Travel Grants

To support travel to the annual SHOT meeting, participants can apply for travel grants, as follows.

• If you are either a US citizen or enrolled at a US institution, AND if you are a graduate student or a recent PhD (previous five years) or an independent scholar, you are eligible for a grant from the SHOT-NSF travel grant program and should please apply via then link here. Please be sure to check the box for “SHOT” as the “host society.” Application deadline is July 28, 2019. For more information, see section A below.
• If you are a graduate student, recent Ph.D., or independent scholar who is NOT a US citizen or enrolled at a US institution, you are not eligible for SHOT-NSF grants, but you ARE eligible for SHOT’s own Travel Fund grants.  SHOT Travel Fund grants are also open to adjuncts, retired SHOT members, unemployed members, SHOT International Scholars, and participants from outside the US, Canada and Western Europe.  If you fit these criteria, please apply via this link here. Application deadline is July 28, 2019. For more information, see section B below.
• SHOT also offers travel awards through two Special Interest Groups: Women in Technological History (WITH) and Exploring Diversity in Technological History (EDITH). For more information, see section C below.

Section A: SHOT-NSF Travel Grants

Eligibility for SHOT-NSF money is only for people who are participating in the meeting in some way (i.e., as a presenter, chair, Society governance, etc.) _and_ who fit one of the following three categories:

1. graduate students who are either US citizens or enrolled at US institutions, or
2. recent PhDs (received within previous 5 years) who are either US citizens or enrolled at US institutions, or
3. independent scholars who are either US citizens or enrolled at US institutions.

If you meet these criteria, please apply through the SHOT-NSF grant link above. These grants are administered by our colleagues at the History of Science, though SHOT itself reviews the applications and determines the awards.

SHOT-NSF travel grants only cover the cost of transportation to and from the conference and the cost of meeting registration. Travel grants do not cover the costs of transportation during the meeting, food, or lodging. Travel grants will be disbursed after the meeting in the form of reimbursements. Grant recipients will be responsible for filling out reimbursement forms and providing receipts for all claimed expenses – further details will come in award letters. Maximum awards: $750 for domestic travel and $1000 for international travel

Please note that recipients of SHOT-NSF travel grants will need to follow certain regulations; most important, only tickets on US-flag airlines are eligible for reimbursement, so for this grant, you MUST arrange travel on a US-flag airline!  Further details will come in the award letters. Please note that HSS and 4S and other societies run related NSF travel-grant programs, and that no person may receive more than one NSF-funded conference-travel grant per calendar year.

Section B: SHOT Travel-Fund Grants

SHOT’s own grant program is open to those who are not eligible for SHOT-NSF grants, with descending priority as follows:

1. Current SHOT International Scholars;
2. Graduate students who are not US citizens or enrolled at a US institution;
3. Scholars from outside the US, Canada, and Western Europe who are part of the annual meeting, without regard to their academic rank or position;
4. Postdocs, independent scholars, temporary faculty, adjunct faculty, and part-time faculty (in all cases not more than five years past the terminal degree);
5. Members of the field who are currently unemployed;
6. Retired members of the society;
7. Assistant professors not more than six years past Ph.D. conferral.

Applicants are only eligible for a SHOT travel grant when they participate in the annual meeting program in some capacity. In descending priority, the committee will consider whether an applicant is:

• Giving a paper and conducting society business, including organizing a session;
• Giving a paper, including at a “Works-in-Progress” session;
• Commenting at a session and doing society business;
• Commenting at a session;
• Moderating a session and doing society business;
• Doing society business (serving on a committee, etc.) or moderating a session.

If you meet these criteria, please apply through the SHOT Travel Fund link above.

SHOT Travel-Fund Grants may be used only for travel expenses and basic conference registration. Grant funds may not be used for tours, the awards banquet, lodging, or meals. SHOT grants are not meant to cover the full cost of attending meetings; they are intended as encouragement, not a complete subsidy. Reimbursement normally will be made upon submission of travel receipts to the SHOT secretary after the meeting; in exceptional circumstances, reimbursement may be considered in advance of the meeting.

Grants may range up to $750 for travel on the same continent (for example, to Milan from within elsewhere in Europe) and up to $1,000 for travel from a different continent. Under special circumstances, which should be explained in the application, the committee may make a larger grant for international travel. Amounts depend in part on the number of applications, and the committee may make partial awards.

The SHOT travel fund was initiated by Hugh Aitken in 1988 and has been supported by individual SHOT members, royalties from two anthologies of articles from Technology and Culture, and generous contributions from the Dibner Fund. Additional funds come from the National Science Foundation.

Section C: WITH and EDITH Travel Awards

WITH Conference Grants

SHOT’s Special Interest Group (SIG) for Women in Technological History (WITH) annually awards its conference award. Designed to defray some costs associated with attending the SHOT Annual Meeting (such as lodging, meals, and other incidental expenses), the grant is open to individuals giving a paper at the annual meeting. The reviewing committee prioritizes women scholars and feminist scholarship that addresses the presence, actions, activism, and analysis of women and gender in the History of Technology. Graduate students and scholars who are new to SHOT are particularly encouraged to apply. Relevant application information will be posted here and on the conference page as soon as WITH announces its conference grant program for the current year.

EDITH Conference Support Awards

SHOT’s Special Interest Group Exploring Diversity in Technology’s History (EDITH) has its own conference grant program. The EDITH grants are designed to defray costs associated with participating in the SHOT annual meeting, typically lodging, meals, and other incidental expenses.  Eligibility is open to individuals giving a paper at the SHOT annual meeting. Relevant application information will be posted here and on the conference page as soon as EDITH announces its conference grant program for the current year.

2019 Travel Grant Committee

For more information, please contact the SHOT Secretary’s office at [email protected].