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 $2,000 in expenses for selected applicants who wish to attend the upcoming ACS Fall Meeting. This opportunity is open to all 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.
Spring ACS Meeting: Applications open December and close January.
Fall ACS Meeting: Applications open May and close June.
How to Apply
For Undergraduate Students
The award is open to undergraduate students interested in the chemical sciences who are from historically marginalized groups in the field. This includes students from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), HSI (Hispanic Serving Institutions), and Tribal Colleges. The goal of the award is to increase the participation of students from diverse backgrounds to attend conferences allowing them to showcase research, explore graduate schools, gain valuable mentorship, and explore advancements in the field, contributing to a more diverse and robust scientific workforce. This professional development award will defray the cost of the upcoming ACS Meeting. Each award will be for up to $2,000 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).
Budget: List all anticipated expenses related to the ACS Meeting, including registration fees, transportation to/from the meeting, lodging, meals (limited to $100 per day), presentation materials (if needed), and etc. All listed expenses must be related to your participation in the ACS Meeting and incurred during the meeting dates. The award can cover up to $2,000 of eligible expenses based on your submitted budget. Expenses exceeding this amount are the responsibility of the selected applicant. The awarded funds are solely for the designated recipient listed on the application.
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.
Check back on May 1st for the Undergraduate Application
For Graduate Students
The award is open to graduate students interested in the chemical sciences who are from historically marginalized groups in the field. This includes students from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), HSI (Hispanic Serving Institutions), and Tribal Colleges. The goal of the award is to increase the participation of students from diverse backgrounds to attend conferences allowing them to showcase research, explore graduate schools, gain valuable mentorship, and explore advancements in the field, contributing to a more diverse and robust scientific workforce. This professional development award will defray the cost of the upcoming ACS Meeting. Each award will be for up to $2,000 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).
Budget: List all anticipated expenses related to the ACS Meeting, including registration fees, transportation to/from the meeting, lodging, meals (limited to $100 per day), presentation materials (if needed), and etc. All listed expenses must be related to your participation in the ACS Meeting and incurred during the meeting dates. The award can cover up to $2,000 of eligible expenses based on your submitted budget. Expenses exceeding this amount are the responsibility of the selected applicant. The awarded funds are solely for the designated recipient listed on the application.
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
- Graduate student in the chemical sciences.
Check back on May 1st for the Graduate Application
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. This helps ensure your eligibility for future awards and avoids the issuance of a 1099 tax form.
Sponsor
Contact Information
Email: bridge@acs.org
