Ciba Travel Awards in Green Chemistry

The Ciba Travel Awards in Green Chemistry is an annual award. The award sponsors the participation of students (high school, undergraduate, and graduate students) in an American Chemical Society (ACS) technical meeting, conference, or training program, having a significant green chemistry or sustainability component, to expand the students’ education in green chemistry. The awards are funded by interest income from the Ciba Green Chemistry Student Endowment which was established in 2009. The award amount is based on estimated travel expenses, up to $2,000.

Eligibility

Students (high school, undergraduates, and graduate students) residing within the US are eligible for this grant. The applicant must demonstrate research or educational interest in green chemistry. Green chemistry for this purpose is defined as “the discovery and design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.” The student should be prepared to give an oral or poster presentation on his/her interest area during the conference, if feasible, and submit a report to ACS GCI on his/her experience after the conference.

Eligible ACS sponsored conferences ACS Regional Meetings in 2011 or 2012 ACS National Meeting; San Diego, CA; March 25-29, 2012 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference; Washington DC; June 18-20, 2012 ACS National Meeting; Philadelphia, PA; August 19-23, 2012 Visit www.acs.org/meetings for details about these ACS conferences

Application Procedure

Applications must be no longer than six, 8½-by-11-inch pages, written in font no smaller than 11 point, with margins of at least 1 inch and should include the following, in a single PDF file:

  1. Cover page (no more than one page)
  • Applicant’s name, department, institution, field of study
  • Name of applicant’s faculty advisor (or supervisor) and contact information
  • Name, date and location of the conference or meeting the applicant is requesting funding to attend
  • Estimated budget for travel expenses, up to $2000 (including conference registration fees, travel, and accommodations) to participate in the meeting. The award will be mailed as a reimbursement check after the conference takes place.
  1. Brief (no more than one-page) essay by the applicant concerning his/her interest in green chemistry, including any previous experience with the field, how he/she will benefit from participation in the selected conference, and why he/she should be selected to receive the award.
  2. A curriculum vita or résumé no more than two pages in length
  • Applicant’s name, department, institution, and faculty advisor (or supervisor)
  • Applicant’s mailing address, telephone, fax, and email
  • A few sentences on the applicant’s green chemistry teaching or research interests and career plans
  • Field of study, degrees (including month and year earned or expected), education experience, including GPA or other measure of class standing, and work experience (if any)
  • List of recent presentations and publications (if any)
  1. Letter of nomination from the applicant's faculty advisor, supervisor or department chair (no more than two pages in length). The letter may be sent separately or included with the other application materials.

Note: A single PDF file of the application is preferred, and must be received by 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on October 14, 2011. Send via email to gci@acs.org with “Ciba Travel Award Application – [your last name]” in the subject line.

Judging

A panel of experts selected by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® will judge the applications. This panel might include members of the scientific, educational, industrial, governmental, and environmental communities.

Notification and award

Notification of the award and award amount will be made on or before November 14, 2011. The award will be mailed as a reimbursement check after the conference takes place. To receive the reimbursement, a 1-page written report and travel expense receipts will be required.

Questions about the Ciba Travel Awards in Green Chemistry should be directed to the ACS Green Chemistry Institute®: Email gci@acs.org; Tel (202) 872-6102.