Graduate Student Awards

The Center for Insect Science supports graduate student research and scholarship through several avenues. Graduate students who apply for the various awards offered must be in a laboratory pursuing some aspect of insect science research. CIS competitively provides funds that graduate students can use for attending professional meetings.

Since 2006, CIS has provided approximately $82,000 in research funding to graduate students, and through the Chapman Prize. In the same period of time, CIS has provided over $34,000 for graduate students to travel to professional meetings, at which they have been invited to present a talk or research poster. Traveling to meetings allows students to learn much about their prospective fields, network with others, develop collaborations, and broadcast their research efforts.

Competitions for graduate travel awards are held twice a year and are announced on the CIS Members listserv. Applications for awards are reviewed by a committee drawn from CIS faculty. Reviewers take into consideration at what stage the student is in her/his program, how urgent is the need for funding and, especially, how the receipt of funds will benefit the applicant's research and career prospects particularly with respect to achieving a future postdoctoral position.  The Chapman Prize award competition is typically held each spring as funds allow.

The Center also has forged reciprocal agreements of collaboration with a number of foreign institutions in France, Germany, China, and the United Kingdom, at which CIS graduate students can conduct research.