee, and Michigan (although it barely nicks the last two).

In Texas, the eclipse will darken the sky over Austin, Waco, and Dallas—the most populous city in the path, where totality (the period when the Sun is totally eclipsed) will last 3 minutes, 51 seconds.

Other large cities along the path include Little Rock; Indianapolis; Dayton, Toledo, and Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; and Burlington, Vermont.

Outside the path of totality, American skywatchers will see a partial eclipse, in which the Sun covers only part of the Sun’s disk. The sky will grow dusky and the air will get cooler, but the partially eclipsed Sun is still too bright to look at without proper eye protection. The closer to the path of totality, the greater the extent of the eclipse. From Memphis and Nashville, for example, the Moon will cover more than 95 percent of the Sun’s disk. From Denver and Phoenix, it’s about 65 percent. And for the unlucky skywatchers in Seattle, far to the northwest of the eclipse centerline, it’s a meager 20 percent.

The total eclipse path also crosses Mexico, from the Pacific coast, at Mazatlán, to the Texas border. It also crosses a small portion of Canada, barely including Hamilton, Ontario. Eclipse Details for Locations Around the United States • aa.usno.navy.mil/data/Eclipse2024 • eclipse.aas.org • GreatAmericanEclipse.com

7. What causes solar eclipses?

These awe-inspiring spectacles are the result of a pleasant celestial coincidence: The Sun and Moon appear almost exactly the same size in Earth’s sky. The Sun is actually about 400 times wider than the Moon but it’s also about 400 times farther, so when the new Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun—an alignment known as syzygy—it can cover the Sun’s disk, blocking it from view.

8. Why don’t we see an eclipse at every new Moon?

The Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted a bit with respect to the Sun’s path across the sky, known as the ecliptic. Because of that angle, the Moon passes north or south of the Sun most months, so there’s no eclipse. When the geometry is just right, however, the Moon casts its shadow on Earth’s surface, creating a solar eclipse. Not all eclipses are total. The Moon’s distance from Earth varies a bit, as does Earth’s distance from the Sun. If the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun when the Moon is at its farthest, we see an annular eclipse, in which a ring of sunlight encircles the Moon. Regardless of the distance, if the SunMoon-Earth alignment is off by a small amount, the Moon can cover only a portion of the Sun’s disk, creating a partial eclipse.

9. How often do solar eclipses happen?

Earth sees as least two solar eclipses per year, and, rarely, as many as five. Only three eclipses per two years are total. In addition, total eclipses are visible only along narrow paths. According to Belgian astronomer Jean Meuss, who specializes in calculating such things, any given place on Earth will see a total solar eclipse, on average, once every 375 years. That number is averaged over many centuries, so the exact gap varies. It might be centuries between succeeding eclipses, or it might be only a few years. A small region of Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky, close to the southeast of St. Louis, for example, saw the total eclipse of 2017 and will experience this year’s eclipse as well. Overall, though, you don’t want to wait for a total eclipse to come to you. If you have a chance to travel to an eclipse path, take it!

10. What is the limit for the length of totality?

Astronomers have calculated the length of totality for eclipses thousands of years into the future. Their calculations show that the greatest extent of totality will come during the eclipse of July 16, 2186, at 7 minutes, 29 seconds, in the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of South America. The eclipse will occur when the Moon is near its closest point to Earth, so it appears largest in the sky, and Earth is near its farthest point from the Sun, so the Sun appears smaller than average. That eclipse, by the way, belongs to the same Saros cycle as this year’s.

11. When will the next total eclipse be seen from the United States?

The next total eclipse visible from anywhere in the United States will take place on March 30, 2033, across Alaska. On August 22, 2044, a total eclipse will be visible across parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The next eclipse to cross the entire country will take place on August 12, 2045, streaking from northern California to southern Florida. Here are the other total solar eclipses visible from the contiguous U.S. this century:

March 30, 2052 Florida, Georgia, tip of South Carolina May 11, 2078 From Louisiana to North Carolina May 1, 2079 From Philadelphia up the Atlantic coast to Maine September 14, 2099 From North Dakota to the Virginia-North Carolina border

12. What is the origin of the word ‘eclipse?’

The word first appeared in English writings in the late 13th century. It traces its roots, however, to the Greek words “ecleipsis” or “ekleipein.” According to various sources, the meaning was “to leave out, fail to appear,” “a failing, forsaking,” or “abandon, cease, die.”

13. Do solar eclipses follow any kind of pattern?

The Moon goes through several cycles. The best known is its 29.5-day cycle of phases, from new through full and back again. Other cycles include its distance from Earth (which varies by about 30,000 miles (50,000 km) over 27.5 days) and its relationship to the Sun’s path across the sky, known as the ecliptic (27.2 days), among others. These three cycles overlap every 6,585.3 days, which is 18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours.

This cycle of cycles is known as a Saros (a word created by Babylonians). The circumstances for each succeeding eclipse in a Saros are similar—the Moon is about the same distance from Earth, for example, and they occur at the same time of year. Each eclipse occurs one-third of the way around Earth from the previous one, however; the next eclipse in this Saros, for example, will be visible from parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Each Saros begins with a partial eclipse. A portion of the Moon just nips the northern edge of the Sun, for example, blocking only a fraction of the Sun’s light. With each succeeding eclipse in the cycle, the Moon covers a larger fraction of the solar disk, eventually creating dozens of total eclipses. The Moon then slides out of alignment again, this time in the opposite direction, creating more partial eclipses. The series ends with a grazing partial eclipse on the opposite hemisphere (the southern tip, for example).

Several Saros cycles churn along simultaneously (40 are active now), so Earth doesn’t have to wait 18 years between eclipses. They can occur at intervals of one, five, six, or seven months.

The April 8 eclipse is the 30th of Saros 139, a series of 71 events that began with a partial eclipse, in the far north, and will end with another partial eclipse, this time in the far southern hemisphere. The next eclipse in this Saros, also total, will take place on April 20, 2042.

First eclipse May 17, 1501

First total eclipse December 21, 1843

Final total eclipse March 26, 2601

Longest total eclipse July 16, 2186,  7 minutes, 29 seconds

Final partial eclipse July 3, 2763

All eclipses 71 (43 total, 16 partial, 12 hybrid)

Source: NASA Catalog of Solar Eclipses: eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros139.html

14. What about eclipse seasons?

Eclipses occur in “seasons,” with two or three eclipses (lunar and solar) in a period of about five weeks. Individual eclipses are separated by two weeks: a lunar eclipse at full Moon, a solar eclipse at new Moon (the sequence can occur in either order). If the first eclipse in a season occurs during the first few days of the window, then the season will have three eclipses. When one eclipse in the season is poor, the other usually is much better.

That’s certainly the case with the season that includes the April 8 eclipse. It begins with a penumbral lunar eclipse on the night of March 24, in which the Moon will pass through Earth’s outer shadow. The eclipse will cover the Americas, although the shadow is so faint that most skywatchers won’t notice it.

This article was previously published in the March/April 2024 issue of StarDate  magazine, a publication of The University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory. Catch StarDate’s daily radio program on more than 300 stations nationwide or subscribe online at  stardate.org .

15. How can astronomers forecast eclipses so accurately?

They’ve been recording eclipses and the motions of the Moon for millennia. And over the past half century they’ve been bouncing laser beams off of special reflectors carried to the Moon by Apollo astronauts and Soviet rovers. Those observations reveal the Moon’s position to within a fraction of an inch. Using a combination of the Earth-Moon distance, the Moon’s precise shape, Earth’s rotation and its distance from the Sun, and other factors, astronomers can predict the timing of an eclipse to within a fraction of a second many centuries into the future.

Edmond Halley made the first confirmed solar eclipse prediction, using the laws of gravity devised only a few decades earlier by Isaac Newton. Halley forecast that an eclipse would cross England on May 3, 1715. He missed the timing by just four minutes and the path by 20 miles, so the eclipse is known as Halley’s Eclipse.

16. What are the types of solar eclipses?

Total : the Moon completely covers the Sun.

Annular : the Moon is too far away to completely cover the Sun, leaving a bright ring of sunlight around it.

Partial : the Moon covers only part of the Sun’s disk.

Hybrid : an eclipse that is annular at its beginning and end, but total at its peak.

17. What are Baily’s beads?

During the minute or two before or after totality, bits of the Sun shine through canyons and other features on the limb of the Moon, producing “beads” of sunlight. They were first recorded and explained by Edmond Halley, in 1715. During a presentation to the Royal Academy of Sciences more than a century later, however, astronomer Frances Baily first described them as “a string of beads,” so they’ve been known as Baily’s beads ever since. Please note that Baily’s beads are too bright to look at without eye protection!

18. Will Earth always see total solar eclipses?

No, it will not. The Moon is moving away from Earth at about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per year. Based on that rate of recession, in about 600 million years the Moon would have moved so far from Earth that it would no longer appear large enough to cover the Sun. The speed at which the Moon separates from Earth changes over the eons, however, so scientists aren’t sure just when Earth will see its final total solar eclipse.

