DEADLINE EXTENSION: Carl Gans Traveling Fellowship Endowment Student and Post-Doc Travel Awards (due March 7)

Carl Gans Traveling Fellowship Endowment

Call for Applications for Student and Post-Doc Travel Awards

In 2022, the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) was endowed with a large gift from the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund to provide funding for travel to herpetological meetings for graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and exceptional undergraduates.  The Gans Fund continues its extraordinary work promoting meeting attendance and is particularly interested in supporting researchers from across the globe.  To that end, the SSAR is soliciting applications to attend the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, July 9-13, 2025 as Carl Gans Fellows.  Students and post-docs should be members of a herpetological JMIH society (SSAR, ASHI, HL) working on any type of herpetological research.  Up to 24 awards will be granted in this cycle ($800 per fellow for U.S./Canadian researchers and $1500 for fellows from other countries).  Priority will be given to those in greatest need (i.e. those for whom the award makes the difference between attendance or lack of attendance) and those from historically underrepresented groups based on gender, race, country of origin, or other factors.

Eligibility Criteria – Applicants must:

1. Be a current student or post-doc engaging in herpetological research
2. Be a member of SSAR, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), or Herpetologists’ League (HL)
3. Be a presenter at the JMIH in St Paul in 2025
4. Not have won this award in the past

Application Instructions:

Applicants should complete the Google Form (Application Form) by 7 March 2025.  Decisions will be made, and recipients notified, in advance of the due date for JMIH abstracts (March 28, 2025).  Required information includes:

1. Academic rank (undergraduate, graduate, post-doc).
2. Institution and city/state/country of institution.
3. Membership of which herpetological society/societies.
4. Signed statement of advisor (template provided in Google Form).
5. Abstract of the research you will present. In the spirit of the herpetological research of Carl Gans, which was both diverse and synthetic, and which he disseminated to a wide range of audiences, from the general public to professional academics, the abstract should include a brief statement that places the research in the broader context of the discipline. (500 word maximum)
6. Statement of need for funds to attend the meeting.
7. Optional statement of whether the applicant is a member of an historically underrepresented group based on gender, race, country of origin, or another factor.

Questions?  Please contact Marion Preest, committee chair, mpreest@natsci.claremont.edu

Download Call for Applications: Carl Gans Traveling Fellowship Endowment Call for Applications 2025