? The purpose of this conference travel grant application is to secure funds to facilitate undergraduate student involvement in the Biennial Meetings of the International Society on Infant Studies (ISIS), to be held in Chicago, IL, during May of 2004. In conjunction with a major undergraduate research initiative undertaken by the Society, we are requesting partial support of the travel expenses for 12 undergraduate students for attendance at the meetings. As determined by the Executive Committee of the Society, undergraduate research experiences form the substrate out of which the next generation of infancy researchers will be nourished, and it is essential for the well-being and future successes of the field of infancy research to increase the diversity of available mechanisms for funneling the best and brightest undergraduate students into the field. Indeed, many of the most successful scholars within ISIS first became involved with infancy research at the undergraduate level. ? ? With the goal of enhancing undergraduate participation in all aspects of ISIS, the Society has established a multi-pronged initiative to support undergraduate infancy research: we have established a standing Committee on Undergraduate Research, we have created a review panel for the sole purpose of reviewing undergraduate papers submitted for presentation at the 2004 meetings in Chicago, we are preparing to administer an undergraduate paper competition, the winner of which will be published in the Society's flagship journal """"""""Infancy,"""""""" and we are submitting this application with the aim of supporting undergraduate student attendance at the 2004 conference. Although the 2004 ISIS meeting will be held within the United States, student travel support still will provide an enormous incentive for undergraduate students to attend the conference, and provide a means of fiscal support not otherwise available. ? ?