19. How will the eclipse affect solar power?

If your solar-powered house is in or near the path of totality, the lights truly will go out, as they do at night. For large power grids, the eclipse will temporarily reduce the total amount of electricity contributed by solar generation. During the October 14, 2023, annular eclipse, available solar power plummeted in California and Texas. At the same time, demand increased as individual Sun-powered homes and other buildings began drawing electricity from the power grid. Both networks were able to compensate with stations powered by natural gas and other sources.

The power drop during this year’s eclipse could be more dramatic because there will be less sunlight at the peak of the eclipse.

20. What are some of the myths and superstitions associated with solar eclipses?

Most ancient cultures created stories to explain the Sun’s mysterious and terrifying disappearances.

In China and elsewhere, it was thought the Sun was being devoured by a dragon. Other cultures blamed a hungry frog (Vietnam), a giant wolf loosed by the god Loki (Scandinavia), or the severed head of a monster (India). Still others saw an eclipse as a quarrel (or a reunion) between Sun and Moon. Some peoples shot flaming arrows into the sky to scare away the monster or to rekindle the solar fire. One especially intriguing story, from Transylvania, said that an eclipse occurred when the Sun covered her face in disgust at bad human behavior.

Eclipses have been seen as omens of evil deeds to come. In August 1133, King Henry I left England for Normandy one day before a lengthy solar eclipse, bringing prophesies of doom. The country later was plunged into civil war, and Henry died before he could return home, strengthening the impression that solar eclipses were bad mojo.

Ancient superstitions claimed that eclipses could cause plague and other maladies. Modern superstitions say that food prepared during an eclipse is poison and that an eclipse will damage the babies of pregnant women who look at it. None of that is true, of course. There’s nothing at all to fear from this beautiful natural event.

21. How do animals react to solar eclipses?

Scientists haven’t studied the topic very thoroughly, but they do have some general conclusions. Many daytime animals start their evening rituals, while many nighttime animals wake up when the eclipse is over, perhaps cursing their alarm clocks for letting them sleep so late!

During the 2017 total eclipse, scientists observed 17 species at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina. About three-quarters of the species showed some response as the sky darkened. Some animals acted nervous, while others simply headed for bed. A species of gibbon had the most unusual reaction, moving excitedly and chattering in ways the zookeepers hadn’t seen before.

Other studies have reported that bats and owls sometimes come out during totality, hippos move toward their nighttime feeding grounds, and spiders tear down their webs, only to rebuild them when the Sun returns. Bees have been seen to return to their hives during totality and not budge until the next day, crickets begin their evening chorus, and, unfortunately, mosquitoes emerge, ready to dine on unsuspecting eclipse watchers.

A NASA project, Eclipse Soundscapes, is using volunteers around the country to learn more about how animals react to the changes. The project collected audio recordings and observations by participants during the annular eclipse last year, and will repeat the observations this year. Volunteers can sign up at eclipsesoundscapes.org

22. How will scientists study this year’s eclipse?

Astronomers don’t pay quite as much professional attention to solar eclipses as they did in decades and centuries past. However, they still schedule special observations to add to their knowledge of the Sun and especially the inner edge of the corona.

Sun-watching satellites create artificial eclipses by placing a small disk across the face of the Sun, blocking the Sun’s disk and revealing the corona, solar prominences, and big explosions of charged particles known as coronal mass ejections.

Because of the way light travels around the edges of an eclipsing disk, however, it’s difficult to observe the region just above the Sun’s visible surface, which is where much of the action takes place. The corona is heated to millions of degrees there, and the constant flow of particles known as the solar wind is accelerated to a million miles per hour or faster, so solar astronomers really want to see that region in detail. The eclipsing Moon doesn’t create the same effects around the limb of the Sun, so a solar eclipse still provides the best way to look close to the Sun’s surface.

For this year’s eclipse, some scientists will repeat a series of experiments they conducted in 2017 using a pair of highaltitude WB-57 aircraft to “tag team” through the lunar shadow, providing several extra minutes of observations.

Other scientists will use the eclipse to study Earth’s ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the atmosphere that “bends” radio waves, allowing them to travel thousands of miles around the planet. Sunlight rips apart atoms and molecules during the day, intensifying the charge. At night, the atoms and molecules recombine, reducing the charge.

Physicists want to understand how the ionosphere reacts to the temporary loss of sunlight during an eclipse. They will do so with the help of thousands of volunteer ham radio operators, who will exchange messages with others around the planet. During last October’s annular eclipse, when the Moon covered most but not all of the Sun, the experiment showed a large and immediate change in the ionosphere as the sunlight dimmed.

