Graduate Student Maximizing Access Travel Award

The Graduate Student Maximizing Access Travel Award, supported by the ASBMB Maximizing Access Committee, will be awarded competitively to assist graduate students in the biomedical research workforce presenting their research at the ASBMB Annual Meeting who are from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have experienced other disadvantages or obstacles on their life path.

Award recipients will be reimbursed for qualifying travel expenses up to $1,000. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of funding.

Award requirements and eligibility

• ASBMB graduate student membership: Applicants must be active members in good standing. Renewal payments or new membership applications must be completed with dues paid at least two business days prior to submitting an application. Dues must be paid in full for the dues year January–December 2027.
• An abstract submission, as primary author (first author), by the abstract deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 8, 2026.
• No more than two awards will be given to a single lab.
• Applicant must be from a disadvantaged background or have experienced other disadvantages or obstacles on their life path.
• Eligible applicants must meet two or more of the following criteria:
  • Were or currently are homeless, as defined by the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act;
  • Were or currently are in the foster care system, as defined by the Administration for Children and Families;
  • Were eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program for two or more years;
  • First generation to attend college, i.e. have/had no parents or legal guardians who completed a bachelor’s degree (see https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018009.pdf);
  • Were or currently are eligible for Federal Pell grants;
  • Received support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) as a parent or child;
  • Lived during childhood as the applicant’s primary residence in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer, or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying ZIP codes are included in the linked file).
  • Experienced other disadvantages or obstacles:
    • Has or had a disability as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act;
    • Experienced discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion or other protected class;
    • Experienced refugee status or displacement due to armed conflict;
    • Other.

Participation requirements

Award recipients are required to participate fully in the following activities. All requirements will be outlined in the travel award notification letter.

• Selected applicants are REQUIRED to present their abstract at the assigned date and time at the 2027 ASBMB Annual Meeting in Boston. Presentation may be scheduled on Sunday, April 4, Monday, April 5, or Tuesday, April 6, 2027. You may not choose your assigned date of presentation and presentation date cannot be changed once assigned. Awardees who do not present their abstract at the scheduled date and time will forfeit their award funds. 
• Participation in the Professional Rounds program, a yearlong virtual mentoring program with established scientists in career paths that align with the travel awardee’s interests. Awardees will be placed in a small mentor group of approximately 3–5 individuals with similar research interests and/or career goals to foster peer connection and shared learning. Awardees and mentors are required to meet at the annual meeting and have quarterly virtual meetings (July, October, and January).
• Presentation of poster at the welcome reception sponsored by the Maximizing Access Committee, as well as presentation at your assigned poster session during the Annual Meeting.
• Participation in a travel awardee networking event. Time and date will be included in award notifications.
• Abstract programming notifications will be sent by Jan. 15 stating the date, time and format of scheduled presentation.
• Check the Important Dates for notification timeline and early registration deadline.
• Completion of post-conference survey.

Information required for submission of application

• Successfully submitted abstract as primary author (first author).
• Benefit statement (3,000 characters max, not including spaces) that outlines your career goals and explains how meeting attendance will benefit your professional development describes any financial support from your adviser or institution to facilitate your attendance, and describes any current financial need. If there is no financial support available from your adviser or institution, please include this information in your statement.
• Letter of recommendation from your current adviser — letter must be submitted with other documents at the time of application (see guidelines below).

Letter of recommendation guidelines

Applicant — Share the following with your current research adviser well in advance of submitting an application:

A letter of recommendation is required from each applicant's current research adviser and must be uploaded at the time of application submission. Address the letter of support to "The ASBMB Award Review Committee." The letter must be on institution letterhead and include the adviser's signature.

The letter of recommendation should address each of the following:

• How meeting attendance will benefit applicant's professional development.
• Applicant's need for financial assistance to attend annual meeting.
• Scientific merit of applicant's work.