Overview:

These $1500 awards provide support for MERI trainees who are postdocs or graduate students and MERI members who are PhD staff Scientists or Researchers to present at and attend conferences in their field. The awards are given out twice annually; once each Fall semester, and once each Spring semester. The application period for the Fall awards begins in late August/early September, with a submission deadline in October. The application period for the Spring awards begins in late December, with a submission deadline in early February. Awards must be used for a meeting that occurs within one year of the month after the award application is due.

This Fall semester, two or more David G. Walsh Research Travel Awards will be awarded to support graduate students and/or postdoctoral researchers, while one or more travel awards will be awarded to support PhD staff Scientists and Researchers.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to receive a Walsh Travel Award, you must…

• …be either (i) a McPherson ERI trainee member that is a postdoc or graduate student OR (ii) a McPherson ERI member that is a PhD staff Scientist or Researcher. (If you are a postdoc or graduate student who is not already a trainee member, please submit a trainee membership application along with your travel award application. If you are a Scientist or Researcher who is not already a member, please submit a membership application along with your award application. Further information about MERI membership is available here.)

• …be either a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, or PhD staff Scientist or Researcher currently working in a McPherson ERI member’s lab/mentored by a McPherson ERI member OR be a Trainee Member of the Institute

• …be the primary presenter on a poster or paper being presented at the meeting to be attended

• …be presenting a poster or paper on vision-related research

• …be either (i) a graduate student or PhD staff Scientist or Researcher who has not won this award twice, nor won the award in the last two years OR (ii) a postdoctoral researcher who has not yet won this award (postdocs may only win the award once during their postdoctoral training period)

• …use the award for a meeting that occurs within one year of the month after the application is due. In other words, 2024 Fall travel awards (due in September 2024) can be used for conferences/professional meetings that occur between October 2024 and October 2025, while 2025 Spring travel awards (due in February 2025) can be used for conferences/professional meetings between March 2025 and March 2026. Carryover of an unused award is not permitted. (If a recipient is unable to attend the meeting for which a Walsh Research Travel Award has been awarded, that recipient must notify McPherson ERI administration so that the award can be extended to another qualified applicant.)

•…still have UW-Madison trainee or staff scientist status at the time at which you present at your conference.

• …agree to also present your work at a McPherson ERI-sponsored event (e.g., our monthly seminar series or our Fall poster session) within 1–2 years of receiving your award.

NOTE: Graduate students are eligible to receive a Walsh Travel Award twice during their years of training, with an interval of at least two academic years between awards. PhD staff Scientists and Researchers are eligible to receive a Walsh Travel Award twice, also with an interval of at least two academic years between awards. Postdoctoral researchers are only eligible to receive a single award.

Submission Guidelines:

To apply for a Walsh travel Award you will need to submit:

1. A McPherson ERI Trainee Membership application (if you are trainee but not yet a McPherson ERI Trainee Member) OR a Membership application (if you are staff scientist but yet a McPherson ERI Member)
2. A completed application form (download using button at top of page), which will require the following:

(a) the signature of your McPherson ERI mentor/advisor/PI

(b) the title of your poster/paper

(c) a presentation abstract (up to 250 words) written in LAY LANGUAGE. Please remember that Research Committee members reviewing these applications come from varied areas of expertise. Your application will be judged in large part by your lay description and its overall understandability

(d) two paragraphs (up to 500 words total for both paragraphs combined) that describe both (i) the significance of this work for vision-related research and (ii) the potential for broader impacts and interdisciplinarity of this work

NOTE: Write these two paragraphs using LAY LANGUAGE. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, and technical terms that assume common expertise. The review panel is comprised of researchers from several different scientific fields, including psychology, biology, pathology, veterinary medicine, computer science, biostatistics and medical informatics, engineering, ophthalmology and visual sciences, and many others. Referencing the research work you describe in your abstract, make it clear and understandable for readers who are not experts in your area, explaining how/why the work is important in a vision-related context. Your ability to make your work accessible and understandable by a general audience is a key factor in the judging process.

All materials should be submitted to Wren Daniel (acdaniel@wisc.edu). When submitting, format your email subject line as follows: Walsh Travel Award Application: [your last name], [your first name]