MSA Interchange Invitee Award

MSA Interchange Invitee Award

Application deadline: February 15th before midnight, Pacific Time

The MSA Interchange Ambassador’s fund supports up to two MSA Interchange Invitees (members of diverse communities welcomed to MSA) annually.

The MSA Interchange Invitee awards are given annually to outstanding scientists from minoritized groups to participate in the MSA annual meeting. Applicants may not yet be MSA members or may have joined recently but are not likely to have attended a previous MSA meeting. Applicants must be involved in the field of mycology, interested in joining the MSA if they have not already done so, and willing to present their research at the annual MSA meeting. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of 1) an abstract of work to be presented at the MSA meeting, 2) their academic, professional, and/or service achievements, and 3) their professional or academic activities or interests relevant to mycology.

The MSA Interchange Ambassador Invitee Award is administered by the Diversity Committee. 

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

Award Requirements

Applicants may represent any academic level at or subsequent to the undergraduate stage. Self-nomination and nomination of deserving colleagues are both encouraged. Interested parties are encouraged to apply. Please contact Sonya Erlandson (she/her/hers), Chair, MSA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (erlandso@gmail.com) with inquiries. It is expected that the selected applicants would attend the MSA meeting in the year in which they submit their application.

Documents Required

  1. Application Form
  2. A 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
    • Service (if available)
  3. A statement of interest in the MSA, the abstract to be presented, and funds requested (maximum 2 pages). Funds requested may include an annual membership to MSA. Please describe your mycological research and include the complete abstract submitted/to be submitted for the MSA meeting. You are invited to submit the name of a MSA Mentor who will attend the MSA meeting (e.g., the MSA Interchange Ambassador who might have encouraged you to apply), but this is not required. Please specify the amount requested for housing, travel, sustenance, and registration at the MSA conference.
  4. One letter of recommendation (maximum 1 page) or support from a previous or current professor, supervisor, senior colleague, or advisor. The letter of recommendation should be submitted by the deadline to msafungi@reesgroupinc.com by the individual writing the recommending/supporting letter, not the applicant.

To Apply

Complete the application form, being sure to include all required items listed above in electronic format as a single PDF document. The application file should be organized in the same order as described in “Documents Required” and not exceed more than 8 MB. The file name should contain: the last name of the applicant- first initial- “award name” Application (e.g. Smith-J-MSA Interchange Invitee Application).

Confidential letters of recommendation should be sent as a pdf separately to: msafungi@reesgroupinc.com. The letter of reference document name should contain: the last name of the applicant- first initial- “award name”- Referee Letter (e.g. Smith-J-MSA Interchange Invitee-Referee Letter).

The application will be considered complete if all electronic documents, including the letter of recommendation, have been received by the deadline. All documents must be in English to be considered.

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 and diversity-engaging conferences.

Award Terms

MSA Interchange Ambassadors are expected to attend and present at the MSA annual meeting during the year of their award. At the meeting, the Invitee will be paired with an MSA mentor to help the Invitee navigate the meeting and network with society members. Awardees will be recognized at the MSA Business Meeting or Awards Ceremony. The following are also conditions of the award for Invitees:

  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 of receipt.
  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 1-2 page report detailing their activities to the MSA within one year of receiving the award. Part of this report may be published in Inoculum or on 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 MSA Awards Coordinator. 
  6. Please acknowledge MSA in any products that result from this support (e.g., poster presentations, oral presentations, and scientific articles.) 

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 the full MSA Diversity Statement