Conference Travel Grants
Conference organizers often earmark funds to help graduate students with expenses. Take the time to investigate these possibilities even though they may not be mentioned on the conference web site. When funds are not available, one of the following sources may be of help.
Graduate School Travel Funds
Grants of up to $700 (annually) are open to research degree students to travel to a professional conference at which they are presenting. All eligible students who apply receive some amount of funding. See the application page for more information about eligibility requirements and instructions.
Departmental Travel Funds
The department has several endowments to support travel for graduate student research and professional development. Calls for travel requests are sent out three times per year.
Departmental funding for travel and professional development, when available, will be based on a first-come, first-served format with a cap of $750 per student (note that the cap is not per year, but for the entire time of your graduate study).
Requests for funding should be sent well in advance, and at least one month before travel. Note that they may not be approved if funding is currently unavailable or your advisor does not support the request.
You may receive travel reimbursement for more than one event (and in different years) as long as the total reimbursement does not exceed $750.
Since there is a cap of $750 per student, your advisor may be asked to approve that the proposed mathematical event (conference, workshop, summer school) is important enough for your research to warrant that you use your limited funding.
Additional funds are available for graduate students in their final year in the program. These funds will also follow a first-come, first-served format with a cap of $1000 per student (in addition to the $750).
The following examples of travel would be considered:
1. Students who are graduating (next summer) may request reimbursement for attending the Joint Meetings (where job interviews are conducted) or other job-search related events in the US. Requests will be automatically approved if funding is currently available.
2. All students may request reimbursement for participating in summer schools; funding would be based upon approval by a Cornell professor who knows the student well and can confirm that the topic of the summer school is closely related to the research project of the student, and then by the DGS.
3. Students, who have passed their A-exam, may request reimbursement for attending conferences in the US. If the student is presenting a poster or giving a talk at the conference, then the request will be automatically approved if funding is currently available. Otherwise, funding would be based upon advisor and then DGS approval.
4. Students, who have passed their A-exam, may request reimbursement for participating in international conferences provided that they are invited to give a lecture; funding would be based upon advisor and then DGS approval.
5. Faculty may request exemptions from the above rules if there is a strong reason for other types of travel for their students.
To apply, send the Conference information and financial travel plan to the Mathematics Graduate Field Coordinator gradinfo@math.cornell.edu, include your advisor for approval.
Research Travel Grants
Grants to conduct thesis/dissertation research of up to $2,000 are open to research degree students, with priority given to those who have or will have completed their A exams by the date of travel. However, all research degree students are encouraged to apply. In a typical year, the Graduate School provides funding to 80-100 students who apply.
International Research Travel Grants
The Mario Einaudi Center assists faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in identifying sources of funding for international research, study, and scholarship by providing both direct funding and information and referral services. Direct funding is available in the form of International Research Travel Grants for Cornell graduate students sponsored by the Einaudi Center and its constituent programs in cooperation with the Graduate School. Several forms of additional funding are available through the Area Studies Programs. One of these is the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship.