SWACSM Student Travel Grant Guidelines

The Southwest Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine is proud to announce the renewal of the Student Travel Grant program. The program provides funding for undergraduate and graduate students to attend the SWACSM annual meeting on October 27-28, 2023 in Costa Mesa, California.

Multiple awards will be distributed in amounts up to $500 to assist students with conference registration and travel-related expenses. Winners will be notified on or before Sunday, October 1st and will be presented their award during the conference awards ceremony on Saturday, October 28th.  All winners will be required to submit a written post-award reflection that addresses the following prompt: How did the travel grant facilitate your learning, networking, and future engagement with SWACSM?  

Eligibility criteria and application submission guidelines are outlined below. Please read carefully prior to initiating an application.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. SWACSM member*

2. Enrolled as a undergraduate, masters, or doctoral student at an institution located within the SWACSM region (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah) at the time of the annual meeting

3. Commitment to attend both days of the annual meeting (Friday, 10/27 and Saturday, 10/27). Preference will be given to students who plan to present their research.

*Note: All students that register for the SWACSM annual meeting will receive a complimentary SWACSM membership. Students applying for the grant are NOT required to become a member prior to conference registration.

Students currently serving on the SWACSM Board of Trustees or another national ACSM committee are not eligible for this grant. In addition, students are limited to one SWACSM monetary award per year. Although students who apply for the Student Research Award may also submit an application for the Travel Grant, only non-finalists for the Student Research Award will remain eligible for the Travel Grant. Institutional and demographic diversity will be considered in final grant decisions.

ALL application components must be submitted by Saturday, September 16th at 5pm PDT. 

With the exception of the faculty letter of support, all application components should be uploaded online as part of the application form linked here. 

Application Components

1. Personal Statement: 300-500 word statement that summarizes your involvement in research, plans to attend/present at the 2023 annual meeting, career plans and how attending the regional meeting will help assist you in reaching your career goals

2. Current Resume

3. Estimated Travel Budget

4. Faculty Letter of Support: Faculty letters should confirm student status of applicant, provide an estimate of institutional support for student conference travel, and summarize the student’s academic potential and success, career goals, and involvement (or future involvement) in research and SWACSM. Faculty letters should be submitted by Saturday, September 16th at 5pm PDT via email to SWACSM Member-at-Large James Navalta, PhD (james.navalta@unlv.edu).