Undergraduate Travel Bursary 2023
Deadline for receipt of all application materials: Wednesday March 15, 2023
Award Description: The CSEE Undergraduate Travel Bursary is offered to reduce barriers for earliest-career scientists who wish to attend a conference, present a poster or give a talk, gain experience, and begin networking with other researchers. As undergraduate presenters, we support applicants whose projects are in progress, in addition to recently completed projects. Projects in progress may be in their early stages. For example, you may have a conceived project idea, some hypotheses, predictions, and methods.
Ten (10) bursaries, up to $1,000 each, are available to assist undergraduates in covering the cost of attending the conference. For example, funds may support travel, accommodation, and/or registration. Funds will be dispersed after the conference, on presentation of eligible receipts, to a maximum value of $1,000. The CSEE Awards Committee can provide resources to help students navigate the conference process as needed.
Eligibility: Applicants must be: 1) current undergraduate students at a Canadian institution OR 2) be recent graduates (i.e., graduated in May 2022). Applicants must be willing to present a poster or talk at the conference.
How to apply: Candidates must apply directly. Established researchers are welcome to encourage students to apply, but to show their consent students must apply directly. Completed application packages must contain:
- A completed CSEE Undergraduate Travel Bursary form. This form requires identifying information, a short summary of your project (what you plan to present), and a short description of why attending a conference is meaningful for you personally and/or professionally.
- An email from a project supervisor/mentor indicating that they are aware of your application. This email must be sent directly from your supervisor/mentor to the relevant CSEE Awards Committee members. The acknowledgement can simply state that the supervisor is supportive and aware of your application.
Submitting your application: All materials must be sent to both Jasmine Janes (Jasmine.Janes@viu.ca) and Eric Vander Wal (eric.vanderwal@mun.ca). Please use the following filename convention for your application form: lastname_firstinitial_CSEE_UTAaward2022 (e.g., Smith_J_CSEE_UTAaward2022).
Time lines: The deadline for receipt of all materials, including letters of reference, is March 15, 2023. Applicants will be notified of outcomes in April.
Conference presentation awards
Each year, CSEE administers a Student Award Competition for the best talks and posters. Prizes of $500, $300 and $200 will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd of each presentation type. Entries will only be accepted until the end of early registration. To apply, just click the appropriate box during the registration process.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: CSEE EXCELLENCE IN DOCTORAL RESEARCH AWARD 2023
Deadline for receipt of application materials: February 3, 2023
Award Description: The CSEE Excellence in Doctoral Research Award showcases excellent Ph.D. student research in ecology and evolution from society members. The selection committee will consider applications through the lens of CSEE’s Diversity and Inclusivity Statement and draft Code of Ethics. Five awardees will receive a $600 award and an invitation to present their doctoral research during the Graduate Student Award Symposium at the annual meeting. In addition, awardees are eligible to receive up to $1,100 allowance to assist with travel and participation in the annual CSEE meeting. For example, childcare services are considered an eligible expense for the allowance.
Eligibility: Applicants must be: 1) registered in a PhD program within the year of application (2022), 2) be in an advanced stage of their dissertation (i.e., final two years), and 3) a member of CSEE at the time of application. Applicants should have advanced to candidacy, but should not have completed their degree requirements as of December 31st, 2022. Individuals who have completed degree requirements as of December 31st, 2022 are encouraged to apply for the CSEE Early Career Award instead. There is no citizenship or residence requirement for this award. Candidates must adhere to the draft CSEE Code of Ethics. Applicants from last year who were not selected for the award, but still meet the eligibility criteria, are encouraged to re-apply.
Application materials: Applicants must apply directly. Established researchers may encourage doctoral students to apply but, in order to show their consent, nominees/applicants must apply directly. Applications must contain all of the following supporting materials in the stated order:
- A completed Applicant Awards Declaration Form
2. Thesis Summary (300 words maximum): A summary of the applicant’s thesis, including how their research advances the state of knowledge in their field.
3. Relevant Activities (250 words maximum): Describe any professional and extracurricular activities that demonstrate your communication and leadership skills.
4. Select Contributions (1 page maximum): Using three headings, highlight (i) peer-reviewed papers, (ii) talks and/or posters, and (iii) other accomplishments.
The applicant must remove their name from all publications and replace it with “Applicant”, in bold:
- Peer-reviewed papers include those that are published, in review or revision (include the submission number) and pre-prints (include a DOI). NOTE: this is a change from previous years.
- Talks and/or posters can include conference talks, invited talks, seminars, and panels.
- Other accomplishments: this can include any additional accomplishments the students want to highlight. This work should not simply repeat what is reported in the “Relevant Activities” section, though we expect there to be overlap. NOTE: this is a change from previous years.
Letter of Reference: One letter of support (1 page maximum) from your PhD advisor or a committee member is required for each applicant. Letters should speak to the criteria listed above and should clearly state that the applicant is close to completion of their thesis. Letters must not contain the name of the applicant, but rather non-identifying terms such as “The Applicant”, or similar. For example, “The applicant has been a member of my lab…”.
Submitting Your Application: Sections 2 through 4 should be submitted as a single pdf file with the filename “lastname_firstinitial_CSEE_PhDaward.pdf”, along with Section 1 (Declaration Form) to cseestudent@gmail.com (e.g., Smith_J_CSEE_PhDaward.pdf). The letter of support should be submitted directly from the referee to the same email address (cseestudent@gmail.com) and should have the same format as the application with “_Letter” added to the end (e.g., Smith_J_CSEE_PhDAward_Letter.pdf). All materials are due by the deadline indicated above. We will respond to each email to confirm receipt within one week.
Please note: The name (first or last) of the applicant must not appear anywhere within the application other than the file names. This anonymization is meant to reduce bias during the evaluation process. Failure to properly anonymize applications could result in disqualification.
Other Important Information
Successful applicants will give a 30-minute talk (23 minute talk and 7-minute question period and transition) in the Graduate Student Award Symposium, and will not be able to give a separate talk during the conference. Awardees can present a poster if space is available. Successful applicants must respond to accept the award and confirm their registration within one week of notification. Successful applicants will be ineligible for Student/Post-doc travel awards as they are already eligible for an allowance to assist with travel costs.
