​About the WEC Grants

Apply for a 2023-2024 Wildlife Graduate Student Association Grant! 

​To encourage graduate students to participate in their professional and academic arenas, each year the Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation (WEC) makes funds available for graduate students to attend conferences/symposiums for presenting research and for other professional development opportunities. 

WGSA travel grants can be used to support: 
1. Conference registration fees (in person and virtual) and associated travel expenses; 
2. Professional development (in person and virtual) and associated travel expenses; and
3. Academic publication fees 

The maximum award from WGSA is $250 per student per fiscal year.

The Application Process:

Are you Eligible?
To apply for a WGSA travel grant, read the instructions below and then click on the link above to submit an application.

Grant application important dates:

Fall 2025 cycle (expenses from August 2025 – December 2025)

September 22, 2025: grant applications open at 6am ET

October 24, 2025: grant applications close at 5pm ET
​
Spring 2026 cycle (expenses from January 2026 – July 2026): 

January 12th, 2026: grant applications open at 6am ET

February 13th, 2026: grant applications close at 5pm ET

Summer 2026 cycle (expenses from August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2026): 

TBD: grant applications open at 6am ET

TBD: grant applications close at 5pm ET
​
​All applicants will receive an e-mail notification from the travel grants committee within 2-3 weeks after the final deadline notifying you of the decision on your application.
  • Must be a WEC-advised graduate student in good standing.
  • For conference/symposium registration: UPDATED Priority will be given to students presenting a paper or poster at a conference, symposium, workshop or meeting, but presenting is NOT a requirement for virtual conference registration. 
  • For professional development travel: Must explain how this event will benefit your research and our department AND be able to justify why an equivalent experience cannot be found at UF (e.g., through a course, etc.).
  • Must be registered as a student at the time when funds will be disbursed/expenses reimbursed.
  • If you are a previous travel grant awardee, you must not have any outstanding WGSA Activity requirements (described in award email) to fulfill.​
Information for applicants:
   -  Make sure to read instructions on the application form fully and fill out every field of the application. 
​
  -  Make sure to select "Send me a copy of my responses" at the bottom of the form. Upon submission of your application, you should receive an automatically generated e-mail from Google Forms---do not delete this email! If you do not receive this confirmation email within 24 hours, please contact the current WGSA Travel Grants Committee Co-chairs (Agung Utomo, [email protected] and Analise Fussell [email protected]) to make sure your application was received.

   -  If you have made an error in your submitted application, you can edit your response using the link provided in your confirmation email from Google Forms at any time until the application deadline.

Information for Awardees (WEC Degree Program):
  1. Contact Fiscal team for any questions ([email protected])
  2. Complete WEC Travel Request (TR) Form - FY25 WEC TR Form, make sure to upload your award email.
  3. WEC Delegate will enter your TR in UFGO and ask you to submit for approval.
  4. Once approved and receive your TR # you can start booking your expenses. Reminder the below expense must be booked through UFGO, Booking Tool Guide
    1. Flight
    2. Train
    3. Car Rental
    4. Hotel
  5. Personal Travel included during your trip? Cost Comparison REQUIRED: Cost Comparison Guide
  6. Need to book outside the UFGO booking tool? Cost Comparison REQUIRED: Cost Comparison Guide

Information for Awardees (SNRE Degree Program - advised by WEC Faculty):
  1. Contact IFAS-Fiscal team for any questions (Stephanie Lacey Dodd)
  2. To get the appropriate form to submit your Travel Request (TR), use the Shared Services Center (SSC) site through IFAS - sharedservices.ifas.ufl.edu/financial-services/, make sure to have at hand your award email.
  3. Submit your TR to SSC by sending an email to IFAS-SSC and cc Stephanie Lacey Dodd.
  4. Once approved and receive your TR # you can start booking your expenses. Reminder the below expense must be booked through UFGO, Booking Tool Guide
    1. Flight
    2. Train
    3. Car Rental
    4. Hotel
  5. Personal Travel included during your trip? Cost Comparison REQUIRED: Cost Comparison Guide
  6. Need to book outside the UFGO booking tool? Cost Comparison REQUIRED: Cost Comparison Guide

In depth details found here!
​If you have questions or concerns, please contact the current WGSA Travel Grants Committee Co-chairs: Agung Utomo, ([email protected]) and Analise Fussell ([email protected]).

We also encourage you to apply for other UF travel awards:

Please note, both IFAS travel grants require matching funds from your department, so it is prudent to apply concurrently.
​

Institute for Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS)

Graduate Student Council (GSC)

Dr. James Davidson Graduate Travel Scholarship