IAGLR International Travel Award

Purpose

The International Travel Award implements IAGLR’s intent to broaden its scope to large lakes internationally. Through the travel scholarship, IAGLR seeks to expand relationships with researchers outside the United States and Canada; to provide opportunities for international students and recent graduates to benefit from the IAGLR research community; and to build capacity and engage members from low- middle-income countries.

Number and Value of Awards

• One or two awards, depending on the funds available
• Travel and associated needs (e.g., visa), accommodations, and meals

Travel funds will not be advanced directly to the recipient, but will be paid in advance on behalf of the recipient or reimbursed. Funds are restricted to covering the costs of attending the IAGLR conference in the year of the award. If travel to the conference does not occur in the year of the conferring of the award, funds are forfeited.

Eligibility

Applicants for the award must

• Be a member of IAGLR
• Be enrolled as a student (master's or Ph.D.) or affiliated as a post-doctoral fellow at a “recognized” postsecondary, educational institution located outside of the USA and Canada
• Demonstrate that the focus of their research is on large lakes outside of the USA or Canada.

Application Elements

A complete application is composed of the following:

1. Application, submitted online. Be prepared to submit the following:
   • IAGLR member ID
   • Brief title and extended abstract of proposed research
   • Statement of relevance of the research to large lake research
   • Current curriculum vitae (PDF)
   • Transcripts (PDF)
2. Letter of endorsement from the key faculty member/supervisor, sent directly to travelaward@iaglr.org with the applicant's name and award name in the subject line. The letter should be in PDF format and indicate the following:
   • Name, address, e-mail, and telephone number of letter writer
   • Confirmation of candidate's current enrollment in, or affiliation with, the institution
   • Description of the candidate's area of large lakes research and its scientific merit
   • Comment on the candidate’s academic ability and the potential impact of their research to the field.
   • Note of any other travel support that would be available from the home institution or research grants.

Criteria for Judging

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Scientific merit
• Academic excellence
• Originality
• Contribution of research to the understanding of large lakes
• Financial need 

Applicants from low- middle-income countries are strongly encouraged to apply.