NASA also will launch three small “sounding” rockets, which loft instruments into space for a few minutes, to probe the ionosphere shortly before, during, and shortly after the eclipse.

Another project will use radar to study changes in the interactions between the solar wind and Earth’s atmosphere, while yet another will use a radio telescope to map sunspots and surrounding regions as the Moon passes across them.

One project will piece together images of the eclipse snapped through more than 40 identical telescopes spaced along the path of totality to create a one-hour movie of the eclipse. The telescopes will be equipped with instruments that see the three-dimensional structure of the corona, allowing solar scientists to plot how the corona changes.

23. What have astronomers learned from eclipses?

Solar eclipses have been powerful tools for studying the Sun, the layout of the solar system, and the physics of the universe.

Until the Space Age, astronomers could see the Sun’s corona only during eclipses, so they traveled around the world to catch these brief glimpses of it.

Eclipses also offered a chance to refine the scale of the solar system. Watching an eclipse from different spots on Earth and comparing the angles of the Moon and Sun helped reveal the relative sizes and distances of both bodies, which were important steps in understanding their true distances.

During an eclipse in 1868, two astronomers discovered a new element in the corona. It was named helium, after Helios, a Greek name for the Sun. The element wasn’t discovered on Earth until a quarter of a century later.

An eclipse in 1919 helped confirm General Relativity, which was Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity. The theory predicted that the gravity of a massive body should deflect the path of light rays flying near its surface. During the eclipse, astronomers found that the positions of background stars that appeared near the Sun were shifted by a tiny amount, which was in perfect agreement with Einstein’s equations.

Today, astronomers are using records of eclipses dating back thousands of years to measure changes in Earth’s rotation rate and the distance to the Moon.

24. How did astronomers study eclipses in the past?

With great effort! From the time they could accurately predict when and where solar eclipses would be visible, they organized expeditions that took them to every continent except Antarctica, on trips that lasted months and that sometimes were spoiled by clouds or problems both technical and human.

During the American Revolution, for example, a group of Harvard scientists led by Samuel Williams received safe passage from the British army to view an eclipse from Penobscot Bay, Maine, on October 21, 1780. Williams slightly miscalculated the eclipse path, though, so the group missed totality by a few miles. (The expedition did make some useful observations, however.)

In 1860, an expedition headed by Simon Newcomb, one of America’s top astronomers, journeyed up the Saskatchewan River, hundreds of miles from the nearest city, braving rapids, mosquitoes, and bad weather. After five grueling weeks, they had to stop short of their planned viewing site, although at a location still inside the eclipse path. Clouds covered the Sun until almost the end of totality, however, so the expedition came up empty.

King Mongkut of Siam invited a French expedition and hundreds of other dignitaries to view an eclipse from present-day Thailand in 1868. He built an observatory and a large compound to house his guests at a site Mongkut himself had selected as the best viewing spot. The eclipse came off perfectly, but many visitors contracted malaria. So did Mongkut, who died a few weeks later.

An expedition in 1914, to Russia, was plagued by both clouds and the start of World War I. The team abandoned its instruments at a Russian observatory and escaped through Scandinavia.

The eclipse of July 29, 1878, offered fewer impediments. In fact, it was a scientific and social extravaganza. The eclipse path stretched from Montana Territory to Texas. Teams of astronomers from the United States and Europe spread out along the path. Thomas Edison stationed his group in Wyoming, where he used a tasimeter, a device of his own creation, to try to measure the temperature of the corona. Samuel Pierpoint Langley, a future secretary of the Smithsonian, was atop Pikes Peak in Colorado. Maria Mitchell, perhaps America’s leading female scientist, decamped to Denver. And Asaph Hall, who had discovered the moons of Mars just the year before, journeyed to the flatlands of eastern Colorado.

Thousands of average Americans joined the festivities, paying outrageous prices for some of the best viewing spots. Some things, it seems, never change.

25. What about lunar eclipses?

While solar eclipses happen during new Moon, lunar eclipses occur when the Moon is full, so it aligns opposite the Sun in our sky. The Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. In a total eclipse, the entire lunar disk turns orange or red. In a partial eclipse, Earth’s inner shadow covers only a portion of the Moon. And during a penumbral eclipse, the Moon passes through the outer portion of Earth’s shadow, darkening the Moon so little that most people don’t even notice it.

Lunar eclipses happen as often as solar eclipses—at least twice per year. This is a poor year for lunar eclipses, however. There is a penumbral eclipse on the night of March 24, with the Moon slipping through Earth’s faint outer shadow, and a partial eclipse on the night of September 17, in which the Moon barely dips into the darker inner shadow. Both eclipses will be visible from most of the United States.

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