Overview

The aim of the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG) Travel Grant is to assist Purdue University graduate students in attending technical conferences which in turn will help to develop graduate students professionally and augment the overall quality of research at Purdue. Grants are distributed among graduate students on a competitive basis.

Because the number of applications varies each semester and the total budget for Travel Grant varies year to year, the number and amount of awards will not determined until after all applications have been received. Grants are typically about $200 and are awarded to 20-40% of applicants. A few exceptional applications may receive slightly larger award amounts if funds are available. This year, $12,200 was awarded in grants.

Deadline

For travel between 09/01/09 – 02/28/10, the Fall 2009 deadline is Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 5:00 pm. No exceptions.

Directions and Application Forms

Download the Fall 2009 forms in PDF or DOC.

Get Involved: Review Travel Grants for PGSG.

The PGSG Travel Grant Program is administered by two committees, the Review Committee and the Organizational Committee. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Nathan Hitchens. Please include your name, department, school (e.g., Agriculture, Engineering, Science), campus mail address (Department and Building), phone number, and which committee you are interested in. Please note that members of either committee are not eligible to apply for a travel grant for the semesters they serve.

Reviewers will read the research statement of each application and score them using a set of established criteria. Reviewers will be expected to review applications from a broad spectrum of disciplines, but an understanding of those disciplines is not required. Reviewers will not judge the quality or value of an applicants research, only how well the applicant has explained the purpose and value of their research. Reviewers will have two weeks to review all applications and return their scores to the Travel Grant Chair. Reviewers will be invited to serve additional semesters at the discretion of the Chair. Ideally, this committee will be composed of one graduate student from each of the ten academic schools, but the composition will ultimately be based on the availability of qualified volunteers.

Nathan Hitchens (nmhitchens*)
Chair, PGSG Travel Grant Committee
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
[*] <@purdue.edu>