Travel Grants

2024 Western Division AFS Travel Grants

The Western Division and the Pacific Islands Chapter of The American Fisheries Society will be co-hosting the 2024 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting. The Western Division is pleased to offer travel grants to help with registration and travel assistance to attend the meeting, which will be held in Honolulu, Hawai’i September 15-19, 2024. Applications will be received until April 15, 2024.

The grant categories are the following:

  • Student
  • Early Career Professionals (graduated in the last five years)
  • Professionals
  • Emeritus
  • International Members
  • Indigenous/Tribal Members
  • Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship

Please review the criteria before applying. Applicants will only be eligible for one grant – please do not apply to multiple categories or multiple times.

Grants will be awarded at the discretion of the WDAFS Executive Committee. The award amount will cover registration and some travel costs for the 2024 meeting. Maximum budgets for each category are Student $5,000; Early Career Professional $1,000; Professional $750; Emeritus $750; International $750; Indigenous/Tribal Members $2,000; and Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship $1,000. Funds within each of these categories may divided among multiple qualified applicants.

Applications will be received until April 15, 2024.

Please consult the WDAFS website for the latest information about conference.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA:

Current Society and WDAFS membership required (exception given to the Indigenous/Tribal Member and Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship categories). You will be asked to provide your AFS membership number.

Applicants will be ranked on the following criteria:

  1. Applicants who plan to actively participate at the 2024 annual meeting. This can include presenting an oral or poster presentation, assisting the planning committee, moderating a session, etc.
  2. Applicants who are active (or interested in becoming active) in a sub-unit, Chapter, Western Division, or the Society.
  3. Applicants who indicate a strong interest in fisheries, oceans, aquatic science and management.

International only: Applicants must reside outside the United States. If you reside outside of WDAFS boundaries, Provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory in Canada, Mexico, or U.S. associated entities in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, please contact Doug Austen (dausten@fisheries.org) and request to become a Western Division member.

Indigenous/Tribal Member: Those who self-identify as being American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nation, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Preference will be given to Society and WDAFS members, but membership is not required and award will cover non-member registration.

Award Reimbursement:

Receipts must be submitted to the WDAFS Secretary-Treasurer within 30 days of the annual meeting, typically by email. Directions for reimbursement will be provided when successful applicants are notified. Award recipients will be notified prior to abstract and early registration deadlines.

**WDAFS recognizes that some students and professionals may not have the financial status to pay for meeting registration on a 30-day reimbursable basis. As such, WDAFS is considering ways to immediately reimburse travel award winners prior to the meeting for early registration. Please indicate if immediate reimbursement is needed on the form when asked. Reimbursement will not exceed the amount awarded.

To Apply:

To apply for the Student, Early Career Professional, Professional, Emeritus, International Member, and Indigenous/Tribal Member travel grants, please complete the application here.

Additionally, the WDAFS Diversity and Inclusion Committee offers a Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship travel grant. The nomination process for this travel grant can be found on the Diversity and Inclusion Award and Travel Grant page.

Contact:

Contact Tim Copeland (vicepresident@wdafs.org) if you have any questions about the award opportunity or the application. Please use the subject line WDAFS Travel Grant.