Student & Postdoc
Student/Postdoctoral Travel Awards
Each year the Society awards funding to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to assist them with their travel expenses. Graduate students/postdoctoral fellows who have an abstract that is accepted for presentation and present the abstract at their appointed time during the meeting, as either a platform or poster presentation, are eligible for a Travel Award of $500. Local students and postdoctoral fellows, those living within a 50-mile radius of Charleston, are eligible for a Travel Award of $250. Applicants should be enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree in a field of study related to birth defects research, or should be postdoctoral fellows in such a field, and should attend the BDRP Annual Meeting. Graduate students/postdoctoral fellows who apply for a Travel Award must be BDRP members at the time of the Annual Meeting. The applicants will be instructed to have their mentor submit a letter of recommendation; without this they are not eligible to be considered for a Travel Award.
The Travel Award Application Submission deadline is February 22, 2020. Please contact Society headquarters with any questions.
Travel Award Application Information
BDRP Student Membership
Requirements for Student membership consist of sponsorship by a member of the Society and verification from the applicant’s Major Professor that the applicant is a student or postdoctoral fellow in good standing and is working in the field of teratology. The Major Professor also will provide the expected date of graduation or fulfillment of fellowship. Student members are requested to apply for Regular or Associate membership status at the first Annual Meeting of the Society after they graduate or after fulfillment of their postdoctoral fellowship. Those students who choose not to apply for Regular or Associate membership status by the time of the succeeding Annual Meeting will have their membership inactivated. For information about applying for membership please visit the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention website.
Mentor Letter
A letter from your Mentor is required for all Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Awards and should be sent to Society Headquarters at BDRP@birthdefectsresearch.org. The letter should include the following information:
- a specific statement to confirm you are currently enrolled at the sponsoring institution or still in the formal training phase of your education
- a brief description of the curriculum of study and/or your research program
- an assessment of the qualities that would single you out for recognition by the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention
- optionally, additional introduction, methods, results, discussion, and/or two pages of illustrative materials
More Award Opportunities
Additional Student and Postdoctoral Award Opportunities
Edward W. Carney Trainee Award supports graduate student or postdoctoral scholar travel to meetings that offer significant educational opportunities in the field of reproductive and developmental toxicology, such as the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention. Applications are due February 15, 2020. For information about eligibility and application requirements please visit the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention website.
The Marie W. Taubeneck Awardrecognizes a student or young investigator for scholarship in teratology and service to the Society. Nomination and applications are due March 31, 2020. For information about eligibility and application requirements please visit the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention website.
The Wilson Presentation Awardsare selected for the two best presentations in the graduate student/postdoctoral fellow platform competition. For more information about this award please visit the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention website.
The James C. Bradford Memorial Awardis presented by the Middle Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA) to the graduate student or postdoctoral fellow selected as the best paper in the poster competition. For more information about this award please visit the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention website.
Award Notes
If you apply for a Wilson Presentation Award and are not selected as a finalist, you can be considered for the James C. Bradford Memorial Award by selecting "platform or poster" for your presentation type. There is a possibility that your abstract will be selected for another platform session, taking you out of the Bradford Award competition. In these instances, the submitting author will be contacted to verify their presentation preference.