The Ronald T. and Pamela K. Borchardt Travel Fellowships are awarded annually to students of member institutions to do collaborative research at a host university in support of facilitating global research collaborations within GPEN member universities.
Travel grants are awarded in an amount of up to $2,500 each. Appropriate expenditures of these funds would include airfare, local transportation, housing, per diem, etc. The expectation is that the student with the assistance of her or his faculty mentor will apply for and identify the supplemental or matching funds necessary to support their entire activity at the collaborative research site. The GPEN Executive Committee expects to fund at least one travel grant per year.
If interested in applying, please contact Dr. Teruna Siahaan at siahaan@ku.edu for more information and application requirements.
Application Details
Application Deadline: November 1st of the year preceding the year in which the exchange will take place.
Eligibility: Applicants must be a candidate for a Ph.D. degree in one of GPEN’s Full Member institutions. Highest priority will be given to graduate students who want to visit a research laboratory in one of GPEN’s Full Member or Associate Member institutions involving international travel (i.e., visit to an institution on another continent).
Type of Activity: Applicants may propose to conduct a collaborative research project or learn an experimental technique. Highest priority will be given to applicants who propose to conduct collaborative research.
Duration of Visit: If the applicant proposes to conduct a research collaboration, the visit must be at least 3 months in duration. If the applicant proposes to learn a new experimental technique, the visit must be at least 2 weeks in duration.
Application Materials:
To be prepared by the student:
- A copy of the applicant’s curriculum vitae.
- A brief (2-3 pages) description of the proposed activity (i.e., research collaboration or learning experimental technique). An explanation should be provided for how this visit will benefit the applicant’s dissertation research and how it would benefit their professional development.
- Proposed budget indicating how the award would be expended and the dates of the proposed visit.
To be prepared by proposed mentor:
- A letter from the proposed mentor agreeing to accept the student into his/her laboratory and providing necessary research support.
To be prepared by applicant’s advisor:
- A letter from the applicant’s advisor indicating how the proposed visit would benefit the student’s Ph.D. dissertation research and how it would benefit the student’s professional development.
- A commitment that appropriate financial arrangements have been made to cover the balance of the student’s local expenses.
Reporting Requirements:
- A brief, 3-5 page report describing activities during their visit to another institution. In this report, the student should describe how this visit benefited their Ph.D. dissertation research and how it benefited their professional development. This report must be completed within three months after the visit.
- Present a special lecture at the next available GPEN meeting. GPEN will cover these expenses (e.g., registration, airfare, and lodging).
If interested in applying and/or you have questions, please contact Dr. Teruna Siahaan at siahaan@ku.edu.