About the Diversity Travel Award
The SIMB Diversity Travel Award has been established to promote diversity and to increase the participation of underrepresented minority groups in the Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) amongst the graduate students making presentations at the RAFT® Meeting. Recipients of this award must be:
- A U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- A female and/or an underrepresented minority (American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Asian, Hispanic, or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander)
- A current graduate student or a graduate student at the time the abstract was submitted
- The presenting author of an abstract accepted for presentation (poster or oral session) at the RAFT® Meeting.
Each winner receives a certificate, $500 to help cover travel to the meeting and a one-year student membership in SIMB. The awards will be presented by the President of SIMB at the Meeting Banquet and the winners will be recognized at the Diversity Session. Attendance at the RAFT® Meeting Meeting is required for receiving this award. Should an awardee be unable to attend the RAFT® Meeting, the award will be presented to an alternate previously identified by the committee who also meets the criteria. Award winners are not eligible to apply for this award again.
Application Process
Two awards will be offered to support attending the RAFT® Meeting. To apply for this award, a student must:
- Indicate at the time of abstract submission that they are eligible and want to be considered for the award by checking the corresponding box in the abstract submission system
- Provide the Student Status Verification Form filled and signed by the graduate advisor or the graduate program coordinator to verify the student’s citizenship, female and/or underrepresented minority status, and graduate student status
- Submit a letter of diversity commitment to indicate why they should be considered for the award. Instructions for this letter can be found in the application form.
The student status verification form, letter of diversity commitment, and a copy of the submitted abstract identifying the student as lead presenter must be sent electronically in PDF format. Further instructions can be found in the application form.
Selection process
The Diversity Committee shall review the qualifying abstracts and supporting information for adherence to the submission requirements. Award recipients will be selected based on the scientific quality of the abstracts and their commitment to diversity; alternates will also be identified. Award recipients will be notified in advance of the Annual Meeting but after notification of abstract acceptance.
In the event that no applications are received or if the applicants are judged to be unqualified by the Diversity Committee, then no award will be given.