Henry VanBrocklin, PhD, SRS President-ElectDear Friends and Colleagues,
One of the rewarding tasks of the SRS President-elect is to chair the SRS Education Committee. Since its inception, supporting educational programs and advancing the careers of young investigators have been key elements of SRS activities. The fundamental task of the SRS Education Committee is to oversee the policies, processes and selection of individuals and workshops for disbursement of funds that have been raised to support educational activities. The largest portion of the education budget supports student’s participation at the biannual ISRS meetings and SRS affiliated/ co-organized meetings such as TERACHEM. In 2014, $15,000 was given to underwrite student travel to TERACHEM, enabling 20 students from 13 countries worldwide, including India, Iran and Cuba, to attend the conference in Brezzanone. The SRS also supported the travel for two individuals to attend the Targetry Workshop in Prague.
In June of 2014, the SRS board adopted a revised policy for the disbursement of SRS educational funds. This updated policy outlines how the organization will provide funds annually to support ISRS and affiliated/supported meetings and can be reviewed by accessing our Code of Practice. In addition, a portion of funds each year will be available to support young scientist attendance at non-SRS or SRS co-organized educational workshops as well as provide individuals with the opportunity to attend a workshop or course of their choosing, provided these activities are aligned with SRS educational goals. The policy provides an overview of the eligibility criteria for individuals and courses that may wish to apply for funds. It also describes the selection process that the Education Committee uses for the disbursement of funds.
Individuals wishing to apply for support to attend a course or workshop may obtain the “SRS Trainee Bursary Application” from this site's Meetings page. Likewise, course organizers may apply for support using the “SRS Course/Workshop Support Application,” also found on the Meetings page. Please apply as early as possible to give the Education Committee time to review your application prior to the meeting or educational opportunity.
I would like to thank the current SRS Education Committee members, Dr. Michael Kassiou from Australia and Dr. Mark Bartholoma from Germany, for their efforts in support of SRS educational goals.
We look forward receiving your application for educational travel bursaries.