Introduction
The department has limited funds available to help support student requests for travel funding in support of their scholarly activities (e.g., publications presented at academic conferences). The purpose of these funds is to help support travel that positively impacts the educational or research experience of the student. Students requesting travel funds must, after consultation with their advisor, submit a formal request that includes the following information.
Purpose of Travel
Provide a description of the purpose of the travel (e.g., present a paper at the XYZ conference on {dates} in {location}).
Rationale for Travel
Provide your rationale for how the attendance furthers your educational or research/experience goals.
Supplemental Sources of Funding
Document your efforts to obtain funding from other sources, such as:
- Purdue Polytechnic Institute Travel Grants program
- Student funding offered by the event (e.g., most academic conferences offer special rates for students, or scholarships -- some events require student attendees to voluteer certain duties to qualify for discounts or scholarships)
- Funds from a research grant
- Other sources (e.g., ACM, IEEE, NSF, etc.)
Also document any funds you are willing to personally commit to the travel (e.g., matching, or partially matching dollars).
Previous CIT Funding Received
Document any previous travel funding received from the CIT department. For each event, include:
- Venue and date
- Amount of funding
- Outcomes and benefits
Evidence of Graduate Student Activity
Provide evidence that you have been active in the program as a graduate student. List attendance and participation in the following events:
- Graduate student orientations
- Graduate student workshops
- Seminars (such as the CIT Graduate Research seminar)
- Poster sessions
- Laboratory open houses
- Proposal and thesis/dissertation defenses by other graduate students
- Student or faculty committees (program, college, or university levels)
Evidence of Faculty Support for Your Request
Provide a letter of support from your faculty advisor, major professor, or research faculty supervisor.
Additional Commitment
You must also make a commitment to present the work, for which you are requesting travel funds, to the CIT program's graduate seminars, or similar venues