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Student Travel Awards Available for ERF 2003
Apply by March 28, 2003

Paul Carlson, paul.carlson@fwc.state.fl.us
Flo Thomas, fthomas@chuma1.cas.usf.edu

Students who need financial assistance to attend the ERF 2003 conference in Seattle, Washington, may request travel support from the Federation. Awards will range from $150 to $300 per person. Although an ERF travel award will probably not cover all of your travel costs, you can use it as leverage for additional support from your academic department or your employer!

By the way, affiliate societies (SEERS, AERS, NEERS, CAERS, GERS, and PEERS) also give generous travel awards to students for travel to ERF conferences. To find out more about these awards visit the societies’ web sites (accessible through http://erf.org) or contact the president of your regional affiliate society.

Students — your participation in the ERF 2003 conference is important to you and to the Federation. So if you need assistance, please apply for a travel award.

Who is eligible to apply?
To qualify for an ERF 2003 student travel award, you must meet all of the following criteria:

• be enrolled at a university or college for the 2003 fall semester
• be an ERF member in good standing on March 1, 2003 (a membership application form can be found on the ERF web site http://erf.org)
• be registered for the ERF 2003 meeting
• be present at the Conference Close-Out party on September 18, 2003 to receive your check
• agree to write and deliver a one-page summary of your observations and recommendations about student-related activities for future ERF meetings to the student travel award committee by October 15, 2003
• have not received a conference travel award from the Federation in the past.
  

How to apply
To apply for a student travel award, fill out the online application at http://www.erf.org/erf2003/travel_request.html. The form will ask you to provide an estimate of your travel expenses and to compose a statement (150-200words) in which you justify your need for support and describe how your attendance at the conference will benefit your professional development.

Why students attend ERF conferences
Please note that you may apply for travel funds whether you are presenting a poster or talk at this confer-ence or not. The Federation recognizes that there are many long-term benefits to students who attend our conferences, in addition to the experience and acclaim that are received for making presentations.

There will be a career planning activity for students and post-docs at some time during the conference. You will also want to attend the evening student social “Meet the Pros.”
Most people agree that the best part of a Federation conference is the other people they meet there. Many lifelong collaborations and friendships began at Federation conferences. ERF conferences are excellent opportunities for students in this field to begin to create their own unique networks of professional contacts that will be important throughout their careers.

Complete the application and e-mail it to Paul Carlson (paul.carlson@fwc.state.fl.us) or Flo Thomas (fthomas@ chuma1.cas.usf.edu) by March 28, 2003. Award recipients will be notified by April 30, 2003.