Professional Development Grant – MIT Women+ in Chemistry

Previous recipients can be found here, see below for application details.

Women+ in Chemistry Dow Professional Development Grant

Women+ in Chemistry (WIC+) is a student-run organization whose aim is to enhance the personal and professional development of graduate students and postdoctoral associates in the Department of Chemistry. We provide events that encourage constructive interaction within the department as well as events that address issues specific to women in science. Two issues we aim to address with this professional development grant are:

Gender disparity in attendance and participation at scientific research conferences.
Accessibility of leadership conferences to women in the Chemistry Department.

Donors to the Department of Chemistry who support our mission provide WIC+ with funding. This year, Dow has generously contributed to our professional development budget. These donations are made so we can continue providing programs and events that support women in the department.

Eligible Conferences

The purpose of the professional development grant program is to encourage our members to be leaders in the scientific community. With this in mind, grants will be used to support students in the MIT Department of Chemistry attending academic conferences to present their research or to conferences that will help them develop leadership and “soft skills” that will be useful and relevant as they move forward in their career.

Examples of Research Conferences include, but are not limited to, American Chemical Society (ACS) Meetings, Gordon Research Conferences, American Physical Society (APS) Meetings, and Materials Research Society Meetings.

Examples of Leadership Conferences include, but are not limited to, the Simmons Leadership Conference, Global Women’s Leadership Summit, Women in Educational Leadership Conference, CUWFA Conference (College and University Work-Life-Family Association), AAUW National Convention, ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference, and SWIM Conference (MIT-Sloan). More broadly, any field-specific conferences that would help attendees become leaders in their chosen field/career would qualify.

Application Timeline

Applications will be accepted three times a year and a call for applications will be sent to department members via email and announced on the WIC+ website. Completed applications (doc, docx, or pdf formats) should be emailed to wictravelgrant@mit.edu. Decisions will be made and applicants notified two weeks after submission deadlines. The selection committee may choose to split an award among multiple recipients.

There are three application cycles per year, covering conferences in the Summer (May-September), Fall (September-January), and Spring (January-May).

Selection Committee

The selection committee will be comprised of three or more members of WIC+ past recipients of the WIC+ Travel Grant, and alumnae. Selection Committee meetings are considered confidential.

Selection Criteria

Research Conferences:
Applicants must be graduate students or postdoctoral associates/fellows with their appointment in the Department of Chemistry. Applicants will be ranked and selected according to financial need, previous opportunities to present at research conferences, and how much attending the conference will impact the applicant both personally and professionally. Applicants are required to give either a poster or oral presentation at the conference. Applicants who have already received the Women+ in Chemistry Professional Development Grant will only be considered if there are no other applicants.

Leadership Conferences:
Applicants must be graduate students or postdoctoral associates/fellows with their appointment in the Department of Chemistry. Applicants will be ranked and selected according to financial need, previous opportunities to attend leadership conferences, and how much attending the conference will impact the applicant both personally and professionally. Applicants who have already received the Women+ in Chemistry Professional Development Grant will only be considered if there are no other applicants.

Reimbursements:

The award can be used towards any of the following: travel, accommodation, or registration fees. Reimbursements will only be made after receiving a summary statement from the awardee that describes their experiences at the conference. Reimbursements can only be processed with itemized receipts and proof of attendance, such as confirmation of an abstract submission.

Application (click to download)

WIC+ Travel Grant Application

Submissions

Application Deadlines:
Fall: October 31st (for conferences between September 1–January 31)
Spring: February 29th (for conferences between January 1–May 31)
Summer: May 31 (for conferences between May 1–September 30)
Email completed applications (doc, docx, or pdf formats) to wicplustravelgrant@mit.edu
If you are applying for a research conference, please have your advisor send their letter of support to wicplustravelgrant@mit.edu. The letter must include a statement from your advisor outlining their contributions (if any) to funding the conference expenses.

Questions?