American Association of Geographers American Association of Geographers

Travel Grants for the International Geographical Union 2010
Regional Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel

Priority Deadline: December 1, 2009

The Association of American Geographers (AAG) has received funding from the National Science Foundation to defray the expenses of participation by US scientists in the International Geographical Union Regional Conference in Tel Aviv, Israel to be held in coordination with the Israeli National Commission of Geography from July 12-16, 2010.  The AAG will provide a total of approximately 27 travel grants of $2,000 each to 15 junior scholars, and awards of $1,500 each to 12 senior scholars. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.  Details regarding the conference are available from IGU (www.igu-net.org) and the organizing committee (www.igu2010.com )

Eligibility
To be eligible for support you must:

  1. be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
  2. register for and attend the main conference, even if your major presentation will be made in a commission or study group symposium;
  3. travel on United States-flag carriers in accordance with United States government travel regulations; for clarifications on this requirement, please consult the NSF General Grant Conditions Guide and click on bookmark 10. Travel.
  4. NOT have already received other NSF funding with a specific budget item for travel to the IGU Regional Congress; and
  5. agree to write a post-conference report detailing your meeting activities.

Grant funds may be used to cover any travel related expense to participate in eligible activities, including conference registration, airfare, hotel lodging, meals, local transportation, or other such costs.

Criteria: Proposals for travel grants may be submitted for evaluation in one or more of four categories:

  1. presentation of a scholarly paper;
  2. workshop development and presentation;
  3. international collaborative research; and
  4. distinctive contributions that enhance the scientific value and scholarship of the conference or of the International Geographical Union.

Whatever the category, the screening committee will emphasize basic science benefits for U.S. scholars and institutions in its selection of those to receive awards. The overriding criterion the committee will use in evaluating applications is the intrinsic scientific merit of each applicant's contribution to the IGU conference. When competitors' contributions are of approximately equal merit, preference will be given to minority, female, and junior scholars, and to those who have previously received fewer travel grants through the IGU travel grant programs. Also scholarship that has been largely disseminated previously will be ranked lower than contributions consisting largely or wholly of fresh materials.

Applications: To apply, submit the completed application form by the priority deadline on December 1, 2009 to grantsawards@aag.org.  Applications received after that date may be considered for alternate awards, for instance, in case an awardee is unable to accept a grant or its terms.
Digital submissions are required.  The form consists of three parts:

  1. Contact details and demographic information for the applicant.
  2. The materials appropriate to the category of participation for which you seek funding should be included either as responses in the form or as attachments inside of the application pdf, including:
    • a copy of the paper to be presented for category 1 applications;
    • a detailed outline of the workshop and a description of expertise and experience for category 2 applications;
    • a description of the international collaborative research in which you are engaged, including progress to date and publications completed or submitted, for category 3 applications; or
    • a description of the nature and extent of your other kinds of participation for category 4 applications.
  3. A narrative section explaining why it is important that you participate in the conference, namely identifying the ways your participation will enhance basic geographic research and teaching in the United States and explaining how you will share those benefits with those who do not attend the IGU Meeting in Tel Aviv.

When you complete the form, choose to “save as” a new file with your last name in front of the filename, such as “LASTNAME_AAG-IGU_Travel_Application.pdf”.  Then send the file as an email attachment to grantsawards@aag.org with “AAG-IGU Travel Grants” as the subject line in order to ensure swift processing and avoid delays due to misdelivery or spam filtering.  Acknowledgement of receipt of applications is not automated but will be returned within approximately 2-3 business days.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their submission by January 16, 2010.

Acceptance of a grant:  Accepted applicants will be required to download and sign an acceptance form agreeing to terms and conditions of expending the grant in accordance with the purpose of the program and with NSF rules.  Grant checks will be process only once forms are received, which may take a few weeks time. 

AAG does not make any arrangements for registration, travel, or other logistical considerations.  Applicants should keep receipts of expenses related to the costs of participation to submit along with their meeting report.

Reports and Acknowledgement:
By accepting an AAG Travel Grant you agree to submit to the AAG Executive Director a brief report form that documents the expenses covered and summarizes the discussions at the symposia, conference sessions, or field seminars you attend. You should also make every effort to have your reports published in appropriate outlets, such as The Professional Geographer, AAG Newsletter, or the newsletter of a relevant specialty group. Such publications should acknowledge AAG and NSF support for your participation at the IGU Conference. AAG also requests that each grantee make available copies of their documents, manuscripts, presentations, or other materials prepared for the IGU event on the internet for viewing by the scientific community, students and the general public. Please include in your report any electronic availability and/or url locations of such information.

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