Donald Barr Travel Award for Long-Term International MSA Members

Donald Barr Travel Award for Long-Term International MSA Members

Application Deadline: February 15th before midnight, Pacific Time

The Donald Barr Travel Award is intended to provide travel support for international long-term MSA

2020 MSA Donald Barr Travel Award for Long-Term International Member Awardee, Camille Truong

members to allow them to attend MSA meetings. The goal is to increase access to meetings for long-time MSA members residing outside of the U.S. and Canada. Applicants are encouraged to present a poster or oral presentation at the MSA conference.  

The Donald Barr Travel Award is administered by the International Committee. 

To see a list of all other awards offered by the Mycological Society of America, view the MSA Award Chart. 

Award Requirements

  1. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the MSA, and have been enrolled for at least one year of the past ten years. 
  2. Applicants must reside outside of the United States and Canada. 

Documents Required: 

  1. Application Form
  2. Curriculum vitae that includes at least (maximum 3 pages)
    • Name, contact address, email address, and phone number
    • Education and professional history
    • Previous awards and honors
    • Publications and other significant professional output (if available)
    • Service (if available)

To Apply

Complete the application, being sure to include and attach all required items listed above, in electronic format as a single PDF. The application file should be organized in  the same order as described in “Documents Required” and should not exceed more than 8 MB. The file name should contain: the last name of the applicant -“award name” Application (e.g. Johnson-Barr Application). The application will be considered to have arrived once all electronic files have been received by the deadline. All documents must be in English to be considered, with the exception of the collecting permit.

Note: Applicants can expect a notification email from the Awards Committee regarding the outcome of their application within approximately 45 days of the application deadline, in time to register for the annual MSA meeting. We expect all award winners to make every effort to attend the MSA annual meeting and encourage all applicants to concurrently apply for an MSA Travel Award in support of that. Presence at the MSA meeting to accept the award gives awardees the opportunity to meet the mycological community, and it gives MSA members an opportunity to meet the awardees.

Award Terms: 

Indirect cost is not allowed on MSA awards.

  1. All awardees must provide a short biography (100-200 words) and a photo (if possible) within two weeks of notification from the Awards Coordinator, using the Awardee Document Submission Form. These will be requested at the appropriate time. Photos and biographies will be published in Inoculum.
  2. The award check must be deposited or cashed within 5 months.
  3. Each award recipient is required to complete a W-9 form prior to receiving their award funds. Awardees will be contacted by the management company regarding this process. (This only applies if you have a U.S. Social Security Number).
  4. Keep copies of your W-9 and all receipts and expenses that are part of this award. These documents are important and may be necessary for tax purposes.
  5. Each awardee will contribute a short article about their research to MSA within a year of receiving the award. Articles should be written for a general audience and may be published in Inoculum or other MSA venues (e.g. MSA website). This will be a great opportunity to promote your research to the MSA community. Articles will be requested by the Awards Coordinator at the appropriate time.
  6. Please acknowledge MSA in any products that result from this support (e.g. poster presentations, oral presentations, and scientific articles). 

VISA Application Timeline:

Please consider that you may need a VISA to enter the United States. The application process can take up to six months or more. You will need to apply for your VISA as early as possible once you know you will be attending an MSA conference, but no later than three months before you wish to enter the United States. Check the US Department of State website for wait times for a scheduled interview at your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. 

MSA conference organizers can provide invitation letters for awardees that can be presented at a US Embassy interview, but MSA travel funds will have to be returned to the MSA if the awardee does not receive a VISA on time to attend the conference. The MSA cannot advocate directly on behalf of an individual to any US Embassy. 

MSA Diversity Statement:

MSA encourages and welcomes submissions by all individuals regardless of race and ethnicity, country of origin, sex, gender identity, religion, age, education level, socioeconomic status, marital status, parental status, physical ability, neurological differences, political affiliation, and sexual orientation. See full MSA Diversity Statement 

Apply Now!