Australian Marine Sciences Association Inc.

The Allen Award is to support an outstanding postgraduate student to attend an international conference each year, in any field of marine science, with the aim of providing the student with the opportunity to gain international experience and contacts. By attending the international conference the student will serve an important role as an ambassador for Australian marine science through improving awareness in the international scientific community of the work of Australian research students.

The Allen Award is supported by a bequest from the estate of the late K Radway Allen.

Eligibility:

  1. Be a graduate research student enrolled (either part time or full time) at an Australian University who has, by the application deadline, either: (i) not yet submitted his/her thesis; or (ii) submitted his/her thesis no earlier than the calendar year preceding the deadline for applications.
  1. Must have been a financial member of AMSA since the date of the close of abstracts for the conference at which the presentation is to be made.
  1. The work presented has to have been done as the research project to fulfil the requirements of the award of a research degree (i.e. Honours, Masters or PhD) and presented within 18 months of thesis submission.
  1. Be presenting a paper or a poster on his/her own research at the international conference they propose to attend. Payment of the prize to the winner will be conditional on the paper/poster being accepted for presentation at the conference.
  1. Be attending the international conference during the membership year (1 June - 31st May) following the closing date for applications.
  1. Students must be identified and vouched for by the project supervisor(s).

Application – please complete all sections of the AMSA Allen Award Application Form:

Part A - Candidates Information (including CV)

Part B - Conference Information (including abstract, statement of significance and innovation of research, the benefits of the conference and budget/itinerary)

Part C - Declaration

Part D - Letter of support from supervisor

Part E - Two Referee reports (one of these can be the letter of support used in Part D)

Applications are due midnight the 28February each year.

No late applications will be considered.

Assessment

Applications are assessed by a panel of AMSA Councillors, according to the following criteria:

1. The benefit of conference attendance to the applicant (40%):

  • Adding to the applicant’s skills and/or knowledge in a way that will enrich their research
  • Providing the applicant with quality feedback on their research
  • Raising international/national awareness of their research
  • Offering possibilities for further research collaboration

2. The ability of the applicant to be an ambassador for AMSA (40%):

  • The quality of the Abstract
  • The significance and innovation of the research
  • The track-record of the applicant, relative to opportunity

3. The appropriateness and justification of the budget (10%);

  • Does the application represent value for money
  • Are expenses appropriate, and fully explained

4. The quality and professionalism of the application (10%).

Please email your application to the AMSA Secretary

For further information

AMSA Allen International Student Travel Award – APPLICATION FORM

Please complete the following information as part of the application to the Australian Marine Sciences Association

A. Candidates Information
Name
Degree enrolled PhD  MSc 
MRes  Hons  / Full-time  Part-time 
Postage Address
Commencement date of Candidature (mm/yy) / Expected thesis submission date (mm/yy)
Department and University
AMSA membership number
Name of primary supervisor
Please attach a brief curriculum vitae (no more than 2 pages A4) that includes publications, conference activity and awards relevant to your application (please tick).
 Attached
B. Conference Information
Conference to be attended
Location of Conference
Date of Conference (dd/mm/yy)
Title of paper/poster to be presented (state which)
Please attach the following information to your application (please tick):
 Abstract (or draft abstract) of paper/poster to be presented.
 Statement of the significance and innovation of the research(no more than 0.5 A4 pages)
 Explanation of how attendance at the proposed conference is important and relevant, and will enhance your research (no more than 0.5 A4 pages)
 Budget and Itinerary (no more than 1 A4 page):
(i)short itinerary
(ii)brief itemised budget with total estimated expenses, and justification
(iii)amount of money requested in this application
(iv)source of remaining funds
Amount Requested from AMSA:
Is any support for this trip being provided from external sources, e.g. University Travel Scholarships, Foundations, Granting Agencies? Please provide details:
  1. Declaration
I have read the eligibility criteria posted on the AMSA website and submit this application in accordance with the award requirements.
Name of Candidate
Candidate’s signature / Date
  1. Letter of support from primary supervisor
Please provide a brief statement regarding the progress of the student's research to date, the quality of the results (must be the candidates own work) to be presented, and the significance of this conference to the student's research field/future career path. Please confirm that the candidate is enrolled in his/her degree at time of application submission.
Name of student
Supervisor’s Name and Affiliation
Supervisor’s Email
Supervisor’s signature / Date
  1. Referee’s Report for endorsement
Please provide a brief statement regarding the candidate's merit for the award.
Name of student
Referee’s Name and Affiliation
Referee’s Email
Referee’s signature / Date

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