Adele Miccio Travel Award for 2015-16

Our late colleague, Professor Adele Miccio, loved to travel and cared deeply for students. In her honor, the Center for Language Science sponsors a student travel award. Although many graduate students attend professional conferences, it is often difficult in this context for them to meet and discuss their work with more senior scientists. Networking experiences are an important way in which individuals become known in the professional community, develop collaborative relationships, and arrange informal visits outside of professional meetings. Given the relatively short time frame of the probationary tenure period, it is essential that individuals learn to make these connections to others in the field early in their careers. Therefore, the purpose of this award is to provide incentives for planned networking and resources for these experiences. Applicants for the award will generate a plan for travel to meet with one or more senior scientists. In most cases, the applicant will visit the laboratory or working environment of the scientist. In some cases, the applicant will attend a conference or workshop where s/he can arrange meetings with one or more senior scientists. If meetings at a conference are proposed, the applicant must explain how there will be adequate time for meaningful private meetings in that context. After the travel plan is completed, the student will provide a brief written report of the experience, and will give a presentation at a CLS meeting to share the experience with other students. Here are examples of the types of networking experiences that have proven beneficial in the past:

• The applicant makes a two-day visit to a university with an active language science program. While there, the applicant presents at a colloquium and a lab meeting, meets with graduate students and post-docs from several labs, has meetings with several faculty members whose research is relevant the applicant’s own, and has 2 extended meetings with the researcher who is the sponsor of the visit. In these meetings, the applicant receives detailed feedback on a manuscript and a grant proposal, and future collaboration is planned.
• In another scenario, the applicant attends a small international conference at which several researchers from Europe will be present - people who live too far from the applicant for a lab visit to be feasible. Because the conference is relatively small and does not include parallel sessions, the applicant is able to arrange ahead of time to meet 3 of the international researchers individually to discuss their presentations as well as preliminary data collected by the applicant. One of these meetings occurs soon after the applicant’s own presentation, so s/he is able to receive direct and immediate feedback. One of the researchers agrees to serve as a consultant on a grant application.

Submission requirements

1. Cover sheet with the following information: Your name, department, address, phone number, email address, and the name of your advisor(s). Indicate type of networking: either visiting another lab or targeted networking at a conference. Applicants must be doctoral students who have passed their candidacy exam, and must be regular attendees of the CLS Friday morning meetings. Please note that unlike the PIRE grant, the Miccio Award is intended to support professional development through networking, not direct research activity. Be sure that your application describes a networking plan. Our resources are limited, so applicants who have received a previous Miccio Award will not be eligible.

2. Provide a networking plan:A 1-page, single-spaced, 12-point font summary of:                  

a. Networking plan and its impact on the applicant’s research program

b. Provide specific reasons for the proposed visit and specific goals to be accomplished during the visit (e.g., collaboration, exchange of ideas, receive input on a grant proposal or a manuscript).

3. If planning a lab visit, state the length of time of the visit and provide a concise justification  for the time frame; i.e., how you will be able to accomplish your goals in the allotted time.

4. If planning to meet one or more individuals at a conference, meeting times should be at least tentatively set and described in the application, explaining how the meeting(s) will be productive in the often hectic atmosphere of a conference; also, explain how the meeting will contribute to your goals in a way that email correspondence would not.

5. Describe the extent of prior contact, if any, with the targeted senior scientist(s). Include the folowing:

a. Letter(s) from the targeted senior scientist(s) confirming the proposed networking plan

b. Letter from your doctoral advisor stating support for the plan

c. budget page showing the projected expenses including travel (e.g., airfare), lodging, conference registration. There is an upper-bound limit of $2,500 for the award.

d. A copy of your up-to-date CV

How to submit an application:

1. All applications should be submitted electronically to the Chair of the travel award committee at the email address shown below. All of the application materials should be combined into a single PDF file, with the materials in the order listed above, and submitted via email to the committee chair as an attachment.
2. Questions may be addressed to the Chair of the travel award committee.

Winners will be required to:

1. Submit a 1-page report on the networking experience and accomplished goals. If a workshop or conference was attended, a report on the workshop should be included with the submitted report.

b. Present at a CLS meeting to share the networking experience with other graduate students.

Relevant dates:

Deadline for submission: November 1st @ 5pm

Date of announcement of awards: November 13th

Period for using the award: January-December 2016

Deadline for submitting the final report: no later than 6 weeks after returning from the funded trip

Date for CLS Presentation: In the semester following receipt of the award