As we previously announced, the IMS has created a new category of travel award, aimed at graduate students who wish to attend an IMS sponsored or co-sponsored meeting. The IMS Hannan Graduate Student Travel Award was created by a bequest from the estate of Jim Hannan’s widow, Bettie, who passed away this year. Jim Hannan, who was an IMS Fellow, died in 2010. You can read a little about his life and career here.

The Hannan Graduate Student Travel Award funds travel and registration to attend (and possibly present a paper/poster at) an IMS sponsored or co-sponsored meeting. The travel awards are available to IMS members who are graduate students (seeking a Masters or PhD degree) studying some area of statistical science or probability.

This new award is in addition to the ongoing IMS New Researcher Travel Award. If you are a New Researcher (awarded your PhD in 2012–17) looking for travel funds, you should apply for this award to fund travel, and possibly other expenses, to present a paper or a poster at an IMS sponsored or co-sponsored meeting (apart from the IMS New Researcher’s Conference, which is funded separately).

Applicants for both these travel awards must be members of IMS, though joining at the time of application is allowed (student membership is free, and new graduate membership discounted!). The application deadline for both is February 1, 2018. See http://www.imstat.org/awards/hannan.html and http://www.imstat.org/awards/travel.html.

One of the recipients of last year’s New Researcher Travel Award was Stephen Chan. He wrote, “I was very privileged to receive the IMS Travel Award, which provided me with the opportunity to attend the annual Joint Statistical Meetings conference. Participating in JSM provided me with a great chance to network with leading experts in my research area, which I hope will lead to future collaborative research opportunities. In addition, it enhanced and widened my ability and knowledge in the area that I am passionate about.” He added that he liked Baltimore, “a vibrant multi-cultural city with many attractions to see nearby.” He hopes to attend another JSM: “With the sheer size of the conference, I was amazed at how efficiently it was organized. I am already looking forward to the next JSM!”

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Two of this year’s IMS New Researcher Travel Award recipients at the JSM in Baltimore. Pictured here (l-r) are Ji Zhu (Chair of the IMS Travel Awards committee), recipients Chengchun Shi and Stephen Chan, and IMS President Jon Wellner.