Introduction

NALMS has a current policy of awarding grants to university students to present the results of graduate-level research at the annual conferences. Awarding of these scholarship grants is subject to the availability of funding within the annual conference budget. These grants can be used by student presenters to cover the costs of conference registration fees, travel, and/or overnight accommodations.

Definition of Student

To be classified in the category of “student”, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

1. At the time of request for a Student Travel Grant, an applicant must be currently enrolled as a post-baccalaureate student in a college or university in a degree-seeking program at either a Master’s or Ph.D. level, or equivalent for foreign students.
   NOTE: Requirements are not included for a minimum number of registered hours to be classified as a student. Students completing graduate degrees, particularly at the Ph.D. level, may commonly register for a minimal amount of hours while completing thesis or dissertation work.

Requirements for Consideration

The following requirements must be met by an applicant for consideration of a Student Travel Grant:

1. An Abstract must be submitted for presentation at the annual conference as outlined in the general Call for Papers. The Abstract will be subject to the same selection criteria utilized for general abstract submittal.
2. The research presented in the Abstract must have been performed by the applicant as a student under the direction of a designated professor or advisor.
3. The research must be related to the general field of lake and reservoir management.
4. If the Abstract is selected for presentation at the annual conference, the student will then submit the following information for consideration of a Student Travel Award Grant:
   1. Student Name
   2. School and Major
   3. Evidence of Enrollment at the Time of Application: This evidence can be in the form of a letter from either the Registrar or Student Advisor confirming that the applicant is a currently-registered student in good standing.
   4. Name of Faculty Advisor
   5. NALMS Membership Status: Whether or not the applicant is a NALMS member
   6. Two Letters of Recommendation from Professors: One of the letters shall be from the Advisor who supervised the research conducted by the student. This letter of recommendation shall emphasize the quality of the research and general applicability to the field of lake management. The second letter of recommendation shall be provided by a faculty member other than the Faculty Advisor who is familiar with the general character and academic accomplishments of the student.
   7. Any additional information concerning the academic status of the Applicant, including bios, list of publications, list of presentations, and other information.
   8. Requested Level of Financial Assistance
   NOTE: In previous years, copies of college transcripts have been required by students submitting Scholarship Grant requests. However, the Scholarship Committee feels that this is an unnecessary privacy invasion, and that the requirements outlined above are adequate for evaluating suitability for scholarship grants.
5. The information requested above shall be submitted by the student after notification of Abstract Acceptance by the Conference Program Committee. All application materials will be due to the Scholarship Committee no later than July 15th of each year. The submitted application information will be reviewed by members of the Scholarship Committee, and notifications of Travel Grants will be provided by August 1st of each year. This due date may be modified by the Scholarship Committee as needed.
6. The application materials will become the property of NALMS and will not be returned to the student.

Selection Process

The following process will be used for selection of award recipients:

1. Each of the submitted student grant applications will be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers, with at least one reviewer a current member of the NALMS Scholarship Committee. Numerical scores will be provided in four individual categories which include: (1) abstract quality; (2) significance of contributions to lake management; (3) strength of recommendation letters; and (4) a miscellaneous category which includes items such as NALMS membership, previous publications and presentations, and other intangibles. The scores from the two reviewers will be combined to form a final ranking of the student applicants.
2. Awards: Based upon the results of the scoring process, the Scholarship Committee will make recommendations concerning the award amount to be provided to each student, subject to budgetary limitations. These recommendations will take into account items such as the requested travel assistance amount, travel distance, and proposed mode of transportation.

Reimbursement

The following guidelines will be used for distribution and reimbursement of student grant monies:

1. Conference Registration: All student presenters who: (1) have an abstract accepted for oral presentation at the annual symposium; (2) request financial assistance; and (3) meet the definition of “student” outlined in Section 2.0 will be given complimentary registration to the annual symposium. These amounts will be deducted from the budgeted amount for student grants within the conference budget. The remaining monies will be available for distribution as travel grants.
2. Travel: Students receiving grant awards will provide receipts for travel (airfare) and hotel accommodations for attending the annual symposium. Hotel accommodations will be reimbursed for a maximum of three nights during the conference. Students will work with the NALMS office to arrange rooms at rates most beneficial to NALMS. Room charges for meals, entertainment, and other items unrelated to the conference will not be considered for reimbursement. Travel by automobile will be reimbursed at the prevailing standard federal rate up to a maximum of $250. Travel expenses for each student will be reimbursed up to the maximum travel amount awarded to each student. If the actual expenses are in excess of the awarded amount, the additional expenses must be paid by the student. If the actual expenses are less than the award amount, the remaining funds will remain within the grant pool and available for award to other students.
3. Membership: Students receiving grant awards for the first time will receive a one-year student membership in NALMS.

Repeat Awards

Students may submit only one Scholarship Grant Request for any annual symposium. However, students may request scholarship grant assistance in multiple years if the abstract addresses a different research topic or provides a significant enhancement of the previous research. The receipt of previous awards may be considered as a factor in the miscellaneous category during the scoring of the applications. After the first award, the student must be a member of NALMS to be eligible for further awards.