ACS Bridge Travel & Professional Development Award
Award at a Glance
Purpose
To defray expenses necessary to attend the ACS Spring or Fall Meeting, such as registration fees, transportation, lodging, presentation materials, and meals.
Description
This award will cover up to $1,000 in expenses for selected applicants who wish to attend the upcoming ACS Meeting. This opportunity is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of presentation status, abstract submission, or ACS membership.
Deadline
Travel award applications are accepted semi-annually for the ACS Spring and Fall Meetings. All applications close at 5:00 PM ET on the deadline date.
How to Apply
The award is open to undergraduate and graduate students interested in the chemical sciences. The goal of the award is to broaden access to conferences for students, enabling them to showcase research, explore graduate schools, gain valuable mentorship, and explore advancements in the field, thereby fostering a more inclusive and robust scientific workforce. This professional development award will defray the cost of the upcoming ACS Meeting. Each award will be for up to $1,000 of eligible expenses, as determined by a review of the completed application.
Application Packet (Online application process)
Completed applications consist of the following:
Essay Prompts: To apply for the travel award, please respond to one of the following essay prompts, depending on whether you will be presenting or attending the meeting:
For Presenters:
- Describe the specific benefits you expect to gain from presenting your work at the meeting.
- Explain how your presentation aligns with you academic or professional goals and how it will contribute to your career development.
- Briefly outline how you plan to share your research and the knowledge gained from the meeting with your peers, colleagues, or the broader community.
For Attendees:
- Explain how attending the meeting aligns with your academic or professional goals and how it will contribute to your overall development.
- Describe specific activites or opportunities you plan to engage in at the meeting (e.g., attending workshops, networking events, speaker sessions) and how they will benefit your knowledge and skills.
- Upon returning, how will you leverage your experience at the meeting to benefit your academic institution, research group, or workplace?
Resume or Curriculum vitae: Share your relevant post-secondary experiences, including extracurricular activities, work experiences, research projects, and achievements demonstrating your passion for chemistry. Include details like company/institution name, location, position held, role description, and weekly hours (if applicable).
Letter of Recommendation: A letter from a mentor/advisor explaining why you deserve the award and how it will help with the student's overall professional development. Please obtain your chosen writer's consent before submitting their name and contact information in your application to ensure they can fulfill the recommendation by the deadline. The ACS Bridge Team will contact your writer directly to provide instructions for submitting the letter. The final request for letters will go out at 5:00 pm EST on the application deadline.
Requirements
- U.S. citizen
- Undergraduate student in the chemical sciences.
- Graduate student in the chemical sciences.
Applications for the Fall ACS Meeting will open June 2, 2025.
Reporting Requirements
Following the ACS Meeting you attended, all awardees are required to complete the following post-award responsibilities:
Complete a feedback survey: Share your experience at the ACS Meeting by responding to feedback questions. This information is valuable to the ACS Bridge Team Leadership.
Submit proof of expenses: Provide documentation, such as originial/digital receipts, reservation confirmation emails, or banks/credit card statements, demonstrating that the full awarded amount was used for approved expenses related to the ACS Meeting. Ensure all proof is dated and clearly identify the merchant and expense details. If the awarded amount is not spent in full on approved expenses related to the ACS Meeting, you will be issued a 1099 tax form for the full amount awarded.
Sponsor
Contact Information
Email: bridge@acs.org
