This award allows the National Academy of Sciences to provide travel fellowships for student attendance at the National Radio Science Meeting and the URSI (International Union of Radio Science) GA (General Assembly). This project is conducted by the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Radio Science (USNC-URSI) of the Board on International Scientific Organizations in the Policy and Global Affairs Division. The travel fellowships encourage students at U.S. universities to participate in the National Radio Science Meeting and the 2011 URSI General Assembly, fostering their career development as future radio scientists. This will allow younger researchers to participate in scientific meetings in their field and to present their research to colleagues, exposing them to new scientific developments from both leading U.S. and international institutions, and contributing to their education and their professional development. This is guaranteeed to strengthen the current and future health of U.S. scientific research.
The USNC-URSI National Radio Science Meeting is held each January at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is attended by approximately 400 participants. The international URSI General Assembly is held every three years in locations around the world. In 2008 it was held in Chicago, Illinois, only the third time that the United States has hosted an URSI GA in its 90-year history. The 30th URSI General Assembly will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, August 13-20, 2011.
The purpose of this grant was to provide travel support to allow students and young scientists at U.S. universities to participate in the National Radio Science Meeting (NRSM) and the 2011 URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GASS), fostering their career development as future radio scientists. Fifty graduate students received travel support for the NRSM, and 25 young scientists received support for the URSI GASS. Both URSI and the U.S. National Committee for URSI are organized around ten Commissions: A - Electromagnetic Metrology, B - Fields and Waves, Electromagnetic Theory and Applications, C - Radio Communication Systems and Signal Processing, D - Electronics and Photonics, E - Electromagnetic Environment and Interference, F - Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing, G - Ionospheric Radio and Propagation, H - Waves in Plasmas, J - Radio Astronomy, K -Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine. Students and young scientists were selected across this spectrum for both the NSRM and the URSI GASS. In order to receive a travel fellowship to the NRSM, students had to be the first author and presenter of a paper. For the NRSM, students must be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree program at a U.S. university. The recipients were all expected to present their research, participate in sessions, and attend special events where students and young scientists were recognized. At the NRSM, a special lunch for student travel awardees, student paper competition finalists, U.S. commission chairs, and USNC-URSI officers was held immediately following the meeting plenary session. This lunch provided an additional opportunity for students to meet each other and to speak with more senior researchers in the field. Similarly, at the URSI GASS, a special reception was held for young scientists from all countries. Some Young Scientists had their papers selected to present at a special session. All young scientists were encouraged to attend the final banquet where the paper competition awards were made by officers from the U.S. National Committee for URSI. The support for most students attending the NRSM was $600 per student. Those attending the University of Colorado at Boulder or schools within 50 miles of the NRSM received $200, which covered their meeting registration. Awards to young scientists attending the GASS ranged from $1,000 to $1500. The student programs and young scientist programs at the NRSM and GASS helps build future academic and research infrastructure. Through their participation in these events, the students and young scientists are exposed to leaders in radio science, have opportunities to present and discuss their work and interact with their peers from multiple research institutions. These national and international interactions are important elements of the education process as they help to maintain interest among U.S. students for pursuing scientific careers and foster engagement in the radio science community.
