Student Travel Grants

The purpose of this program is to encourage graduate student participation at the conference by funding the travel cost for students who would otherwise be unable to attend.

How to apply

Please submit the following required materials at this website

• A resume with complete contact information and correct email address.
• A short personal statement (1 or 2 paragraphs, no more than 1 page) that include information that the applicant feels is relevant to support his/her case, e.g., why the conference attendance is important to the applicant's research and career development. It *must* include the estimated expenses for attending the conference (total, and breakdown by conference registration, travel, lodging, and meals). If you will be unable to attend IMC without a travel grant, please explain why this is the case.
• A letter from your advisor (or a faculty contact if you do not have an advisor), which should (i) confirm the applicant's good standing in the institution; (ii) explain why the applicant would benefit from attending IMC as well as how he/she could contribute to the conference; and (iii) explain the current funding status and why the applicant is in need of the travel grant. This letter can be sent to "ratul AT microsoft DOT com" if your advisor/contact prefers.

When to apply

Apply before August 25, 2014, 11:59 PM PDT (August 26, 2014, 6:59 AM GMT). Late applications will not be considered.

Decision notification will be sent out by September 1, 2014.

Selection criteria

The student statement/letter and advisor letter(s) weigh strongly in selecting students for an IMC travel grant. Generally, travel grants are awarded to PhD students pursuing research in areas of interest to IMC. We rarely consider terminal MS students and do not consider postdocs.

Beyond the criteria above, a number of additional factors are considered. Among those criteria giving priority to a student are:

• Students from under-represented groups or institutions. Additionally, grants are spread across institutions, and the historical tendency is to award one travel grant per institution;
• Students who authored rejected IMC papers;
• Students who have not received a prior IMC travel grant;
• Student authors of accepted papers who will not be speaking at the conference. For US-based students, we rarely consider those who will be speaking at the conference, believing they should be supported by their advisors/institutions. For non-US-based students, we tend to relax this requirement on occasion given the different funding models in other countries.

The factors above represents our rough prioritization. We also take into account extenuating circumstances that are discussed in statements and letters.

Additional instructions/information

Please pay attention to the following details about the student travel grant application and reimbursement process:

• You must be a student at the time of attending IMC 2014 to qualify for a travel grant.
• Please provide complete contact information. We will need to have your current mailing address. (Please take into account any address changes you may have near the time of the stipend deadline, for example due to school breaks.) You will be notified via email, so make sure your email address is correct on your application.
• The expectation is that a student travel grant will significantly offset air fare, shared hotel accommodation, and registration. It may not fully cover these expenses, however, since our desire is to maximize participation by students. In order to obtain reimbursement, you must provide IMC with your original receipts for air fare and hotel expenses.
• Stipends are issued by check drawn on a U.S. bank. We will not be able to cash your check at the conference. Please be sure you will be able to make arrangements to cash the check on your own. We suggest you contact your bank for assistance.
• NOTE to travel grant recipients: The reimbursement process can take on the order of several months so please be patient! We may also need your Social Security number (on the reimbursement form), so that your check will reach you in a timely manner.
• The decision on student travel grants is made by the IMC Steering Committee; all decisions are final.

Additional Note: Students applying for travel grants should ensure that they have the proper travel documents (i.e., visas) to enter Canada, and to return to their home institution after the conference. Please be aware that some flights to and from Canada have US-based connections, so a US entry visa may also be required in some cases.

Acknowledgement

IMC 2014 gratefully acknowledges the National Science Foundation (NSF) for sponsoring the student travel grant program for US-based graduate students, and our corporate sponsor support for non-US-based graduate students.