Description
The External Scholarships and Undergraduate Research Center (ESURC) supports faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity. We encourage undergraduates to pursue scholarly and creative projects and to present their results at regional and national professional meetings or conferences.
Support is available from the ESURC to help undergraduate students subsidize the cost of participating in professional meetings or conferences. This support could help alleviate registration costs (both virtual and in-person), travel expenses, lodging, and food.
Application Deadline
Applications are accepted in the fall and spring terms. The faculty endorsement and application both need to be completed by the deadlines below.
- Fall Semester: October 15, 2024
- Spring Semester: March 15, 2025
Qualifications
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered:
- Must be a full-time undergraduate student in good academic standing. Cannot receive funding for a conference/meeting that takes place after graduation;
- Must be presenting your research as first or second author (first or second named author on the research abstract) at a professional conference or meeting;
- Must be attending the conference or meeting during the academic year in which you apply. Apply in the fall semester for conferences held August 15 through January 15. Apply in the spring semester for conferences held January 1 through August 14. (Note that January 1-15 is included in both semesters, due to when applicants may be contacted about their acceptance);
- Group/team applications are not accepted. You must apply as an individual and clearly state your contribution to the project.
Presentation Format
You may present a paper, poster, performance, film screening, or exhibit a work or group of works - whatever is customary in your discipline. Presentations can be either in-person or virtual.
Funding Details
Funding is dependent on the number of applicants and funds available but will not be more than $300, except in unusual circumstances. In most cases this will not cover all of your travel expenses. You are encouraged to seek funding from other sources to supplement your award (departments, your college, discipline-specific organizations, the Council on Undergraduate Research, among others.)
Application Details
Part 1: Student Application
Students may earn conference presentation assistance from our office only once during their undergraduate careers at Binghamton University. Students are encouraged to submit their application before attending the conference but we will consider applications submitted after the conference depending on available funds and on evidence of conference attendance through through conference receipts. Students can access the application here.
Have the following information available:
- Mentor contact info;
- You will need the email or letter of confirmation of your acceptance to be a participant in the program;
- Complete budget (transportation, lodging, meals, registration, other) and receipts for a conference that has already taken place;
- Conference information (name, location, dates, webpage);
- Presentation information (title and abstract).
You will also need to tell us how you will disseminate what you learned from this experience (such as through a presentation to the biology or other disciplinary, community performance, or a Research Days Poster Session presentation, to name a few likely examples).
Part 2: Faculty Endorsement
Faculty support of your application is critical. Your faculty mentor should complete their endorsement of your application on this form by the award deadline. Faculty may endorse ONLY 3 students each grant cycle (fall, spring). It is imperative that you speak with your faculty mentor early in the semester to discuss this opportunity.
Guidance for Estimating Travel Expenses
When calculating travel costs, it is important to make the most economical choices for your trip. This guidance helps to properly estimate your conference attendance costs.
Lodging and Meals
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Per Diem Rates
You can search your destination by city, state, or zip code. This will give you an idea as to how much you should plan to spend on lodging and meals. If the conference provides a meal, it should not be calculated into your meal expense. We recommend taking advantage of any conference hotel rates.
For international travel, please see the per diem guidelines from the Department of State.
While the GSA provides a helpful indication of costs to expect, you may find you are able to spend less than the per diem.
Transportation
If the conference destination is approximately five hours or less from Binghamton, NY, you should plan to travel by personal car, rental car, bus, or train. If the destination is more than five hours away from Binghamton, NY, a plane is an appropriate method of transportation. Please compare price points and choose the most economical and reasonable flight.
How to calculate gas mileage: The GSA establishes a reimbursement rate per mile driven. Google maps is a great tool to estimate how many miles you will drive for conference-related travel.
Use a calculator to estimate taxi, Uber, or Lyft fare.
