Applications are part of the online process by which students register and submit abstracts to the APS annual meeting. We strongly recommend that you complete all application components as a Word document, and then paste each component as in the appropriate section of the online application portal. Pay special attention to the bulleted lists within sections 1-5, as they describe precisely how reviewers will score the applications. Section 6 will be used by the APS Foundation Board and will not affect your application score. ​However, Section 6 must be completed before you can submit your application.

The APS Student Travel Grant application is in conjunction with the Plant Health 2024​ abstract submission process. 

Funding is made possible through the APS Foundation Named Student Travel Funds. The interest from these funds helps underwrite the cost of APS annual meeting attendance for APS Student Members. The APS Graduate Student Committee assists the Foundation in developing application standards and in the selection of recipients.

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• Applicants must be a current APS Student M​ember who are currently enrolled as a graduate student or have completed their graduate program within 12 months of the current APS annual meeting date. 
• Applicants are required to submit an abstract with the plan to present either a poster or oral at the upcoming APS Annual Meeting. 
  
• Applicants who did not receive an APS Foundation Student Travel Grant the previous year or received other Foundation funding in 2024 are eligible to apply.​​​
  
• Applicants who are selected to receive a travel grant are required to be registered for the APS Annual Meeting by the advance registration date deadline of May 31, 2024. Those not registered by the deadline will have their abstract withdrawn from the program and will no longer be eligible to receive a travel grant. 
  

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1) Abstract content and style (250-word limit, 20 points)

The abstract uploaded as part of the annual meeting registration will be automatically included in the student’s application package for the travel grant. If a student is submitting multiple abstracts, within the online APS registration portal, only accept the option to apply for a Student Travel Grant for the abstract you want to be evaluated as part of the travel grant application. Students can only include one abstract as part of the travel grant application.

• Title clear, interesting, and with broad appeal? (0-5 points)
• Clear objective? (0-5 points)
• Study placed in context of pathosystem or larger field? (0-5 points)
  
• Engaging style and clear summation or conclusion? (0-5 points)
  

2) Professional Development Plan for the Annual Meeting (500-word limit, 20 points)

Briefly describe your plan to make the most of your time at the meeting.

• How will you choose and capitalize on networking opportunities? (0-5 points)
  

• How will you make contacts and appointments before the meeting? (0-5 points)
  

• How will you choose the above contacts? (0-5 points)

• What 10 keywords would you use to search the meeting program? (0-5 points)

3) Tapping into Graduate Student Creativity (20 points total)

This section is split into two sub-sections, both of which are designed to allow graduate students to showcase their creativity in soft skills such as fundraising and public outreach.

   Part 1: Foundation Fundraising/ Generation of New Donors (250-word limit)

• Propose an initiative to either raise additional funds for Foundation, to attract new donors from within membership, or to attract new donors from outside membership. Describe how someone could contribute to the above effort, ensure its success, or enlist others to help. If Foundation implements your idea, you’ll be offered a role in leading it, but your selection is not contingent on accepting the offer. 

• Creativity/ originality of idea (0-5 points)

• Potential for success and evidence in support (0-5 points)

   Part 2: Community Engagement (250-word limit)

• Propose an idea for how to engage and communicate with your local community about topics in plant pathology. What is a way that you can generate interest about a specific topic with the general public?
• Creativity/ originality of idea (0-5 points)
• ​​Potential for success and evidence in support (0-5 points)

4) Curriculum Vitae (CV) (2-page limit, 20 points)

• Clear, attractive format, free of errors (0-5 points)
• Evidence of engagement in APS at any level (0-5 points)
• ​Membership duration, regional or national meeting attendance, publication in APS journals, committee involvement, etc.
• Evidence of service and volunteerism at department, disciplinary, or institutional level (0-5 points)
• Evidence of productivity and excellence in research, teaching, or outreach (0-5 points)
  

5) Advisor’s letter of support (1-page limit, 20 points)

Faculty providing the letter of support will submit their letter through a unique link that is emailed to them through the online travel grant application system. The link leads to a web page within the student application where the text of their recommendation letter can be copied to a form field and submitted. This ensures the faculty letters of recommendation will not be accessible by t​he student applicants. Once the student applicant has designated within the online application who will be writing a letter of recommendation on their behalf, they will be able to see when the letter has been submitted by their advisor but cannot access the letter once uploaded.

• Does the letter provide a compelling reason to recognize the student with a student travel grant? (0-10 points)
  
• Does the letter provide specificity to support general claims regarding the student? (0-10 points) 

6) Survey (no point value):

The survey is used for planning purposes only by the APS Foundation. Although it has no point value and is not used in the evaluation process, it's completion is required for all applicants. ​​