We strongly encourage our students to have an active research agenda, including participating in professional conferences. Please make sure you are familiar with our department policy on conference attendance, which can be found in the Handbook for Graduate Study. The guidelines and process for attending conferences is outlined below.
Proposal review. To ensure that your projects are sufficiently well-developed for presentation at a professional conference, you should not submit a proposal to present research at a conference without first consulting with your advisor or another faculty member who is familiar with your work. Prior to submitting a research proposal to a conference, you must first have your proposal reviewed and supported by a faculty member. To confirm that you have followed this policy, you are required to complete the Conference Participation Form.
Practice presentation. The department expects anyone planning to attend a conference to give a practice presentation in the department prior to the scheduled conference meeting. You should contact the director of graduate studies to schedule a department presentation once you have agreed to participate in a conference.
Travel support. If you would like to apply for departmental funding to support your travel to and participation in a conference, you must follow these conference participation guidelines. Keep in mind that there is a separate process to apply for department travel funding and that funding is subject to availability. Following the proposal review and practice presentation policies does not guarantee that you will receive funding.