Travel Fellowships from the Ronald J. Poole Chemistry Fellowship Fund
The Tufts University Chemistry Department is proud to support PhD student travel to national and international conferences. Each student in the Chemistry, Chemistry/Biotechnology, and Chemical Physics PhD programs is provided with up to $1200 to attend a conference in their field. These travel fellowships are made possible through the generous support of the Ronald J. Poole Chemistry Fellowship Fund.
Goals of the Program
Attending a conference allows PhD students to expand their scholarly horizons, network with other professionals, and explore career opportunities. Every student should have equal opportunity to attend a conference and students should feel empowered to choose a conference that maximizes their professional benefit. We expect that providing funding for PhD students to attend a major conference in their field will produce many direct results for students and advisors:
- Improved training and career preparation
- Increased opportunities for new collaborations
- Increased equity of opportunity for graduate students and advisors
- Increased sense of control over their career path
- Increased sense of belonging within the larger scientific community
Program Details
The Chemistry Department provides Travel Fellowships of up to $1200 for each PhD student to attend one conference. The funds are provided by the Ronald J. Poole Chemistry Fellowship Fund. Costs are paid directly by these funds to avoid the administrative burden of reimbursement. PhD students are guaranteed these funds upon enrollment, and they are able to apply for the Travel Fellowship any time after they present their Graduate Research Seminar (5th semester) and before their thesis defense. Students must be in good standing in the graduate program to be awarded a Travel Fellowship.
Expectations
- While the ultimate choice of conference will be the student’s, the conference must be in the student’s primary research field. Students must consult their advisor when choosing a conference.
- At the discretion of the advisor, a Travel Fellowship may be supplemented with suitable funds from the advisor.
- Students may attend one conference using a Travel Fellowship. Unspent funds will not be available for a second conference trip.
- Students must apply to present a poster or oral presentation, if available.
- Students must coordinate with the advisor and with Tufts Technology Transfer when presenting results that are part of an existing or planned invention disclosure or patent filing.
- Funding can be applied towards registration costs, flights, transport to and from airports and conference venues, a single-occupancy hotel room near the conference venue for the duration of the conference plus one day on either end of the conference if needed, and a per diem (primarily for food expenses).
- Flights and lodging will be chosen by students and booked in coordination with the Chemistry front office using a departmental credit card. When choosing travel and lodging, please minimize costs when possible and reasonable.
- Students will submit proof of attendance which may include their plane tickets, conference participation certificate, conference photos or other materials. Students will also need to submit receipts from airfare, lodging, and anything else purchased using the department credit card. Students will not need to turn in any receipts for purchases covered by the prepaid per diem.
Once you identify a conference you would like to attend, please figure out what the total estimated costs will be. Potential expenses could include, but are not limited to, conference registration, travel, lodging, and a per diem. Any charges that exceed $1200 will need to be discussed with and covered by your PI. You will need to have your PI identify the specific funding sources to cover exceeding charges before we book your trip.
Following this, please fill out the Robert J. Poole Chemistry Fellowship Fund Qualtrics form. Your submission will be reviewed by staff in the main office, and you will be invited via email to stop by the main office to book your trip. Please have lodging and travel arrangements chosen before coming to the main office. Please e-mail Megan Guldenzoph with any questions.