Graduate Student Scholarships

Former students of Professor Chapman have established the David S. Chapman and Inga M. Chapman Fund to support unique educational and research opportunities. Educational opportunities for students supported by this fund may include research visits to collaborative labs; attendance at focused workshops, short-courses, and conferences; opportunities that broaden a student’s international experience; and opportunities to participate in collaborative field studies and research cruises. The fund does not support attendance at regular society meetings or conferences. This fund is intended to support both graduate and undergraduate students.

Graduate and undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Geology and Geophysics. 

Applications will be received normally two times a year, on September 13 and February 14.

Proposals for unique, time-sensitive opportunities can be accepted on a rolling basis; please communicate your intention for an off-cycle proposal to the chair of Graduate or Undergraduate Affairs prior to submitting your proposal.

By the deadline, applications from graduate students should be emailed to the Graduate Affairs chair, Dr. Fan-Chi Lin, fanchi.lin@utah.edu; applications from undergraduate students should be emailed to the Undergraduate Affairs chair, Dr. Peter Lippert, pete.lippert@utah.edu.

Applications should be submitted as a single pdf document and include the following: 

1. Title of the project/opportunity and name of person applying.
2. A one-page description that includes:
   • • The planned activity/opportunity;
     • How the activity fits into the applicant’s studies, research, or professional development; and
     • Likely impact of the opportunity on the applicant’s studies/career.
3. An itemized budget with a brief justification of expenses.
4. Signature of a sponsoring faculty member on the proposal indicating support.
5. A two-page CV (NSF style: see the following link for guidelines and examples: https://adai.uw.edu/grants/nsf_biosketch_template.pdf).

Award levels of up to $1500 can be expected; larger requests will be reviewed in special circumstances. Contributing or matching funds from other sources are not required but will be considered a positive aspect of an application.

 Graduate students presenting at in-person academic conferences can apply to the Graduate School for up to $500 to cover registration, airfare, hotel, and ground transportation expenses. 

The Graduate Student Travel Assistance Award (GSTAA) is designed to provide students the opportunity to present research accomplishments to the academic community. The opportunity to attend a conference gives networking opportunities that may lead to future research and employment opportunities. 

• Actively enrolled in a U Master’s, Ph.D., or Professional program.
• Presenting at a conference
  • You must provide verification that your abstract has been accepted to present at the conference you are attending. This can come in the form of an email from the conference stating that you have been accepted to present.
• Have not already received this award or another grad school award within the fiscal year.
  • This is a one-time award, meaning graduate students are only eligible to receive the GSTAA once during their graduate career. Students are not allowed to receive more than one travel award per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). This includes all Graduate School awards (GSTAA, ECPDP, & VCA).
• Approval from home department.
  • Applications are not considered complete until the Graduate School has received verification that you are presenting at a conference, approval from your department travel coordinator, and approval from your department chair. After you submit your application, an automatic email will be sent to the department travel coordinator that we have in our system letting them know there is an application that is pending their approval. After your coordinator approves your application, an automatic email notification will be sent to your department chair letting them know there is an application that is pending their approval. You are welcome to work with your department to move this approval process along.  
• Receive dollar-for-dollar matching funds from your department or other university fund.
  • This award requires a dollar-for-dollar match amount. Meaning, if you would like to receive the full $500, you will need another $500 either coming from your department or another university fund (PI, university mentor, ASUU, etc.). It is recommended that you confirm your match amount with your department’s travel coordinator before applying. If your department cannot provide the match amount, then it is your responsibility to secure funding from another university resource. If receiving matching funds from outside your department, be sure to communicate this with your department travel coordinator, as they will be the ones entering this information in your application. 
• Have a travel number.
  • The Travel Number will determine how the reimbursement is processed. It is either the Request ID found in Concur or ‘ePR’ if using the ePR system. If the student is a university employee, they will likely be using the Concur system. If they are a non-employee, they will likely be using the ePR system. The department travel coordinator will be the one entering this information in the application.
• Have all of the above submitted to the Graduate School prior to your travel date.
  • Applications that are missing any of the necessary information will not be processed. If we do not receive the necessary information prior to the start travel date, the application will be canceled.  

*Funding from the graduate school is not guaranteed. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis according to the month of your start travel date. If there are no funds available for the month of your travel, your application could be waitlisted. *