The CURI Student Travel Program aims to provide as many St. Olaf students as possible with the experience of presenting their research to an external audience. Students presenting a paper or poster, speaking on a panel, or playing another official role in the conference program, are eligible for travel support from CURI.
Funding levels vary depending on the number of students involved in a project and upon individual’s financial need. Student authors may apply for up to $1,000 of travel support for reimbursable expenses. Individuals co-authoring a project may apply for up to $1,000 of travel support each; however, the maximum funding a group can receive is $2,000, regardless of the number of co-authors involved. Each member of a team of presenters must apply for travel support. Please note, even co-authors traveling to the same conference may receive different award amounts, if their official financial needs differ.
2023-2024 student travel application deadlines
You may submit an application at any time, but please note that they will be reviewed within a week of the following deadlines: July 28, 2023, November 3rd, 2023, February 16, 2024, and April 5, 2024.
The CURI Travel budget has been entirely committed for the academic year. We will continue to accept applications in case some of the committed monies are not entirely used, but do not count on receiving CURI travel support for the remainder of this academic year.
Please review the reimbursement process before you submit your application. Submit reimbursement request.
Presentations might result from:
- IR/IS courses
- Summer research at St. Olaf College (CURI Program)
- Internships,
- DUR courses
- Level III courses (especially research seminars)
- Research methods courses
- Summer research at another institution
To be eligible for CURI travel support, students:
- Must be a St. Olaf student returning for the next academic year, or a graduating senior (all travel must be completed before graduation)
- Must have permission to present their results from their faculty supervisor
Funds are limited, and travel awards are not guaranteed, especially if you have traveled with CURI funding in the past. Take care to make accurate estimates of your flight and lodging expenses ahead of time (e.g., use Google Flights for your dates). No more than one travel application will be supported per academic year. You should apply for travel support as soon as you have firm plans to present your research at a specific conference. All offers of travel support are contingent on formal acceptance. Apply far enough in advance so you know whether you have CURI funding before you have to make travel arrangements. If you have questions about whether your proposed travel is eligible for support, please email curi@stolaf.edu.
Students and faculty are encouraged to explore other sources of funding available from outside St. Olaf. Disciplinary societies are particularly interested in supporting undergraduate research travel; you can get more information about these from the faculty member whom you did your research, or their department/program chair.
Warning about questionable conferences
Unfortunately, we operate in a world with predatory conference organizers. Take care not to waste your time and good ideas on such an outlet by double checking the reputation of the conference before applying. CURI will not fund presentations at known predatory outlets. You can read this article for some tips; CalTech librarians also keep a helpful resource list.
** Travel funds may run out before our last review date; watch this web page for updates. **